ESPN3 survey

by mdak06 on Dec 10, 2011 6:14 AM PST

Just some curious questions for folks ...

Do you get ESPN3? If so, do you watch it much (or at all)?

One of the things I find interesting about ESPN3 is that for those who have broadband and whose provider has signed up for the service, it provides opportunities for many more games without additional TV channels. You can actually watch four games at the same time - only one audio stream at a time - if you want. It gives folks who have access to the service the advantage of being able to catch games that they otherwise wouldn't see on their local TV.

According to this page, ESPN3 is available in 70 million homes (that have broadband access) as well as available to 21 million college students & military personnel through on-campus / on-base networks.

It seems like a good way to distribute a lot of content to people without having to grab numerous channels on the cable / satellite / etc. stream. I am curious if other providers (NBC / CBS / etc) will ever create their own version of this, and what it could mean for the MWC and for other conferences in the future.

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I know in the first year of the MWC television deal that you could buy PPV for The Mtn. games, but for some reason when DirecTV got involved as a distributor PPV was not an option.

CBSsports.com streams all CBS games and I think that has to be with an over-the-air channel and not a pay channel. Which is why NBC streams Notre Dame games.

I think being pay channels is what is restricting CBS Sports Network and Versus from streaming for free.

I kind of watch ESPN3, usually it is for college football only since there are so many games at once.

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by Jeremy Mauss on Dec 10, 2011 3:28 PM PST reply actions

I don't get ESPN 3

… with Optimum here in Colorado.

Go Nevada Wolf Pack!

by BacksThePack on Dec 10, 2011 3:32 PM PST reply actions

I did use it all the time when I still was in school at Nevada though.

Go Nevada Wolf Pack!

by BacksThePack on Dec 10, 2011 3:33 PM PST up reply actions

I actually use it remotely

Comcast was way too expensive so when I moved I dropped it. However, my family in Houston has had ATT internet for a while so I log in with that email to use it.

Only thing that stinks is that I go by their blackout rules

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by Jeremy Mauss on Dec 10, 2011 7:53 PM PST reply actions

Thanks for the responses

I’m very curious as to whether or not other sports networks are going to try and do something similar in the future, and whether or not simulcasting might be allowed in those situations.

If, for example, the MWC had a deal with ESPN, could/would ESPN carry the games on ESPN3 but also allow the Mtn to simulcast them and/or show ongoing highlights from the games that ESPN3 produces? Might a similar scenario exist if it was CBS or NBC (or whoever) with their own online channel?

ESPN3 has allowed ESPN to produce oodles of games and pick the best of ‘em to show on ESPN, ESPN2 or ABC (and they also have the ESPNU programming). I’m very curious as to whether or not others will copy that model.

Assumption is the mother of all @#%-ups.
Recommended reading: Death to the BCS

by mdak06 on Dec 12, 2011 5:56 PM PST reply actions