95% say no to Big 10 Network

[Splendid]

As of 8 am this morning the WHOTV poll asking if you would be willing to pay $1.10 extra to see the Big 10 Network on Mediacom is overwellmingly against. I have no knowledge of any organized movement to scew the outcome of this poll one way or the other so I find the results interesting. A similar poll taken last week by the Cedar Rapids Gazette was fully against as well in an area that is suppose to be the hotbed for the Hawkeye nation.

If it is true that you first need a $17.00/mo HD box and then you can pay $1.10 on top of that for the BTN then I find this poll bogus and misleading anyway. The BTN is trying to squeeze every last nickel from it's base in the name of greed and I for one hope it blows up on them.

WHO TV - Des Moines: As Seen on Channel 13 News

 

[benjay]

hawkeye sports fans must be drowning in disbelief and shock

 

[jbhtexas]

"Hug your cable boxes! I love it! I love it! I love it!"

 

[SlyCy]

Some on Hawkeye message boards are claiming a conspiracy by Cyclone fans fresh off the mascot win.

I for one think it is quite "carmic" in the sense that the Iowa AD dept. sent out a mass email to U of I employees incouraging them to vote in this most important poll. Great use of the State resources and time!

 

[intrepid27]

JEEEZZE! For a group of fans that "travel well" and "are very loyal" they have strange ways to show it. First they ***** about spending an extra $30 to see the ISU-Iowa game. Now, they won't spend $15 per year to see the B10 network.
They must be holding out for one of those package deals with 4 seats, 4 drinks, and 4 dogs for $40. I guess maybe back to back .500 seasons with no signature wins may be chipping away at the die-hard loyalty.

 

[JRE1975]

I think most cable and dish customers are getting fed up with all these new channels people are creating and expecting us consumers to pay for, but we never watch.

Stuff like this is why some in Congress are trying to make cable and dish tv ala carte. Hard to administer, but crap like this Big 10/11 network and the constant rate increases from ESPN and others for the big sports contracts they enter into needs to stop sometime.

 

[OWLCITYCYFAN]

Mediacom is the "bad guy" in this scenario. The BTN wants Mediacom to place their channel within the "basic cable" structure so that it will be available to all their customers. Mediacom wants to make it a premium station so they can get more Iowans to switch over to the more expensive digital packages.

Hey, I hate the Big Ten as much as the rest of you, but they're the ones actually looking out for the little guy here. It was on FoxNews last night and there was an article about it in the P-C last week.

Finally, it's not going to make that big a difference anyway. ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 have priority in selecting Big Ten games to televise, so unless you were really interested in that Indiana / Illinois game, it shouldn't affect you.

As far as I'm concerned, the fewer Hawkeye games on TV, the better!

 

[cybsball20]

Mediacom is the "bad guy" in this scenario. The BTN wants Mediacom to place their channel within the "basic cable" structure so that it will be available to all their customers. Mediacom wants to make it a premium station so they can get more Iowans to switch over to the more expensive digital packages.

Hey, I hate the Big Ten as much as the rest of you, but they're the ones actually looking out for the little guy here. It was on FoxNews last night and there was an article about it in the P-C last week.

Finally, it's not going to make that big a difference anyway. ABC, ESPN and ESPN2 have priority in selecting Big Ten games to televise, so unless you were really interested in that Indiana / Illinois game, it shouldn't affect you.

As far as I'm concerned, the fewer Hawkeye games on TV, the better!

As much as I hate Mediacom I just don't see how they are the bad guy here... The BTN is being greedy, they want $1.10 from EVERY Mediacom customer, a majority of whom will never watch the channel when Mediacom is trying to offer it just to those who want it for $3 a month more in a package that will be much better for a college sports fan anyways... How are they the bad guy here?

 

[CyBobby]

1st let me say that I have Mediacom Digital Cable now, and I also subscribe to the "Sports Tier" @ 49 cents per channel.

I have told Mediacom that if they put the big ten network on my sports tier at $1.10 per month that I will summarily drop the sports tier.


I am neither a big ten fan or a squawkeye sympathizer so I will Not financially support the big ten and its propaganda!!


Go Cyclones BEAT Kent State!!!

 

[BryceC]

Frankly I think MediaCom is standing up for the little guy by not giving in to the ridiculous 1.10 a customer charge. Let the guys who want it pay 5 bucks for the sports teir and leave us alone. Good job MediaCom!

 

[benjay]

Hey, I hate the Big Ten as much as the rest of you, but they're the ones actually looking out for the little guy here. It was on FoxNews last night and there was an article about it in the P-C last week.

Yeah, the "little guy" being Big 10 sports fans. Why should everyone have to pay $1.10 for the channel when only 5% appear to want it?

 

[cybsball20]

1st let me say that I have Mediacom Digital Cable now, and I also subscribe to the "Sports Tier" @ 49 cents per channel.

I have told Mediacom that if they put the big ten network on my sports tier at $1.10 per month that I will summarily drop the sports tier.


I am neither a big ten fan or a squawkeye sympathizer so I will Not financially support the big ten and its propaganda!!


Go Cyclones BEAT Kent State!!!

I am actually thinking the opposite... I have been debating getting the sports tier for a while now actually and if the BTN were to be added I would probably go ahead and get it...

 

[OWLCITYCYFAN]

As much as I hate Mediacom I just don't see how they are the bad guy here... The BTN is being greedy, they want $1.10 from EVERY Mediacom customer, a majority of whom will never watch the channel when Mediacom is trying to offer it just to those who want it for $3 a month more in a package that will be much better for a college sports fan anyways... How are they the bad guy here?

I don't know enough to argue about it but you've made a good point. From the BTN perspective, $1.10 from EVERY mediacom household will likely amount to more revenue than $3 from only digital package subscribers.

I'd vote against it simply from the standpoint that I wouldn't watch BTN programming if it was FREE!

The newscast last night left out the "programming charge issue" and only discussed "household availability". They reported that all 13 Hawkeye games were televised locally last season; the BTN estimated they'd carry 4-5 hawk games this season, so unless they had the premium package they'd not be able to see those 4-5 games.

Again, I'll support anything that doesn't raise my cable rates and simultaneously irritates hawk fans! You've converted me - Go mediacom - stand your ground!

 

[OWLCITYCYFAN]

Yeah, the "little guy" being Big 10 sports fans. Why should everyone have to pay $1.10 for the channel when only 5% appear to want it?

I've admitted the error of my logic...

 

[ISUhawk]

Pretty interesting that Cyclone fans are monitoring this. As a Hawk fan I'm not about to pay MediaCom an additional $1.10 for the Big Ten network. I'm simply going to change to Direct TV with all my services. I suspect there are a lot of Hawkeye fans that feel the same way. There is nothing sacred about MediaCom and the service the provide. If I were a Cyclone, I wouldn't want to pay a penny for a Big Ten network, and as a Hawkeye I wouldn't pay for a Big Twelve network.

That's what fans is :biggrin9gp:

Good luck this year with Coach Chizek. I personally feel you let the best coach you've had since Earl Bruce go. It sure remains a big, big question mark why anyone thinks Coach Chizek will be any better. He has a lot of holes to fill on defense and it will take him several years to get back to respectability IMHO.

 

[cytech]

I am actually thinking the opposite... I have been debating getting the sports tier for a while now actually and if the BTN were to be added I would probably go ahead and get it...

Yeah me too I will add the sports tier if they get the btn on it. I still like watching hawkeye sports. And I have to agree with the majority that mediacom is not the bad guy here. They want to put the channel where it belongs, and it is the BTN that wants to force it on everyone, no matter if they want it or not.

EchoStar to FCC: Big Ten Network Is an RSN
this was a nice article I found on a hawkeye board this morning. I have a feeling if the cable companies and dish hold their guns on this one the BTN will fail miserably, or have to cave and allow it on a sports tier.

I think it was in that same article that I saw the mention that no City with a big ten team actually has a cable company that has agreed to carry the channel.

 

[brianhos]

I would gladly pay $1.10 for the big 12 network.

 

[twojman]

Am I missing something here? The BTN wants to charge mediacom $1.10/customer. If I understand business correctly, mediacom will charge its customers more then that $1.10/month.

If Mediacom only charged $1.10 they would only break even with the charge BTN has. I would assume there are additional fees incurred to add a channel. Maybe some more labor, bandwidth or servers? (I do not know anything about cable but this is just some guessing on my part.)

My guess is that Mediacom would charge somewhere in the neighborhood of $2.00/month for the channel.

 

[ISUFan22]

I would gladly pay $1.10 for the big 12 network.

Ditto....

 

[BugDoc]

Pretty interesting that Cyclone fans are monitoring this. As a Hawk fan I'm not about to pay MediaCom an additional $1.10 for the Big Ten network. I'm simply going to change to Direct TV with all my services. I suspect there are a lot of Hawkeye fans that feel the same way. There is nothing sacred about MediaCom and the service the provide. If I were a Cyclone, I wouldn't want to pay a penny for a Big Ten network, and as a Hawkeye I wouldn't pay for a Big Twelve network.

That's what fans is :biggrin9gp:

Good luck this year with Coach Chizek. I personally feel you let the best coach you've had since Earl Bruce go. It sure remains a big, big question mark why anyone thinks Coach Chizek will be any better. He has a lot of holes to fill on defense and it will take him several years to get back to respectability IMHO.

It's Chizik!!!