The Sun Belt Tv Package

[SUMG]

You'd think with all of the cable networks now devoted to college sports...ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPNU, Fox College Sports, the various Fox regional networks, CBS College Sports....you'd think the Sun Belt could find somebody to carry a few Sun Belt games every year. I know that WKU has their own package and gets some of their games on. Used to, when we were in The Big West...that league got 3-4 national TV games a year. And one year, there was a syndicated package of games.

This is not a post about wanting to be in any other league...not at all. Just wondering why Wright Waters can't get the league a better TV deal for basketball.

[CMJ]

You'd think with all of the cable networks now devoted to college sports...ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPNU, Fox College Sports, the various Fox regional networks, CBS College Sports....you'd think the Sun Belt could find somebody to carry a few Sun Belt games every year. I know that WKU has their own package and gets some of their games on. Used to, when we were in The Big West...that league got 3-4 national TV games a year. And one year, there was a syndicated package of games.

This is not a post about wanting to be in any other league...not at all. Just wondering why Wright Waters can't get the league a better TV deal for basketball.

We'd probably have to play on other days of the week besides Thursday/Saturday. The Big West would play late Monday night to get their games on for instance(after the Big East and Big 8/12 games) as part of the Big Monday programming.

Edited January 26, 2009 by CMJ

[SUMG]

We'd probably have to play on other days of the week besides Thursday/Sunday. The Big West would play late Monday night to get their games on for instance(after the Big East and Big 8/12 games) as part of the Big Monday programming.

You're correct about that, my friend. But that Big West deal was back when you mainly just had ESPN and ESPN II for games. Now with all the other networks (some of which I mentioned)...you'd think there'd be more opportunities. And ones in which you could have a game televised on a regular day at a regular time.

[drex]

As I haave posted so many times before, 'it's only basketball.' That is the prevailing attitude around NT and apparently other SunBelt schools.

[BonfireBrian]

As I haave posted so many times before, 'it's only basketball.' That is the prevailing attitude around NT and apparently other SunBelt schools.

I'm not so sure about that from a conference standpoint. This was a basketball league before football was added. The league generally does pretty well in the Conference RPI rankings every year and sends a couple of teams to the tournament every few years.

I know that there were a couple of Sun Belt games on the ESPN family of networks last year. Was that part of a contract, and has that contract run out? I don't remember seeing any games on this year.

We do still get the Sun Belt Tourney Semifinals on ESPN+ and the championship on ESPN/ESPN2 again this year, as it has been in the past.

Edited January 26, 2009 by BonfireBrian

[Buford_Julep]

The Sun Belt does have a basketball package with Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast in co-operation with Cox Sports Television. Where the Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast Wiki article says "some of the smaller and less heralded colleges of the region." It is talking about the Sun Belt. Here is a link that shows there really is a Sun Belt Basketball TV package.

The problem for NT fans is that the previously named media giants have no Texas outlets.

The Southland and the SWAC get more TV time in Texas than NT does.

[oldguystudent]

I hopped over to the Big West site, and it looks like they're mostly contracted with CSTV or whatever it's called now. Every so often, I'll see a Big West basketball game on, and I see a lot of baseball when that rolls around. What I like about it is that you can subscribe to all games streamed live online. They also have a standard website template for the individual schools that looks really nice along with GameTracker for every game.

As for the Sunbelt, I won't get into the issue of UNT being the only Texas school in the conference, but it does seem to me that the conference overall doesn't make much effort to promote itself.

Edited January 27, 2009 by oldguystudent

[filmerj]

I hopped over to the Big West site, and it looks like they're mostly contracted with CSTV or whatever it's called now. Every so often, I'll see a Big West basketball game on, and I see a lot of baseball when that rolls around. What I like about it is that you can subscribe to all games streamed live online. They also have a standard website template for the individual schools that looks really nice along with GameTracker for every game.

As for the Sunbelt, I won't get into the issue of UNT being the only Texas school in the conference, but it does seem to me that the conference overall doesn't make much effort to promote itself.

Two Words.... Wright Waters.

[oldguystudent]

Two Words.... Wright Waters.

The man is not easily googled. How 'bout shedding a little light on the subject?

[filmerj]

The man is not easily googled. How 'bout shedding a little light on the subject?

All I meant to infer is that he seems to have little influence or doesn't seem to get the product out there. In My estimation he is not a great conference commish. If WKY can get a deal with FCSA, why can't NT? It has to do with SUN BELT owning TV rights, either they are not actively trying to sell them or no one is interested in buying, or they are asking too much for the rights.

Link to his Bio

Edited January 27, 2009 by filmerj

[Quoner]

Two Words.... Wright Waters.

GOOD THINGS ARE HAPPRNING...WKU HAS A TV DEAL!!!!! KEEP LOOKING FOR THE GOOD!

[filmerj]

GOOD THINGS ARE HAPPRNING...WKU HAS A TV DEAL!!!!! KEEP LOOKING FOR THE GOOD!

YESSS GOOD MAN...THINGS GOOD ALL GREEN KOOLAID... FILMERJ SMASH

[Chrisattsu]

I know that the Southland was upset about their lack of television exposure so they developed a "Southland Television Network"

Basically, we are on CW / MyTV / whatever channel they have lying around for a the length of the game, then it goes back to regularly scheduled programming. I don't know if it is paying any dividends yet, but it's nice for alumni around the area.

It is on in

Texarkana

Austin

Beaumont

Dallas

Houston

Huntsville

Longview

Lufkin

Nac

San Marcos

San Antonio

Waco / Temple

Baton Rouge

Hammond

Lake Charles

Natchitoches

New Orleans

Shreveport

Thibodaux

Plus PPV on ESPN FullCourt (DirecTV Ch. 721 and Dish Network Ch. 457)

In the last year, I have seen 4 Texas State football games on TV, and 2 basketball games.

Maybe something like this would work for the Sunbelt

Edited January 27, 2009 by Chrisattsu

[stebo]

The Belt does noto own the rights to TV games, any school in the Belt can contract their own games. The problem is - the only thing more boring than watching a mid major on TV is a quarter (at best) full arena cheering it on. WKY has a tv deal because they have their own station as part of their curriculum and they make the coordinates available to any station that wants them (for free). NT does not have an uplink to a sattelite for our RTVF dept, very few schools do.

So while there are inferences all over the place - the Belt TV package hasn't changed really at all... there are about 10-12 games on Game Plan like always. As I check the Belt games on the ESPN website, there is usually a game each weekend that has the little Game Plan logo by it... and the Belt has a couple of games on the Deuce along with the Conf championship.

I see what John is saying, you would think that we could put something on one of those other stations but most of those stations charge the conference - not pay them. And honestly, the interest just isn't there. I remember the Big West says of a couple of Deuce games a year... I can think of one that NT was on, at NMSU. The televised Belt games are usually at schools that draw well like WKY. So we can sell all the local games that we want (like we did with the UTA game).. but there really is very little interest.