American Sports Network Shutting Down

[SU DOG]

They carried games for several conferences including the SoCon. Obscure or not, this is not good news.

http://footballscoop.com/news/number-conference-tv-deals-limbo-american-sports-network-shuts/

[KPSUL]

I agree, it's not good news. They carried some CAA games last year too.

[Bogus Megapardus]

They carried a couple of PL games early on as well, I believe. ASN deserves credit for trying to bring more good college sports to more people - not just the same ol' "major brands."

Most FCS conferences now have proprietary streaming (and in some cases television) networks. Any school can buy off-the-shelf technology to stream a live game with decent quality. In that sense, ASN became a victim of their own success.

Thanks for all you did, ASN! xbeerchugx

[Go Green]

Carried some Ivy games as well.

[Wildcat1997]

And Southland games as well.

[catamount man]

RIP! It was a good showcase for fbs mid majors and fcs.

[walliver]

I don't know how popular this network really was. Our local affiliate in Asheville would primarily show WCU games and D2 SAC games, forgetting that Wofford and Furman are also in their market (and both are more popular than the Brevard College Tornadoes). The technical quality of the WCU games was horrible and looked just like their ESPN3 games with the video bouncing all over the place as if they had hung-over students hand-holding the cameras and almost always missed the snap while the cameras were focused on something else.

[maristdb89]

Damn shame. I enjoyed watching numerous FCS games. It'd be interesting to understand their P/L model and figure out a way to increase Ad$$.

[catamount man]

I don't know how popular this network really was. Our local affiliate in Asheville would primarily show WCU games and D2 SAC games, forgetting that Wofford and Furman are also in their market (and both are more popular than the Brevard College Tornadoes). The technical quality of the WCU games was horrible and looked just like their ESPN3 games with the video bouncing all over the place as if they had hung-over students hand-holding the cameras and almost always missed the snap while the cameras were focused on something else.

You're thinking of WMYA channel 40 and their self produced broadcasts. ASN would sometimes split coverage over both ch 40 and ch 62 out of S'burg. Their broadcasts were way better than WMYA's own broadcasts.

[Bogus Megapardus]

Damn shame. I enjoyed watching numerous FCS games. It'd be interesting to understand their P/L model and figure out a way to increase Ad$$.

On the PL Network it's pretty much the same ads for every broadcast - Papa Johns, Coke Zero and Met Life, plus some local advertisers like Easton Hospital and a printing company and a couple of others. I don't know if that covers the cost but it's something. ASN probably got more advertisers but its costs presumably were much higher.

[RootinFerDukes]

It's definitely bad news for any conference that was carried by the ASN network or picked up by a regional network. There will be that many fewer FCS games on linear television beginning next season.

I watch any and every FCS game in my region and I'd say more than half of it was an ASN broadcast.

[RootinFerDukes]

I don't know how popular this network really was. Our local affiliate in Asheville would primarily show WCU games and D2 SAC games, forgetting that Wofford and Furman are also in their market (and both are more popular than the Brevard College Tornadoes). The technical quality of the WCU games was horrible and looked just like their ESPN3 games with the video bouncing all over the place as if they had hung-over students hand-holding the cameras and almost always missed the snap while the cameras were focused on something else.

Yes the production quality of ASN broadcasts, and even some of their commentators, left much to be desired. However, I looked at it this way. It's better than nothing.

If you look at any given FCS school produced streaming feed that you have to subscribe to a month's subscription of $10 to watch one game, even those have horrendous quality and some very amateur student providing commentary.

I remember watching a Stony Brook online feed back in 2014 and missed a critical fumble in favor of the dukes because the camera was still focusing on the friggin crowd. By the time they switched back, the play was over, no replay and we just had to listen to it described by the commentator.

[Go Green]

If you look at any given FCS school produced streaming feed that you have to subscribe to a month's subscription of $10 to watch one game, even those have horrendous quality and some very amateur student providing commentary.

I remember watching a Stony Brook online feed back in 2014 and missed a critical fumble in favor of the dukes because the camera was still focusing on the friggin crowd. By the time they switched back, the play was over, no replay and we just had to listen to it described by the commentator.

Still beats the hell out of the old days when you had to wait for ABC's game of the week to show the scores at the half, or even wait until the Sunday papers. As you said, "it's better than nothing."

One old-timer on the Ivy Board remarked that he couldn't tell you how many hours he wasted watching stupid U. of Minnesota games on Saturdays in hopes that ABC would show the scores of the Ivy games.

:)

[UIWWildthing]

Damn, they showed events that you normally wouldn't see too (hockey, lacrosse, etc.)

[GodHelpTheBears]

I never realized the breadth of ASN's programming - we don't get it in southwest MO and the Valley is tight with ESPN's streaming component.

I wonder if those games will go to a different third party or if the content owners want to do something with it themselves.

[Lehigh Football Nation]

Underrated in all of this was ASN's streaming service. Occasionally they would stream FCS games online when they were out-of-region, Albany/UNH is one example I can think of. Rumor has it Campus Insiders is taking over some of that inventory, which actually improves CI's overall streaming lineup (which was already quite solid). They have the ability to go over-the-top to Roku boxes and other media devices, too - a really big advantage.

[Bogus Megapardus]

Campus Insiders

Campus Insiders announcers habitually mispronounce "Lafayette." xconfusedx Lehigh's staff announcers also habitually mispronounce "Lafayette" but they do it on purpose. That said, an expansion of CI to include ASN's market would be a great thing. CI's announcers and producers for lacrosse and field hockey actually know and understand the game.