The Nielson List that is driving expansion

Harry · February 20, 2012

http://www.nielsen.com/content/dam/corporate/us/en/public%20factsheets/tv/nielsen-2012-local-DMA-TV-penetration.pdf

KoldBeer · February 20, 2012

Austin dropped from 44 to 47. The Big 12 might have to kick them out now. Looks like most markets dropped in number of homes. I guess some people got rid of TVs.

I know North Texas is a small fry in the DFW market but it's nice to be part of the number 5 market in the nation. Hopefully that will carry some weight in realignment.

wardly · February 20, 2012

great information! hope you are right that this is whats driving expanson. CUSA has excellent opportunity to enter Philly,Miami, and DFW. MWC could pick up San Jose and San Antonio markets. i just get concerned when it appears The National Conference will add Temple and FIU on the west to get to 18 programs, and may just add 2 more for a total of 20.i would be much more confortable with 24 programs, as ECU/Marshall are pushing hard for more east coast teams.

island eagle · February 20, 2012

http://www.nielsen.com/content/dam/corporate/us/en/public%20factsheets/tv/nielsen-2012-local-DMA-TV-penetration.pdf

Hey, where is the giant metropolis of Ruston on there? Surely there must be a mistake!

Harry · February 20, 2012

I think they count Shreveport as their market.

runt96 · February 20, 2012

I will say this. If expansion is being driven by TV markets and UNT still gets passed by, that will tell us all we need to know about the perception of UNT and its programs by others.

It will tell us we're part of the Sherman/Dennison market and that maybe we should be trying to make inroads into the Wichita Falls market.

Edited February 20, 2012 by runt96

VideoEagle · February 20, 2012

Hey, where is the giant metropolis of Ruston on there? Surely there must be a mistake!

#138 - Monroe-El Dorado market. Ruston is part of the booming Monroe-El Dorado market. Here's a map of the market.

DeepGreen · February 21, 2012

Louisiana Tech even claims some of the East Texas market.

PlummMeanGreen · February 21, 2012

Last time CUSA checked us out for membership with venerable Fouts Field still hanging 'round our neck it was "close but no cigar."

I think with North Texas being in the #5 (soon to be #4) ranked U.S. TV market, our new Apogee Stadium, the Super Pit and the whole damn Mean Green Village gives us the cigar this time. We know of a handful from CUSA who have been up there since Apogee's debut and the common thread phrase for each is how they are completely blown away by what they've seen.

At the Apogee Stadium debut game, another alum and I steered the UH Cougar's "H Club" president (who was lost on campus) to Apogee doing our best chamber of commerce'esque (but not over the top) bit in a walk from the Super Pit parking area. He could not believe how much of UH's athletic history I knew until I told him I grew up a Coog fan; anyway, we took the UH exec across I35-E into to the MG Village and the look in his eyes said it all and then as we arrived to the stadium proper his comment of " this is really something out here that your school has built."showed me we had one of our very first CUSA converts (even though UH will soon go Big East).

If North Texas were in a small to medium market it would be a 100% "no go" but in my wildest dreams I cannot see this league omitting the biggest (present) TV market hole that just happens to be smack dab in the middle of these 2 leagues geographical footprint out of this alliance. I think TV execs will help them out on deciding this (if it hasn't already been decided which I think it has) just like they did with SMU and the Big East. Just sayin'...

GMG!

Below is a new YouTube "Great Moments At Apogee's 1'st Season) from the MGRN. (Where do they get their music for these--it's excellent).

http://www.youtube.c...h?v=j98uEfInqRg

(I know home crowds in conference games that count against the likes of Tulane, Rice, Tulsa, etc, will get more of our fans and alums out with their own traveling fans many of whom live and work in the DFW Metroplex--this could be so great for all of us).

Edited February 21, 2012 by PlummMeanGreen

mathman68 · February 21, 2012

SMU fan here but I read your board weekly just to keep up with how things are going. I know there are some SMU posters who denigrate UNT every chance they get but I am not one of them. I have always enjoyed the time I have spent on your campus and have a lot of friends who have gone there. Back to the topic being discussed, I see no way that UNT can be passed over in the expansion process. Too many positives going for you guys. Haven't seen the new stadium but have been told it is beautiful. Your location is almost perfect from a TV stand point. Much as SMU's was. We both have attendance problems but with better competition and good marketing that can be handled. I truly hope you guys make the jump to the merger and am looking forward to our future series with y'all. Oh, and don't pay attention to some of the junk said on our board about UNT. It is just a message board after all and I have read a lot of SMU BS on this board as well. Have a great day and good luck.

Cerebus · February 21, 2012

I know North Texas is a small fry in the DFW market but it's nice to be part of the number 5 market in the nation. Hopefully that will carry some weight in realignment.

There are teams that can command their entire market, even markets way out of their geographical footprint. None of those teams are interested in Alliance membership.

What the alliance is looking at, if we are going to be realistic here, is teams that can deliver a small part of their market if nothing else is on.

The good thing for North Texas is that its possible small part is in a very large market. That is also what FIU has going for it. I don't know if conference building on this factor is a good idea or not, but that is what is happening.

GrandGreen · February 21, 2012

No one controls an entire market. The concept however is if you are a college sports fan, you are a lot more likely to tune in a local team. Plus the even more obvious, you have a much greater span of potential viewers and advertisers . UNT, is unique in not only does it preside in a mammoth market but it has a great number of alumni working there. The metroplex if not the absolute best, also is in the very top of the best high school recruiting areas in the nation. FIU has a lot of the same factors, but their current support makes UNT look great in comparison.

Yes, there are a lot of other factors other than market, but NT doesn't look too shabby based on facilities and potential. The only real knock on UNT is lack of football success, but look at the competition. As bad as NT has been lately, there are not any teams vying for the alliance that blows anyone away based on football prowess.

PlummMeanGreen · February 21, 2012

No one controls an entire market. The concept however is if you are a college sports fan, you are a lot more likely to tune in a local team. Plus the even more obvious, you have a much greater span of potential viewers and advertisers . UNT, is unique in not only does it preside in a mammoth market but it has a great number of alumni working there. The metroplex if not the absolute best, also is in the very top of the best high school recruiting areas in the nation. FIU has a lot of the same factors, but their current support makes UNT look great in comparison.

Yes, there are a lot of other factors other than market, but NT doesn't look too shabby based on facilities and potential. The only real knock on UNT is lack of football success, but look at the competition. As bad as NT has been lately, there are not any teams vying for the alliance that blows anyone away based on football prowess.

Someone's already posted something similar as this below on this board or another forum but:

(1) Do the TV advertisers want in a market with 2,000,000 TV sets and get 10% of that market?

(2) Or..... do they want in a market with 100,000 TV sets and get 10% of that market to sell their widgets?

GMG!

Edited February 21, 2012 by PlummMeanGreen

Cerebus · February 21, 2012

No one controls an entire market.

True, but certain teams can deliver a really big slice of that market. And lets remember that to advertisers sports are valued even higher than other programs because people watch those things live. Plenty of people will record "insert sitcom name here" and then skip over the commercials, but almost no one does that to live sports.

The concept however is if you are a college sports fan, you are a lot more likely to tune in a local team.

That concept is flawed, or else KDFI would have cleaned up when it was broadcasting the North Texas games a few years back. Despite the superior locality of UNT and the huge number of alums we have in the area, the spare B12 game of the week was getting much better ratings.

But that is OK. A&M, Texas and Oklahoma aren't looking to join the alliance, they aren't are competition. What the alliance is looking at is either teams that can deliver a good part of a very small market, or teams that can deliver a slice of a very large market when there is nothing head to head with it. Which is great for us. The amount of people in DFW who will tune into a North Texas game, especially if we aren't playing head to head with B12 games, is going to dwarf the number of sets someone like LaTech can deliver. Sure we may have to play games on non traditional days, but sweet sweet TV money will help with the pain.

GrandGreen · February 22, 2012

A follow up based on the above 3 comments. I guess I have to qualify more than I did, NT is not going against the Big 12 for admittance in the Alliance. Radio broadcasts are a lot difference from TV, I doubt many casual college football fans are going to tune their radio or computer in to any one other than their favorite team unless that game has some bearing on their team. Attendance and money are a direct function of wins and loses, again what team competing for the Belt has a significant edge ether in resources or attendance? TV head to head with a big 12 team, it would obviously depend on which teams. I believe that NT versus ULL for instance would compete very well against Iowa State and Kansas. UT probably has more of the DFW market than any other college team so no NT would not do well going against them. Winning as well as advertising also will play a big role in who watches what.

I do think if NT has even a slight schedule upgrade and starts consistently winning, they can compete very well with most college team tv broadcasts in the DFW area. UT, OU, and A&M all have very large alums contingency in this area to go with budgets that completely dwarf NT. I would be naive to think NT is going to compete very well with them even from the alliance. I do think that NT can compete with the two local privates and the rest of the Texas teams on garnering support in DFW.

Big slice of a small market or small slice of mega market, I would assume that is entirely to do with what you are trying to sell. In general terms, I would bet that they are looking at the potential total views of the broadcast. The question is what team that would go to the alliance has any better market big or small. There is not any, La Tech may dominate viewers in Ruston and get some from Monroe and Shreveport, but NT would dominate Denton locally and get some from DFW, no comparison. Utah State might get a much bigger share of their region than NT does of theirs, but again the shear size of DFW is going win that contest. UTSA is in big market but about a 1/6 of DFW, no local competition but UT is even a bigger factor there.

wardly · February 22, 2012

someone else posted the idea that UNT might have to move west to be included in the MWC/CUSA merger. i must admit that this never crosed my mind. what are your thoughts?