SoCon Announces Agreement With ESPN3.com

[The Cats]

SPARTANBURG, S.C. - The Southern Conference announced today (August 15) that it has signed a four-year extension with ESPN3.com to deliver a minimum of 45 live regular season league games and conference championships per year. The addition of games on ESPN3.com extends ESPN's current four-year deal with the Southern Conference, which continues through the 2014-2015 season.

As part of the agreement, the eight regular season football games that the league produces for public television will be made available through ESPN3.com. Additionally, eight regular season men's basketball games along with the men's and women's basketball tournament semifinals and the championship game of the women's basketball tournament will be delivered live. The men's basketball tournament championship game is already slated to be televised by either ESPN or ESPN2.

http://www.soconsports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_LANG=C&ATCLID=205243105&DB_OEM_ID=4000

[WestCoastAggie]

Great move! Props!

[citdog]

Are appy and pig's *** satisfied now or are you still holding out for ABC at 3 every saturday?

[Mountaineer]

Are appy and pig's *** satisfied now or are you still holding out for ABC at 3 every saturday?

xnottalkingx

Nah, really though..it's a good start to get more SoCon on ESPN3. Won't have to worry about bandwidth issues with the football games this Fall. That's a plus. xthumbsupx

[asumike83]

Are appy and pig's *** satisfied now or are you still holding out for ABC at 3 every saturday?

8:00 on CBS or bust!


... actually, I am quite happy

[whoanellie]

the sooner App is on TV on a Tuesday or Thursday at 11:30 pm the better.
Are appy and pig's *** satisfied now or are you still holding out for ABC at 3 every saturday?

[asumike83]

the sooner App is on TV on a Tuesday or Thursday at 11:30 pm the better.

I must have missed those App State to the WAC rumors.

[Skjellyfetti]

the sooner App is on TV on a Tuesday or Thursday at 11:30 pm the better.

App's been on ESPN quite a bit over the last few years on Friday or Saturday. Sounds like someone is jealous.

[chattanoogamocs]

On one hand, ESPN is just pushing off the stuff that they don't care about very much onto ESPN3 these days (ESPN > ESPN2 > ESPNU > ESPN3)...but, I probably watch ESPN3.com more than I watch regular ESPN anyway (what can I say, I have been hooked on Australian Rules Football since college when they used to be the only thing ESPN had a contract for on late night), so I am pretty excited about it.

[asumike83]

On one hand, ESPN is just pushing off the stuff that they don't care about very much onto ESPN3 these days (ESPN > ESPN2 > ESPNU > ESPN3)...but, I probably watch ESPN3.com more than I watch regular ESPN anyway (what can I say, I have been hooked on Australian Rules Football since college when they used to be the only thing ESPN had a contract for on late night), so I am pretty excited about it.

I agree. I'm not particularly concerned with where the SoCon ranks on the ESPN hierarchy. The important this is that it is not region specific, so anybody with internet access can watch the games with a good quality stream through ESPN.

[appfan2008]

this is a lot better than pbs!

[Smitty]

Nothing wrong with the PBS deal. This is icing on the cake though...

[biggie]

Hate that I still can't DVR and save to DVD, but at least I'll get to see some of the away games now.

[ursus arctos horribilis]

Hate that I still can't DVR and save to DVD, but at least I'll get to see some of the away games now.

I have found that these types of things can be saved for posterity if one wishes to do so.

[ursus arctos horribilis]

this is a lot better than pbs!

For some it may be. For others it wouldn't be. This covers all bases and the SoCon is paying less to have better coverage. Smart leadership all around on this package they got going.

[Skjellyfetti]

This covers all bases and the SoCon is paying less to have better coverage.

First, we'll see how the coverage is after the first game.

Second, we're still PAYING for coverage. That's pathetic in and of itself.

[ursus arctos horribilis]

First, we'll see how the coverage is after the first game.

Second, we're still PAYING for coverage. That's pathetic in and of itself.

I thought the PBS thing was no charge? Is ESPN charging? Fill me in skelly what's the deal here?

[Skjellyfetti]

I thought the PBS thing was no charge? Is ESPN charging? Fill me in skelly what's the deal here?

We're paying to be on PBS. ESPN3.com is just another way to access the streaming coverage that was already going to be available on soconsports.com. I do not know if we are paying ESPN as well, but I doubt it.

Edit: I will add, that this espn3.com deal benefits the non-football sports greatly. announcement is a much bigger deal for them.

[superman7515]

I agree. I'm not particularly concerned with where the SoCon ranks on the ESPN hierarchy. The important this is that it is not region specific, so anybody with internet access can watch the games with a good quality stream through ESPN.

Not necessarily. A lot of ISP's are refusing to carry ESPN3 due to the increased costs. You can set it up remotely at a buddies house if they have a different ISP and then access it remotely, but it only works for 90 days before you have to be connected at your home location.

[ursus arctos horribilis]

We're paying to be on PBS. ESPN3.com is just another way to access the streaming coverage that was already going to be available on soconsports.com. I do not know if we are paying ESPN as well, but I doubt it.

Edit: I will add, that this espn3.com deal benefits the non-football sports greatly. announcement is a much bigger deal for them.

It is really odd that the local station doesn't want to spend a little money to put at least the App games on. There are usually a few different outlets bidding to put the Griz games on and I think almost every other BSC team has a local broadcasting theirs as well. The BSC doesn't go as a package but if it did I think the money would be pretty decent weekly because I'm pretty sure the normal tab for a Griz game is at six figures. Why wouldn't a local station want to offer even the slightest bid for an App game man cuz that is good TV for a Saturday afternoon?

[ursus arctos horribilis]

Not necessarily. A lot of ISP's are refusing to carry ESPN3 due to the increased costs. You can set it up remotely at a buddies house if they have a different ISP and then access it remotely, but it only works for 90 days before you have to be connected at your home location.

But you can log out and have a friend login at that location and be back to remote access can't ya?

[Skjellyfetti]

It is really odd that the local station doesn't want to spend a little money to put at least the App games on. There are usually a few different outlets bidding to put the Griz games on and I think almost every other BSC team has a local broadcasting theirs as well. The BSC doesn't go as a package but if it did I think the money would be pretty decent weekly because I'm pretty sure the normal tab for a Griz game is at six figures. Why wouldn't a local station want to offer even the slightest bid for an App game man cuz that is good TV for a Saturday afternoon?

The Griz games can be broadcasted locally because the Big Sky doesn't have a package television deal (or, if they do, I'm not aware of it). The only thing I'm aware of with the Big Sky is online streaming. App games can't be broadcasted locally and separately as PBS/SoCon have exclusive rights to broadcast our games. The exception are FBS games where the Big 10 network (or whatever... just an example) buys the rights to broadcast App from Sportsouth or PBS. Local stations do pick up our FBS games usually as they can purchase the rights from the Big 10 network.

That's my understanding, anyway.

[chattownmocs]

If the SOCON has to pay it is largely an App State and Georgia Southern failure. As the self proclaimed dominators of the conference they are at fault for not getting enough people to care. FAILURE App State no wonder no FBS conference wants anything to do with these scrubs.

[ursus arctos horribilis]

The Griz games can be broadcasted locally because the Big Sky doesn't have a package television deal (or, if they do, I'm not aware of it). The only thing I'm aware of with the Big Sky is online streaming. App games can't be broadcasted locally and separately as PBS/SoCon have exclusive rights to broadcast our games. The exception are FBS games where the Big 10 network (or whatever... just an example) buys the rights to broadcast App from Sportsouth or PBS. Local stations do pick up our FBS games usually as they can purchase the rights from the Big 10 network.

That's my understanding, anyway.

Makes sense and I think you've got the BSC thing right too but how can PBS have a contract that they can sell the rights to an App game when the SoCon is paying them for the service of broadcasting it? Wouldn't ya want to be able to have the option of saying..."don't worry about these App games and just do the rest cuz App is gonna get paid for these"?

Maybe the individual teams would be better off doing it like the BSC teams do it and not having to pay in. It just doesn't make any sense that App shouldn't be making some local coin at the very least like Montana does since the schools are pretty similar in the radid nature of the local public.

[asumike83]

If the SOCON has to pay it is largely an App State and Georgia Southern failure. As the self proclaimed dominators of the conference they are at fault for not getting enough people to care. FAILURE App State no wonder no FBS conference wants anything to do with these scrubs.

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljbhxg6kpL1qcdg4no1_500.jpg

[Apphole]

http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_ljbhxg6kpL1qcdg4no1_500.jpg

I hate you, I hate you, I don't even know you, but I hate your guts! I hope all the bad things in life happen to you! And nobody else! But you!

[AppAlum2003]

If the SOCON has to pay it is largely an App State and Georgia Southern failure. As the self proclaimed dominators of the conference they are at fault for not getting enough people to care. FAILURE App State no wonder no FBS conference wants anything to do with these scrubs.

You sound... Like a crazy person.

[StorminASU]

If the SOCON has to pay it is largely an App State and Georgia Southern failure. As the self proclaimed dominators of the conference they are at fault for not getting enough people to care. FAILURE App State no wonder no FBS conference wants anything to do with these scrubs.

I think it's Chatty's fault because being the mecca of FCS football that it is, it should do a better job of telling some of it's hundred of thousands of fans to stay home and watch instead of all crowding into Chattanooga, outside the gates hoping to catch a glimpse of a high pass or field goal. If they just handled their responsibility better, then there would be a TV viewership and not all the congestion each weekend Chatty's glorious team takes the field.

[WUTNDITWAA]

I think it's Chatty's fault because being the mecca of FCS football that it is, it should do a better job of telling some of it's hundred of thousands of fans to stay home and watch instead of all crowding into Chattanooga, outside the gates hoping to catch a glimpse of a high pass or field goal. If they just handled their responsibility better, then there would be a TV viewership and not all the congestion each weekend Chatty's glorious team takes the field.

Based on what I saw last year, if they hope to catch a glimpse of a field goal, they're going to have to wait a while.

[SoCon48]

App's been on ESPN quite a bit over the last few years on Friday or Saturday. Sounds like someone is jealous.

As usual

[biggie]

I have found that these types of things can be saved for posterity if one wishes to do so.
PM me.