Let's be the first...

[hithere]

The entity making the biggest bet on this is pro wrestling's WWE. They just launched their WWE Network, which is a 24-hr network that streams over the web, and also offers a couple thousand hours of archived content. It's just like turning on ESPN, except it's delivered over the internet to phones, tablets, playstations, Xbox, Roku, etc. I'm a pro wrestling fan so I'm a subscriber, and it's a fascinating product.

For 9.99/month, I get all of WWE's pay perviews, and the on demand archives includes every pay per view going back 30 years, plus all kinds of archived content. If UW could navigate the rights, it's not hard to imagine a dedicated streaming UW network along these lines that would show the third tier games not picked up by ESPN or Root, archived games, historical games, etc.

But here's the rub, and why this is a stupid idea. There are probably only about 5,000 households in the state that include what I would call hardcore fans. There are just fewer than 5,000 football season ticket holders. I am told there are just more than half that number who hold basketball season tickets. So even if you converted 100% of your season ticket holders, and somehow got them to pay 9.99/mo, you'd still only make about $600,000 a year. That doesn't get anywhere near to covering your costs.

The problem, as always in Wyoming, is scale. We just don't have enough fans, and demographics and geography say we never will.

I'm one of the biggest TheCup fans on the interweb, but you're coming across as an ignorant slut.

In this hypothetical dreamworld, a Wyoming channel on either watchespn or Netflix goes straight past plaid at ludicrous speed. Any semblance of reality would have to include the MW. And any Wyoming game on a watchespn/Netflix dedicated platform would have to be 3rd tier. The WWE example is a good one, but they are, to my knowledge, the only entertainment industry that could possibly pull off their own dedicated channel based on content and following. Wyoming would need to rely on its conference affiliation. While I personally would pay upwards of $15 a month for 24/7 coverage of just Brian Heffron being awesome apart from the WWE as a whole, most would not.

I hated it at the time, but having BYUtah in the conference absolutely raised the tide for all when it came to the MTN. I mention that half facetiously because apart from James Bates, the MTN's production values were downright embarrassing and made me cringe watching them. Anyway, my point is that in order to have a shot at either Netflix (extremely remote) or a dedicated channel on watchespn, UW will have to rely on its conference affiliation. And for right now, that would mean hitching on to Boise State's coat tails. And Heavens to Betsy, if Wyoming stopped sucking at revenue sports, a niche following might materialize where we wouldn't have to fellate BSU and/or Fresno State to get some espn scraps thrown our way.

I realize how silly this comes across but if Florida A&M has a presence on watchespn, why couldn't Wyoming and the MW?

 

[TSpoke]

Because ESPN isn't our primary rights holder. CBS is. We have a streaming service and app just not through ESPN. Now if you want to complain about the quality of the streams or the app that is a different subject(its getting better I beleive) but we do have an app to stream games available. If espn was our rights holder then it would be through them but they are not.

 

[hithere]

Because ESPN isn't our primary rights holder. CBS is. We have a streaming service and app just not through ESPN. Now if you want to complain about the quality of the streams or the app that is a different subject(its getting better I beleive) but we do have an app to stream games available. If espn was our rights holder then it would be through them but they are not.

Is the Primary rights holder still CBS? I don't know. I thought the hybrid agreement with bonus money for number of games on ESPN leveled that out a little.

My soap box for ESPN picking up any 3rd tier games (maybe wrong term) that aren't on CBS or root was my main argument. Any games that aren't already on CBS Sports, ESPN, ESPN2 or Root (and other) for the time being until a new contract is agreed upon, could possibly go to watchespn.

I'm whistling past the graveyard here.

 

[TSpoke]

I'm pretty sure CBS is the primary rights holder. The Boise ESPN-bonus deal is kinda a side/2nd teir deal(or thats how I see it). Currently the games that aren't picked up by the ones you mentioned are streamed by campus insiders and broadcast on themw.com or using themw app. Essentially the same thing as watch espn just a different app. I can stream them both to my tv the same. Watch ESPN is available on more devices but I have a feeling they are trying to get our availible more places as well, who knows. I just don't see much difference in what some of you are proposing and what we currently have.

 

[TheCup]

Is the Primary rights holder still CBS? I don't know. I thought the hybrid agreement with bonus money for number of games on ESPN leveled that out a little.

I'm a slut, but not ignorant. I said pretty clearly the over the top model distribution model for a school like Wyoming doesn't work.

And CBS is the primary rights holder and will remain so through 2020. CBS Sports gets to pick a certain number of MWC games first. I can't remember the exact number. They can not pick any of Boise State's home games. They can pick their road games. Then CBS and ESPN alternate pick of games after that. ESPN can take a total of 22 football games per year. At least three of the Boise home games must be shown on ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC. The rest can be dumped online.

Things are not level at all in terms of the total revenue picture. Wyoming made $1 million in "bonus money" from tv games last year. Boise made 2.1 million.

 

[hithere]

Is the Primary rights holder still CBS? I don't know. I thought the hybrid agreement with bonus money for number of games on ESPN leveled that out a little.

I'm a slut, but not ignorant. I said pretty clearly the over the top model distribution model for a school like Wyoming doesn't work.

And CBS is the primary rights holder and will remain so through 2020. CBS Sports gets to pick a certain number of MWC games first. I can't remember the exact number. They can not pick any of Boise State's home games. They can pick their road games. Then CBS and ESPN alternate pick of games after that. ESPN can take a total of 22 football games per year. At least three of the Boise home games must be shown on ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC. The rest can be dumped online.

Things are not level at all in terms of the total revenue picture. Wyoming made $1 million in "bonus money" from tv games last year. Boise made 2.1 million.

Goddamnit. I concede for the most part that getting on watchespn, at this point, is somewhat far fetched. I'd still very much like it to happen, but it probably won't. I do not think it's stupid though to think that it could happen because it certainly can. I just don't know that sooner rather than later would be very optimistic.

As far as the bonus money terms, I do remember that the contract language specifically used any team to be on ESPN in the future. Clearly, this was a way to keep Boise (and SDSU, Ha!) in the conference by awarding more money to highly popular programs, but the door is open for others to gain steam and possibly gain more money from more national appearances on ESPN, ABC or ESPN2. The only reason why the bonus money is unequal now is because of performance and I have no problem whatsoever with that.

To TSpoke's point on having ROOT games simulcast on themw.com; is that permanent or a one year deal only?

 

[SnowyRange]

I also wonder -- in this hypothetical world of live-streamed football games -- what would happen to attendance.

UW has a small stadium. We could fill it to 90% capacity without breaking a sweat just with folks from Laramie, Cheyenne and Casper -- if we had much of a culture of attending football games. But we don't.

I fear that the option to sit at home, warm, with a nicely appointed bar and steaks on the grill while streaming the game would leave us with about 7,000 diehards in the seats.

 

[BeaverPoke]

The entity making the biggest bet on this is pro wrestling's WWE. They just launched their WWE Network, which is a 24-hr network that streams over the web, and also offers a couple thousand hours of archived content. It's just like turning on ESPN, except it's delivered over the internet to phones, tablets, playstations, Xbox, Roku, etc. I'm a pro wrestling fan so I'm a subscriber, and it's a fascinating product.

For 9.99/month, I get all of WWE's pay perviews, and the on demand archives includes every pay per view going back 30 years, plus all kinds of archived content. If UW could navigate the rights, it's not hard to imagine a dedicated streaming UW network along these lines that would show the third tier games not picked up by ESPN or Root, archived games, historical games, etc.

But here's the rub, and why this is a stupid idea. There are probably only about 5,000 households in the state that include what I would call hardcore fans. There are just fewer than 5,000 football season ticket holders. I am told there are just more than half that number who hold basketball season tickets. So even if you converted 100% of your season ticket holders, and somehow got them to pay 9.99/mo, you'd still only make about $600,000 a year. That doesn't get anywhere near to covering your costs.

The problem, as always in Wyoming, is scale. We just don't have enough fans, and demographics and geography say we never will.

+1

There is a difference between thinking small and being absolutely ridiculous.

 

[Wyovanian]

I also wonder -- in this hypothetical world of live-streamed football games -- what would happen to attendance.

UW has a small stadium. We could fill it to 90% capacity without breaking a sweat just with folks from Laramie, Cheyenne and Casper -- if we had much of a culture of attending football games. But we don't.

I fear that the option to sit at home, warm, with a nicely appointed bar and steaks on the grill while streaming the game would leave us with about 7,000 diehards in the seats.

This.

What Wyoming needs to be is the first to provide live, in-game content (replays, analysis, etc.) to people attending the games. Dress it up with in-seat F&B ordering and delivery (plus beer sales) and you've got a real formula for boosting attendance and revenue...

 

[BJC]

attending[/b] the games. Dress it up with in-seat F&B ordering and delivery (plus beer sales) and you've got a real formula for boosting attendance and revenue...

100% and a bus package so fans don't have to drive from neighboring cities :twocents:

 

[TheCup]

What Wyoming needs to be is the first to provide live, in-game content (replays, analysis, etc.) to people attending the games. Dress it up with in-seat F&B ordering and delivery (plus beer sales) and you've got a real formula for boosting attendance and revenue...

Hey! Careful! Big thinking like that does not fit in around here. Putting the fan experience first and aiming for excellence is not how the UW athletic department operates!

Let's clean it up.

 

[ragtimejoe1]

+1

There is a difference between thinking small and being absolutely ridiculous.

Nah, thinking small is exactly why we are where we are. We accept mediocrity.

CBSCSTV already has online mechanisms. If freaking bull riding can have their own channel, there is no reason UW can't. For hell's sake, even FCS schools stream Spring games and other activities. WYO said they will stream Spring games in the future. OK, you have content. Voice over the radio guys and send it somewhere. Netflix hasn't shown what it would take to gain access to their platforms. Maybe it would take an act of god or maybe it is just a flip of the switch and send our content. Do you know or do you assume it is too big for Wyoming? What is the cost to stream versus target market potential revenue?

It is what it is and what it always will be. It is too hard to recruit to Wyoming. We aren't big enough to try new things. We don't get enough attendance for that. etc. etc. Small thinking = small results. Something we've had for the past 20 years.

You put a good product on the field and attendance won't be an issue. There are lots of grads around this country that won't be at a game regardless of what you do. They would pay to watch it online, however. Imagine telling a family they can watch their kid for every single home event even if they can't make the games = recruiting advantage.

 

[ragtimejoe1]

Hey! Careful! Big thinking like that does not fit in around here. Putting the fan experience first and aiming for excellence is not how the UW athletic department operates!

Let's clean it up.

Winning is the only answer for attendance.

 

[TSpoke]

+1

There is a difference between thinking small and being absolutely ridiculous.

Nah, thinking small is exactly why we are where we are. We accept mediocrity.

CBSCSTV already has online mechanisms. If freaking bull riding can have their own channel, there is no reason UW can't. For hell's sake, even FCS schools stream Spring games and other activities. WYO said they will stream Spring games in the future. OK, you have content. Voice over the radio guys and send it somewhere. Netflix hasn't shown what it would take to gain access to their platforms. Maybe it would take an act of god or maybe it is just a flip of the switch and send our content. Do you know or do you assume it is too big for Wyoming? What is the cost to stream versus target market potential revenue?

It is what it is and what it always will be. It is too hard to recruit to Wyoming. We aren't big enough to try new things. We don't get enough attendance for that. etc. etc. Small thinking = small results. Something we've had for the past 20 years.

You put a good product on the field and attendance won't be an issue. There are lots of grads around this country that won't be at a game regardless of what you do. They would pay to watch it online, however. Imagine telling a family they can watch their kid for every single home event even if they can't make the games = recruiting advantage.

They can already watch it online for free unless it is on cbs sports or espn(actually if its on espn most places you can stream it through the watch espn app too). So all games should be on tv or streamed online already.

 

[hithere]

+1

There is a difference between thinking small and being absolutely ridiculous.

...on a message board.

 

[hithere]

This.

What Wyoming needs to be is the first to provide live, in-game content (replays, analysis, etc.) to people attending the games. Dress it up with in-seat F&B ordering and delivery (plus beer sales) and you've got a real formula for boosting attendance and revenue...

I'm wondering, because I am an ignorant slut, how much this is incorporated into the Wildcatter suites, if at all? Is there booze in there? I think you're talking about this for the whole stadium though, yes?

And I also wonder how much this would cost. Because a pilot program could show that this may or may not work.

 

[ragtimejoe1]

They can already watch it online for free unless it is on cbs sports or espn(actually if its on espn most places you can stream it through the watch espn app too). So all games should be on tv or streamed online already.

Where do we stream the games to? If we are already streaming our 3rd tier content, then we should definitely be looking to getting this on more "TV friendly" media. I think CSTV is getting on one of the boxes this fall. If our games are through that, then, awesome, we should be getting there.

 

[hithere]

They can already watch it online for free unless it is on cbs sports or espn(actually if its on espn most places you can stream it through the watch espn app too). So all games should be on tv or streamed online already.

Where do we stream the games to? If we are already streaming our 3rd tier content, then we should definitely be looking to getting this on more "TV friendly" media. I think CSTV is getting on one of the boxes this fall. If our games are through that, then, awesome, we should be getting there.

TheMW.com. But I'm not sure that this will continue for free on the website. Hopefully someone else can confirm.

 

[fromolwyoming]

Should be free.

 

[ragtimejoe1]

TheMW.com. But I'm not sure that this will continue for free on the website. Hopefully someone else can confirm.

Is every non-televised game for all sports on there or is it up to each University? I missed it last year. CSTV will be on roku soon; I think there will be a subscription fee, though.