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SEC Network: Friend or Foe
Posted on 5/14/14 at 7:07 am
Posted on 5/14/14 at 7:07 am
I've heard a lot of opinions on some boards regarding the SEC Network. A pro is more exposure obviously. A con is some sports will lose some local broadcasting opportunities such as baseball. I wanted to get the SEC Rant's feelings on the subject. Shoot. 
10
Posted on 5/14/14 at 7:10 am to abellsujr
Foe
The constant money grab from a "nonprofit" sport rubs me the wrong way.
The constant money grab from a "nonprofit" sport rubs me the wrong way.
Posted on 5/14/14 at 7:20 am to abellsujr
I am growing wearing of Finebaum and his schtick. I have stopped listening to him as it gets old day in and day out. So if he brings nothing to the table I will watch the games including non revenue sports, but I surely wont be watching anything to do with the SEC game day show or anything where he is one of the feature personalities. I for one look forward to more SEC baseball and other things you don't see a lot of. women's VB, and Gymastics would be others I would watch when fb is not in season.
Posted on 5/14/14 at 7:22 am to abellsujr
Pro. More exposure for some sports that do not currently get it and some football games that would be "paperview" or GamePlan purchases before might now be aired. I don't see a downside.
Posted on 5/14/14 at 7:31 am to nc14
All the network does is move more games to a network that we have to pay extra for. It eliminates games on channels you already paid for (ESPN, Over the Air) and moves them to the new SEC network... It is all about the $$$$$$$ and we are t he ones paying..
BIG FOE>>>>>>>
BIG FOE>>>>>>>
Posted on 5/14/14 at 7:35 am to abellsujr
as an lsu baseball fan it sounds like it will be a foe. we'll see. i dont have high expectations though.
Posted on 5/14/14 at 7:36 am to allin2010
It already pisses me off that some of the restaurants I like don't have fox sports south/sports south so I can watch the Braves, so it is guaranteeing that i wont be able to watch certain SEC games at them either. I am not one that carries the banner of "more money for SEC teams so it is awesome!"
This post was edited on 5/14/14 at 7:43 am
Posted on 5/14/14 at 7:47 am to flyAU
Foe - more ESPN influence and we pay more to get
Posted on 5/14/14 at 7:58 am to abellsujr
Friend
Yeah, the four letter network has sort of become the Wally World (Walmart) of sports broadcasting running small mom and pop shops out of business ... but I like what my Wally World stock has done over the years and, seeing as how I am a greedy capitalist, I am of the opinion that the SEC Network is going to do the same for the conference in the long run.
We're going to be filthy rich!
Also, with regard to baseball, there will be more SEC baseball games on than ever before. ESPN is clamoring for inventory and they are going to get a steady dose of everything SEC, baseball especially. All of our programs have been mandated to establish our own camera crews capable of broadcasting anything and everything. They'll be manned by student crews with associate ESPN producers and training teams coming out of Charlotte to train our programs on how to pull it off. I know for a fact that SCAR has already invested in a lot of our own broadcast equipment and we'll be the test program with our crews being trained over the summer, actually starting in a week or so if I am not mistaken.
Yeah, the four letter network has sort of become the Wally World (Walmart) of sports broadcasting running small mom and pop shops out of business ... but I like what my Wally World stock has done over the years and, seeing as how I am a greedy capitalist, I am of the opinion that the SEC Network is going to do the same for the conference in the long run.
We're going to be filthy rich!
Also, with regard to baseball, there will be more SEC baseball games on than ever before. ESPN is clamoring for inventory and they are going to get a steady dose of everything SEC, baseball especially. All of our programs have been mandated to establish our own camera crews capable of broadcasting anything and everything. They'll be manned by student crews with associate ESPN producers and training teams coming out of Charlotte to train our programs on how to pull it off. I know for a fact that SCAR has already invested in a lot of our own broadcast equipment and we'll be the test program with our crews being trained over the summer, actually starting in a week or so if I am not mistaken.
This post was edited on 5/14/14 at 12:25 pm
Posted on 5/14/14 at 12:21 pm to abellsujr
To quote some folks in the big offices
"It is a deal with the Devil"
Pro
+ $$$$
Con
- ESPN owns it not SEC (B1G and PAC own all or part of their networks)
- Broadcast HQ will be in ACC footprint, not SEC
- TV means fewer fans in the stands
- Disney is just concerned about profit, not the long term health of the SEC
- Pay an monthly fee and having to watch commercials is insult to injury (if you pay, it should be commercial free)
- invasive nature of ESPN (ask Mack Brown about the LHN following him 24 / 7 / 365
- ESPN is more loyal to the ACC and that bias will not change
- Local broadcast over national exposure
The biggest thing not being discussed is the change in exposure to sports. Right now if ESPN broadcasts softball the entire nation gets to see SEC sports besides football. This in turn helps national recruiting and national brand recognition. This makes the SEC bigger and stronger.
Contrast that if SEC sports besides football is suddenly only available in the SEC footprint only (B1G and PAC footprints will not pay for sec softball, baseball, basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, et al) and only to those who pay.
Will kids grow up watching SEC sports (free now) if their household does not get it?
Will kids (future recruits) outside the footprint grow up with exposure to SEC sports?
Sure the money is there now, but the SEC is just the sharecropper working on the Disney plantation. What farmer sows all his seeds so he has none to plant next season? All the money in the world will not buy the next generation of SEC fans, especially if they can not see it.
I can see charging for football and maybe m basketball but the rest of it should be free nationwide to build the brands of the next generation who will be watching free TV in the rest of the country. That is just smart long term farming.
"It is a deal with the Devil"
Pro
+ $$$$
Con
- ESPN owns it not SEC (B1G and PAC own all or part of their networks)
- Broadcast HQ will be in ACC footprint, not SEC
- TV means fewer fans in the stands
- Disney is just concerned about profit, not the long term health of the SEC
- Pay an monthly fee and having to watch commercials is insult to injury (if you pay, it should be commercial free)
- invasive nature of ESPN (ask Mack Brown about the LHN following him 24 / 7 / 365
- ESPN is more loyal to the ACC and that bias will not change
- Local broadcast over national exposure
The biggest thing not being discussed is the change in exposure to sports. Right now if ESPN broadcasts softball the entire nation gets to see SEC sports besides football. This in turn helps national recruiting and national brand recognition. This makes the SEC bigger and stronger.
Contrast that if SEC sports besides football is suddenly only available in the SEC footprint only (B1G and PAC footprints will not pay for sec softball, baseball, basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, et al) and only to those who pay.
Will kids grow up watching SEC sports (free now) if their household does not get it?
Will kids (future recruits) outside the footprint grow up with exposure to SEC sports?
Sure the money is there now, but the SEC is just the sharecropper working on the Disney plantation. What farmer sows all his seeds so he has none to plant next season? All the money in the world will not buy the next generation of SEC fans, especially if they can not see it.
I can see charging for football and maybe m basketball but the rest of it should be free nationwide to build the brands of the next generation who will be watching free TV in the rest of the country. That is just smart long term farming.
Posted on 5/14/14 at 12:24 pm to Cheese Grits
quote:
- Broadcast HQ will be in ACC footprint, not SEC
Charlotte is more SEC than ACC, regardless of how the ACC tries to present it or support the city. There are far more SEC fans in Charlotte than ACC fans. Charlotte is far closer to Columbia, SC than to the RTP and tobacco road.
Charlotte is no more ACC dominated than is Atlanta.
Posted on 5/14/14 at 12:28 pm to scrooster
Regarding baseball, that's my understanding. ESPN has made a huge investment of money and push for coverage of baseball. Can't wait to see how it actually pans out.
Posted on 5/14/14 at 12:29 pm to scrooster
quote:
Charlotte is more SEC than ACC, regardless of how the ACC tries to present it or support the city.
It is not a question of the town. It is who ESPN employs, and those folks are ACC both in front of the camera and behind the scenes on the staff. If you think this is changing you are not paying attention. Host Communications was founded in the SEC and pro SEC. It employed SEC kids out of school and it was located in SEC turf. Host was bought by IMG College and the first thing they did was move it to ACC country and employing ACC folks at the entry level.
Tell me how ESPN is not a repeat of this?
Posted on 5/14/14 at 12:34 pm to Cheese Grits
quote:
Sure the money is there now, but the SEC is just the sharecropper working on the Disney plantation. What farmer sows all his seeds so he has none to plant next season? All the money in the world will not buy the next generation of SEC fans, especially if they can not see it.
What will buy the next generation of SEC football fans (aka the ones that drive revenue) is when SEC program take more than half the top tier talent in the country because everyone else seems like a minor league in comparison.
In ten years when the SEC if making 10 million per team more than any other conference the idea of the Network being a "foe" will be laughable.
This post was edited on 5/14/14 at 12:34 pm
Posted on 5/14/14 at 12:50 pm to cardboardboxer
quote:
SEC program take more than half the top tier talent in the country
SEC is seen all over the nation so the word gets out. With the new playoff (to ensure no 2 SEC teams make the Final Four and a PAC and B1G team does) it will limit that SEC exposure. If recruits outside the footprint grow up watching the local teams because SEC will not be free in their footprint they will stay home and play for the teams they saw growing up on TV.
All the money in the world is not the same as owning your own product and keeping it under your control. The B1G and PAC figured out that much when they took ownership stakes in their future. In 10 years not sure if I would count on the SEC making 10 million more than everybody else. Making more than the B12 and ACC I can buy, but not so sure about the other 2.
There are 2 sides to the conference networks. First is the money from carriage which goes to the SEC and ESPN in the SECTV deal. The second part is the advertising revenues. SEC gets none of that, and that is where the growing profits come from. ESPN aka Disney keeps that in the SEC deal. B1G schools get about half of the ad revenues of the BTN. That is what will not allow that 10 million extra you seem to think the SEC will get.
Posted on 5/14/14 at 12:58 pm to Cheese Grits
I think it remains to be seen for UF. Honestly I wasn't too excited when it was introduced because we had a great thing going with SunSports. It brought in an additional $10 million per year and it would have probably seen a huge increase in the next round of negotiations. We already know that we are losing Breakfast with the Gators which is a pretty big deal and I worry about losing air time now that we have to share a network with 13 other teams.
This post was edited on 5/14/14 at 1:00 pm
Posted on 5/14/14 at 1:00 pm to autodd03
quote:
Foe
The constant money grab from a "nonprofit" sport rubs me the wrong way.
This.
It will be a lot of softball, gymnastics, rifle shooting, and women's basketball and other crap that nobody cares about.
Posted on 5/14/14 at 1:10 pm to bgator85
quote:
We already know that we are losing Breakfast with the Gators which is a pretty big deal and I worry about losing air time now that we have to share a network with 13 other teams.
This is what I am afraid of as well.
Take football, having Musburger anywhere near a SEC network means it will not be pleasant. Will we get Lobo doing SEC w basketball coverage? That will go over like a lead ballon. Look Paul can be entertaining but was he the best choice for the SEC network? If Skip shows up on SECTV I am gonna throw up.
Posted on 5/14/14 at 1:15 pm to Cheese Grits
Paul actually does pretty good interviews. His problem is the call in time that's dominated by the Jerry Springer segment. I know he can't control who calls in, but I do think it is his responsibility to figure out a way of getting those out of Alabama (the State) involved. If he can't do that he should get rid of, or limit the call in part. Or the network should find another 'spokesman'.
This post was edited on 5/14/14 at 1:17 pm
Posted on 5/14/14 at 1:47 pm to dbt_Geaux_Tigers_196
Estimated payout for network $1.5 billion for 14 member schools. In the year 2027, CBS will have to renegotiate a new T.V. deal. These figures do not include other revenues.
So, how can anyone say foe.
So, how can anyone say foe.
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