IF A LONGHORN NETWORK BEAMS A SIGNAL IN A FOREST AND NO ONE CARRIES IT....
by Andy Ketterson on Aug 4, 2011 6:00 AM CDT
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PrintIf I understand correctly, the Longhorn network is all set for its big launch on August 26, 2011, when the millions (AND MILLIONS!!!) of the Longhorns' fan will be able to tune in 24 hours/day and watch Texas high school football exciting games against their Big 12 conference opponents um, well, the Rice game and Mack Brown pregame & postgame shows. And reruns of old games. And some other exciting stuff.
But no matter. Coast to coast, the dreams of Texas fams everywhere have been answered. All Texas, all the time. Well, know the enemy even if he's in that spit and bailing wire structure of your former conference says I. You never know what might be on there worth watching, so I toddled over to the Longhorn Network website to see how the programming is shaping up. Hmmm, no links, no nothing - what gives?
The only interactive part of the site is in the middle of the page asking you to enter your zip code and carrier to find out out if your local cable/satellite provider is carrying TLN. Having just switched to the Dish Network, I dutifully punched in 68134 and received the following message:
DISH NETWORK currently has no plans to launch the Longhorn Network. Fill out the fields below to tell them you want it added to your channel lineup!
Okay fine, I'm sure the big boys have signed up, let's try Cox Cable:
COX CABLE currently has no plans to launch the Longhorn Network. Fill out the fields below to tell them you want it added to your channel lineup!
Things did end rather badly I suppose, so maybe it's not shocking that interest in all things Bevo may be lacking in the Omaha area. Maybe a little farther south like Oklahoma City?:
(Insert carrier here) currently has no plans to launch the Longhorn Network. Fill out the fields below to tell them you want it added to your channel lineup!
Wow, I figured enough of Burnt Orange Nation occasionally cut the cord often enough to occasionally infest the neighboring states. No matter, I tried zip code 77003 - surely in Houston, TX, the demand is far enough through the roof that this is a done deal:
(Each and every carrier) currently has no plans to launch the Longhorn Network. Fill out the fields below to tell them you want it added to your channel lineup!
Houston, we have a problem. Is Case Keenum such a big deal that Houston remains Cougar Town? Or have the Texans made college football an afterthought? Better make sure the completely obvious have signed up, so I won't waste typing strength on College Station.
Dallas, TX 75210 - REPRESENT!!
(NOT ONE FREAKING PROVIDER) currently has no plans to launch the Longhorn Network. Fill out the fields below to tell them you want it added to your channel lineup!
OK, then, they plan to start off this ESPN-backed national network with a very local bend, I guess.
Austin, TX - who's carrying The Longhorn Network????
(Your own home town provider(s)) currently has no plans to launch the Longhorn Network. Fill out the fields below to tell them you want it added to your channel lineup!
I think this is the part where people are supposed to ask "Are you shitting me??"
All kidding aside, I don't pretend to be much more than a smart-ass with a keyboard who may know a thing or two about college football, so the dealings of cable networks and TV contracts and deals with carriers/providers are things of which I don't claim to have a deep working knowledge. I don't think it's over my head or anything, I'd just rather read a five page article on Bo's coaching philosophies or maybe an interview in which Cam Meredith explains why he's going with whatever weird hairdo he's going with this season. (Note to Cam: no more Thomas Magnum, please. I kept waiting to see you on the sideline in lavender, nut-high OP shorts.)
However, let's review a quick timeline of the Longhorn Network:
January 2011 - ESPN & U of Texas announce the partnership and formation of the Longhorn network.
June 15, 2011 - The Longhorn Network announces it will launch Aug. 26, 2011 and unveils its 1st slate of shows.
July 26-28th or so, 2011 - Big 12 Media Days and the kibosh slapped on televising high school games.
August 3, 2011 - The Longhorn Network is 23 days from its launch and, near as anyone can tell, not one stinking cable or satellite provider has any plans to carry it.
Some optimistic folks down there assure everyone that this is completely normal for the cable business, that ab-so-lute-ly every new network is scrambling for providers with under a month to go before launching. I'm not so sure. I remember doing some Google searches for the Big 10 Network before its launch out of curiosity, and, if memory serves, the majority of the hits weren't from Buckeye and Wolverine blogs begging people to petition Time Warner and DirecTV to carry the thing.
I'll be honest, I find this all pretty hilarious. As a matter of fact, when it finally occurred to me that Texas might actually have this big new boat with no lake to drop it in, I started laughing like Arthur. But I want to be fair, of course, so someone who knows something about the business (or "bidness" as the big, rich & ignorant Texans like to call it) help me out here - three weeks to go and no plans exist for anyone to carry a network that ESPN and Texas have invested a shitload of money in.
Is this normal?
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Texas hasn't invested anything in the Longhorn Network...
Other than a guy to cash the check from ESPN. Texas doesn’t own or operate LHN; ESPN does. So this creates this giant dichotomy.
1) ESPN desperately needs programming to convince cable systems to pay to add LHN. Hence, the high school programming plus the desire to add additional Texas games to LHN.
2) With more and more people downsizing or just dropping cable TV, cable companies are fighting back against requests to pay for new channels. There are Aggie and Tech fans who have no desire to watch LHN, let alone have their cable bill jump up to pay for it.
Now, when it gets closer to September 3rd, we’ll probably see some satellite providers jump on board…but I have this feeling that most Longhorn fans are probably going to call LHN a disaster when they can’t watch the Rice game.
Excellent point about the cash..
..probably would have been more accurate to say that ESPN’s invested the cash and Texas has invested the pride/ego that they have the national brand to make it go.
Of course, on the off chance that it does flub, then I’m sure it was all ESPN’s idea.
by Andy Ketterson on Aug 4, 2011 7:15 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Texas doesn’t own or operate LHN; ESPN does.
I’ve thought about this for awhile now. I’m not even sure how much say Texas has in what is broadcast on the Network. They get this nice big check from ESPN, but ESPN is paying for the rights and should be able to put on the channel what they want.
Obviously after what happened two weeks ago at the Big XII meetings, we now Texas has some say in what is on that station, but you have to wonder if just selling ESPN the rights (instead of being a partial owner) will turn around and bite them in the ass some day.
In the deed, the glory.
Corn Nation!
by Aaron Musfeldt on Aug 4, 2011 7:24 AM CDT up reply actions
We Can Only Hope
“…will turn around and bite them in the ass some day.”
"What everybody echoes or in silence passes by as true today may turn out to be falsehood tomorrow, mere smoke of opinion." Thoreau
by UltimaRatioRegum on Aug 4, 2011 2:27 PM CDT up reply actions
Ah, schadenfreude ...
It would be too deliciously ironic if the longWhorn network, already having caused considerable damage to the “fully unified” Big XII – II, fails for lack of viewers. Tasty, tasty schadenfreude … 8^)
That's The "Lovey-Dovey" Fully Unified Big XII
To you (us)
"What everybody echoes or in silence passes by as true today may turn out to be falsehood tomorrow, mere smoke of opinion." Thoreau
by UltimaRatioRegum on Aug 4, 2011 2:28 PM CDT up reply actions
Once again, Welcome to the B1G
This is completely awesome for a guy living in Austin to watch first-hand. This whole LHN idea is a train wreck in motion, and thrives solely on Texas being good at something relevant, which we saw last year, is never guaranteed. Their football team was 5-7 and their basketball team was the first in NCAA history to go from being ranked #1 in the beginning of the season to unranked at the end. On top of that, they’ll be lucky to not run out of interesting content in two weeks. The BTN has trouble staying interesting, and they’ve got 11(+1) schools.
You guys certainly married up
When we get the Pig, the Jug and the Axe, we'll have one hell of a picnic
Come on, who wouldn't want to watch Saving Timeouts: The Rick Barnes Story?
Man am I happy to watch this thing go down in flames! I just found out that BTN strongarmed Cox into putting into their basic digital cable package, which is awesome. Delany and Co. > Dodds and Beebe every day of the week. I hope the WWN and UT loses a ton of money on this stupid idea… Makes me a little happier knowing we walked away from trying to do the same thing.
Always check the words with the red squiggly line. They mean you probably screwed up.
by KennardHusker on Aug 4, 2011 9:20 AM CDT up reply actions
BTN Strong-arming COX is not surprising whatsoever
On one hand, they strong-armed all the other cable providers in the rest of B1G country to get on in the first place, including taking Comcast and Time Warner to the dance. On the other hand, I could also imagine it being a big incentive for COX to swallow the costs, considering how crazy passionate your fan base is.
When we get the Pig, the Jug and the Axe, we'll have one hell of a picnic
Crazy. You had it right the first time.
It is what it is and we are who we are.
Sober (again) since January 10th, 2011.
Not all those who wander are lost. /////// I dont mind stealing bread.
by nateforchiefs on Aug 4, 2011 12:22 PM CDT up reply actions
Passionately Crazy
"What everybody echoes or in silence passes by as true today may turn out to be falsehood tomorrow, mere smoke of opinion." Thoreau
by UltimaRatioRegum on Aug 4, 2011 2:31 PM CDT up reply actions
Is this normal?
- Andy Ketterson
Famous last words of someone who is about to be a lifelong Valtrex subscriber. We are definitely talking Texas.
No worries, I got it.
And that Valtrex is a LIFESAVER! I mean, that’s what my friends tell me. Not that I hang with herpes-infected friends. OK, let’s just move on..
by Andy Ketterson on Aug 4, 2011 10:00 AM CDT reply actions 3 recs
As a Texas Fan - who cares ??
I admit, it would be great if the LHN catches on with lots of carriers and gets lots of views. I suspect that this will eventually happen, and that ESPN knows how to do this. But – We don’t really care !
We get the money either way, even if the LHN fold up and goes totally bust, the contract is already signed.
Im all for ESPN getting screwed
And not in the good way
It is what it is and we are who we are.
Sober (again) since January 10th, 2011.
Not all those who wander are lost. /////// I dont mind stealing bread.
by nateforchiefs on Aug 4, 2011 12:23 PM CDT up reply actions
Well, If Money Is All It, Then Yeah, Who Cares?
But it isn’t. Texas bet confidently that the whole nation is slobbering all over themselves to see Longhorn football. Texas put their brand and ego on the line with the deal, and their sites were clearly on a success story much more like BTN than yet another local public access channel. All the announcement hype was about “unprecedented access” and so on. It’s a bit disingenuous to say now “Who cares if it folds?”
"What everybody echoes or in silence passes by as true today may turn out to be falsehood tomorrow, mere smoke of opinion." Thoreau
by UltimaRatioRegum on Aug 4, 2011 2:47 PM CDT up reply actions
Changes on Longhorn
Rumors circulated that ESPN has gone to Texas to try and get the other conference members on board and make it a conference network not just the Longhorn network. Not sure the Longhorn’s ego would allow this.
Nice to see aTm and probably the Sooner’s behind the scenes standing up to Texas. I think this was the first time Texas was told “no” by the Big 12.
Greg
I sure am glad we're all one big happy family now!
"I have never been noticeably reticent about talking on subjects about which I know nothing." Prince Phillip
I think it's in the best interests of all who hate Texas to have this network take off...
…at least on some substantial level, that they continue to pursue broadcasting high school athletics, and that way we can ensure they alientate themselves from the remainder of the big12lost souls and the league falls apart – at the hands of Bevo and all the other Texas Zoophiliacs.
But It Won't Be "At The Hands of Bevo"
It will be, “It all started falling apart when Nebraska decided they couldn’t beat the Big 12 South and so moved to another conference.”
And it would be the “hooves” of Bevo, not “hands” :-)
"What everybody echoes or in silence passes by as true today may turn out to be falsehood tomorrow, mere smoke of opinion." Thoreau
by UltimaRatioRegum on Aug 4, 2011 2:50 PM CDT up reply actions
"One team leaving does not break up a conference"
One team driving away 3 or more other teams during it’s bid for independence can break up a conference.
You did so start it!
"It all started falling apart when Nebraska decided they couldn’t beat the Big 12 South and so moved to another conference."
Incorrect. It was Texas holding hands behind the building with the Pac-10 that got the ball rolling in the first place. NU’s initial contact with the Big 10 was a purely defensive move. Remember that it was Beebe’s ridiculous deadline strategy that caused Osborne/Pearlman to ask Delaney to bump up the two year timetable and accept NU. Displaying his soon-to-be established track record of misjudging the situation, he thought he was in position to bring NU into line with the other sheep the rest of the Big 12.
Instead, NU lands in an established prestigious conference & the shotgun marriage that is the Big 12 leftovers seems more ridiculous than ever with the little kids now ganging up to throw rocks at the bully.
by Andy Ketterson on Aug 4, 2011 8:49 PM CDT up reply actions
Beebe is a cherished commissioner of 90.9% of FBS college football conferences
When everyone else leaves for greener pastures and UT is shut out because of their network deal, Beebe can rebuild the Big 12 into the MWC 2.0
Texas, Missouri, Kansas, K State, Iowa State, Batlor…
…Boise, Air Force, SDSU, Fresno, Nevada, Hawaii
Beebe will finally have a conference to match his skills.
It's really not any one's fault...
Long term, the BigXII is unstable for the same reason that the Big8 was unstable: There’s a lot of dead weight. The only difference between Nebraska and Colorado, and Texas, A&M, and Oklahoma was that the 3 south powers are geographically positioned in a way that makes them a viable addition for more than one conference. Colorado and Nebraska each only had one potential future home, so even though they could have stayed in the BigXII, they knew that sooner or later this thing was going to fall, and they didn’t want to wait until the BigTen and Pac-10 had already gone to 16 teams before they tried to find a seat. Texas Tech is in an incredibly precarious position now that the Pac-10 deal didn’t happen, which is why they were the last BigXII school to come back to the table. They were mad about it. They had a ticket to the future, and now Utah has it.
Ironically, Texas’ network has painted them into a bit of a corner. Now they aren’t a viable option for any other conference, and A&M and Oklahoma are clearly keeping their options open. Texas can go independent (if BYU can do it, then Texas can do it), but that’s clearly not as attractive as having the BigXII. Football would be fine, but all of the other sports would have to join a conference, and it’s unlikely their former conference mates would be wanting to hang with them at that point. They’d have to join Conference USA or something.
Also, it might be the case that Texas has nothing to lose financially, but they’d still have egg all over their face. And I wouldn’t be surprised to find out that their contract has some clause in it that gives Disney enough wiggle room to avoid taking a complete bath. They’ll still pay money, but if the network collapses, the Disney corporation isn’t going to pay Texas $15m a year trough the end of the contract. If nothing else, Texas isn’t going to embarrass and and piss off the company that basically owns college sports and has demonstrated it’s willingness to compromise its editorial ethics on numerous occasions. Texas is going to need Disney pretty badly if it’s forced to go independent. Whether or not the network pans out, those two are basically wedded to one another from here on out.
No, no, no
It is and will always be Texas’ fault.
Big 10 made a network and made lots of extra money. Smart. Big 12 wanted to do that too! Texas held out of the voting because they knew they were trying to make a deal with ESPN. ESPN was making a deal with Texas to steal some of the Big 12 market from FOX Sports.
This all has to do with Disney vs. Fox. BUT Texas is to blame for dealing with the devil, because they saw dollar signs. For Texas fans to say it’s not their fault is totally ridiculous. You wanted the recognition and the money all to yourselves and it pushed everyone away.
ALSO, for anyone to think Texas can “survive” as an independent is beyond stupid. I guess it isn’t too stupid if you think of what Notre Dame has been doing for the last 10 years “surviving.”
And BYU just did it, time will tell if the storming mormons can “survive” in any kind of way.
I just wish after the LHN fails the Texas’ AD would at least stand up and say it was a mistake, but let’s not kid ourselves, that will never happen.
Major Conference Networks - Good Idea
Mid Major Conference Networks – Money Pit, but has merits
Program network – bad idea
$$$ for amateur athletics – good (even if its Texas)
Screwing ESPN out of millions – pricele$$
Perhaps they could pick up more carriers if they dropped Texas and just showed high school sports!
Funny
For as much fun as reading this has provided, the overall goal of the article is clear and after some thought, quite sad. This article comes across as a not-so-subtle attempt to make one feel better about a “breakup.” It’s like an angry Ex, sending and posting hate mail about their former lover. But this “Ex” isn’t a Texas fan, its’ a Nebraska fan.
As seen by the eyes from a P10/P12 fan…
No, I don't think so...
…we would still be making fun of the ‘Horns network difficulties even if the events last year hadn’t transpired.
If we hadn't left last year
This wouldn’t be funny (well, ok, lack of success might be funny), but we’d probably be even more up-at-arms over what Texas/ESPN was trying to do than A&M is.
Since we were able to get out, we can view it with some mild amusement.
Longhorn here
I live in about 100 miles from Austin in a decently large city with a fairly large Longhorn fan base and Longhorn alumni association. I work for one of the cable providers in the area and from what I’ve gathered, the cost of the longhorn network is so high that neither cable provider in town will carry it or touch it because it wiould add like $15 to everyones vable bill. The cable provider I work for actually has an Austin market and is the Communications provider to the Austin campus and if the company was going to add the network, all markets would also get the channel. Well, doens’t look like even the UT Campus will be able to get the Longhorn Network because currently the cost for providing it is to high to be able to provide the channel to it’s customers.
ESPN needs to make the cost of providing the network reasonable before the masses of Cable and Satalite providers will even pick up the network. It would make sence that if you price a product to high, you would have less customers compared to if you price it at a reasonable price and get more profit through a higher customer count.
Appreciate the info!!
Of course, I enjoy having fun with this, but there had to be some actual reason no one is picking this up. It seems the ESPN strategy is to charge through the roof & hope public pressure causes providers to add it and either bump up rates or eat a chunk of the increase themselves.
by Andy Ketterson on Aug 8, 2011 9:47 PM CDT up reply actions
espn
ESPN needs to make if affordable for everyone provider to be able to carry it. That strategy will bring in the most money because you will have more viewers and higher advertising dollars. You can’t expect to make all your profit from the subscriber fees.
Hence the desire for additional games and HS football
With only one Longhorn game (against lowly Rice IIRC), that won’t be enough to drive demand. ESPN needs…NEEDS…that additional programming in order to at least get enough demand to get the Austin market, let alone spread it around Texas. And if the price is so high, as Ryan says, that additional content may not even be enough.
This may (or may not, I’m leaning towards may) test just how much “control” Texas has with the channel. Yes Texas can have approval of (and probably have fired) announcers for the games, but the network is supposedly run out of ESPN. The WWL spent $300M for rights to UT programming. So when the Big XII-II says “No high school games on team networks”, how much does ESPN have to listen? It’s not like UT staff are in a studio in Austin doing all the Longhorn Network stuff, it’s ESPN staffers and producers (probably in Connecticut).
Perhaps Ryan can speak to that?
Longhorn Network
My cable provider, Entouch, sent a letter saying they would start showing the Longhorn Network on Sept. 1, and their website says it will be channel 77.
so....
someone is picking it up!?
Go Big Red Nebraska!
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by Jon Johnston on Aug 21, 2011 9:05 AM CDT up reply actions
Sad to see you guys tuck tail!
Six straight wins vs. Huskers…Four straight at DKR North aka. Memorial Stadium…Good luck to you guys.
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