FS1 - - Year 2

[xudash]

Trending in the right direction:

http://awfulannouncing.com/2015/fox-sports-1-turns-2-the-one-for-fun-grows-up.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=fox-sports-1-turns-2-the-one-for-fun-grows-up

It's too early to say where it's all headed, but our broadcast partner is at least trending in the right direction.

Another strong BE Tournament is needed.

Another year where the BE places 5 in the Tournament would be nice, especially with a deep run in the Tournament once it cranks up.

So far, so good.

[X-band '01]

My takeaway from that article is that Fox is getting better in terms of bringing live events onto the network as compared to Year 1, but there's still a lot of improvement needed for the long-term health of the network.

[MuskieXU]

I am very happy with FS1s coverage of the Big East so far, its hard not to be. That being said, I think the channel as a whole could be vastly improved to increase competition with ESPN. I think viewers are growing increasingly tired of ESPNs shift away from sports highlights and towards gossip, rumors, and actions off the field/court. I know many people, myself included, gave FS1 a shot as our primary source for news but my opinion and the opinion of my friends was that it was way too lighthearted. I think they have started to move away from that which is good and would like to continue to see them do so. I think there is definitely a niche to be filled in spending the majority of a show on highlights rather than Lebron/Manziel/Tebow/etc and I'd be glad to watch FS1 daily if they filled that.

[xubrew]

I like FS1's programming, but am a little frustrated with the slow growth and the low ratings.

It's not like Fox is a new network. FS1 is merely a new channel on what is already an established network. When ESPN U launched, it was met with instant success because it was part of ESPN. That hasn't happened yet with FS1.

They had the second rated college basketball conference. It had teams in big market cities. Seven teams were in the top 25 at one point during the season, and six made the NCAA Tournament. The ratings should have been better. The Big East did its part. I don't think they could have done any more. I really think they should have at least one conference game a week on the Fox Flagship network as a game of the week. Like CBS's deal with the SEC, they can announce it six days in advance. Put it on Saturday afternoon, and then during that broadcast run promos for the other games on FS1. I don't follow the NFL all that closely, but I know Fox has it. They should be promoting the Big East during those broadcasts as well. I mean, if you have the #2 conference with six NCAA teams, don't you want to sell that more??

I like FS1. I just wish they wouldn't keep it a secret as to how good it is.

[kyxu]

Anyone know yet whether FS1 and AT&T settled their dispute? I missed the entire Big East Tournament because of that BS.

[xubrew]

Anyone know yet whether FS1 and AT&T settled their dispute? I missed the entire Big East Tournament because of that BS.

I don't know, but I hope so, since AT&T now owns DirecTV.

[SC in DC]

I read on another board (can't remember which one) that they did. I sure hope so, or I'm going to have to switch.

[X-Fan]

Anyone know yet whether FS1 and AT&T settled their dispute? I missed the entire Big East Tournament because of that BS.


I read on another board (can't remember which one) that they did. I sure hope so, or I'm going to have to switch.

I checked last week and was able to get FS1 on UVerse, so I'm guessing it's fixed.

[casualfan]

I like FS1's programming, but am a little frustrated with the slow growth and the low ratings.

It's not like Fox is a new network. FS1 is merely a new channel on what is already an established network. When ESPN U launched, it was met with instant success because it was part of ESPN. That hasn't happened yet with FS1.

They had the second rated college basketball conference. It had teams in big market cities. Seven teams were in the top 25 at one point during the season, and six made the NCAA Tournament. The ratings should have been better. The Big East did its part. I don't think they could have done any more. I really think they should have at least one conference game a week on the Fox Flagship network as a game of the week. Like CBS's deal with the SEC, they can announce it six days in advance. Put it on Saturday afternoon, and then during that broadcast run promos for the other games on FS1. I don't follow the NFL all that closely, but I know Fox has it. They should be promoting the Big East during those broadcasts as well. I mean, if you have the #2 conference with six NCAA teams, don't you want to sell that more??

I like FS1. I just wish they wouldn't keep it a secret as to how good it is.


They tried some national games last year and no one watched.

I can't find the exact numbers, but they were really really low which shocked me.

[kyxu]

I checked last week and was able to get FS1 on UVerse, so I'm guessing it's fixed.

You still got FS1 on UVerse during the dispute, but once the "prime" programming comes on (like the Big East Tournament), FS1 blacks itself out with reruns of the international darts tournament. Seriously.

[THRILLHOUSE]

You still got FS1 on UVerse during the dispute, but once the "prime" programming comes on (like the Big East Tournament), FS1 blacks itself out with reruns of the international darts tournament. Seriously.

FS1 and ATT UVerse settled their dispute in June: http://awfulannouncing.com/the-locker/att-u-verse-and-fox-sports-1-appear-to-have-settled-their-dispute.html

[kyxu]

FS1 and ATT UVerse settled their dispute in June: http://awfulannouncing.com/the-locker/att-u-verse-and-fox-sports-1-appear-to-have-settled-their-dispute.html

Outstanding. Thanks!

[casualfan]

I like FS1's programming, but am a little frustrated with the slow growth and the low ratings.

It's not like Fox is a new network. FS1 is merely a new channel on what is already an established network. When ESPN U launched, it was met with instant success because it was part of ESPN. That hasn't happened yet with FS1.

They had the second rated college basketball conference. It had teams in big market cities. Seven teams were in the top 25 at one point during the season, and six made the NCAA Tournament. The ratings should have been better. The Big East did its part. I don't think they could have done any more. I really think they should have at least one conference game a week on the Fox Flagship network as a game of the week. Like CBS's deal with the SEC, they can announce it six days in advance. Put it on Saturday afternoon, and then during that broadcast run promos for the other games on FS1. I don't follow the NFL all that closely, but I know Fox has it. They should be promoting the Big East during those broadcasts as well. I mean, if you have the #2 conference with six NCAA teams, don't you want to sell that more??

I like FS1. I just wish they wouldn't keep it a secret as to how good it is.

Ok, sorry i went back and found it. Here is the link (http://awfulannouncing.com/2015/big-east-basketball-scoring-foxfox-sports-1.html)

And here is the pertinent section:

Two Big East games on Fox proper (Providence-St. John’s in late January and Northwestern-Butler in December) have drawn fewer than 400,000 viewers, the lowest audiences ever for college basketball on broadcast television. According to Sports Media Watch, two recent CBS games drew at least one million viewers.

That's even worse than I remember. I'm not sure what the remedy is, but with numbers like that I can't imagine FOX will be showing too many Big East games on the big network. I know there is the need to create buzz around the brand, but when you start playing with record lows that's the kind of thing networks want to shy away from.

One thing I think that might help would be to show some marquee nonconference games. Force fans of teams who are in leagues with ESPN deals to watch a game on FOX. Once you have them watching pimp the shit out of FS1.

[Muskie1000]

Ok, sorry i went back and found it. Here is the link (http://awfulannouncing.com/2015/big-east-basketball-scoring-foxfox-sports-1.html)

And here is the pertinent section:

Two Big East games on Fox proper (Providence-St. John’s in late January and Northwestern-Butler in December) have drawn fewer than 400,000 viewers, the lowest audiences ever for college basketball on broadcast television. According to Sports Media Watch, two recent CBS games drew at least one million viewers.

That's even worse than I remember. I'm not sure what the remedy is, but with numbers like that I can't imagine FOX will be showing too many Big East games on the big network. I know there is the need to create buzz around the brand, but when you start playing with record lows that's the kind of thing networks want to shy away from.

One thing I think that might help would be to show some marquee nonconference games. Force fans of teams who are in leagues with ESPN deals to watch a game on FOX. Once you have them watching pimp the shit out of FS1.

ok maybe Providence-St Johns isn't horrible but who wants to watch Northwestern-Butler? If they want good ratings maybe they need to show some marquee match ups? I also think that college basketball in general, has lost some of its luster with all of these "new conferences". Some rivalries have been killed and some of these new matchups just aren't that interesting. Plus many of these smaller leagues have lost their "star power" teams to bigger conferences - aka Davidson. Its going to take time for the interest to swell again in basketball.

[xubrew]

Ok, sorry i went back and found it. Here is the link (http://awfulannouncing.com/2015/big-east-basketball-scoring-foxfox-sports-1.html)

And here is the pertinent section:

Two Big East games on Fox proper (Providence-St. John’s in late January and Northwestern-Butler in December) have drawn fewer than 400,000 viewers, the lowest audiences ever for college basketball on broadcast television. According to Sports Media Watch, two recent CBS games drew at least one million viewers.

That's even worse than I remember. I'm not sure what the remedy is, but with numbers like that I can't imagine FOX will be showing too many Big East games on the big network. I know there is the need to create buzz around the brand, but when you start playing with record lows that's the kind of thing networks want to shy away from.

One thing I think that might help would be to show some marquee nonconference games. Force fans of teams who are in leagues with ESPN deals to watch a game on FOX. Once you have them watching pimp the shit out of FS1.

Thanks for the info. 300k is pathetic for any game that's on a free to air network. That being said, as was alluded to above, isn't part of the problem the crappy matchups? Allowing Fox to pick the premier game as soon as six days in advance should help with that. We had games where both teams were in the top 25, and the games were buried on premier tier networks. This way, you get the best game on the flagship network.

[casualfan]

Thanks for the info. 300k is pathetic for any game that's on a free to air network. That being said, as was alluded to above, isn't part of the problem the crappy matchups? Allowing Fox to pick the premier game as soon as six days in advance should help with that. We had games where both teams were in the top 25, and the games were buried on premier tier networks. This way, you get the best game on the flagship network.

Sure they could flex in different games and tgat might help some, but the matchups can't change right?

So like look at the day that Providence- St. Johns game was on.

The Big East matchups were us v Seton Hall. Nova v Depaul. Georgetown v Creighton. And Marquette v Butler.

The only other option would've been us v Seton Hall.

With a limited inventory you run into days like that one where the most attractive game isn't a particularly attracove one.

[xubrew]

I'm saying they should do what the SEC does. The games can't change, but of the games being played that week Fox could pick the one they want six days in advance instead of having it all scheduled out before the year even starts

[JTG]

Georgetown played IU last Dec. I think on CBS. That would have done great on Fox or FS1. I wouldn't watch Butler Northwestern and I'm a Big East fan. The key is getting the rights to good pre conference games, putting them on Fox and promoting the hell out of the conference season.
It's not rocket science, who the hell programs Fox 1, the 3 Stooges ?

[MuskiePimp23]

Ok, sorry i went back and found it. Here is the link (http://awfulannouncing.com/2015/big-east-basketball-scoring-foxfox-sports-1.html)

And here is the pertinent section:

Two Big East games on Fox proper (Providence-St. John’s in late January and Northwestern-Butler in December) have drawn fewer than 400,000 viewers, the lowest audiences ever for college basketball on broadcast television. According to Sports Media Watch, two recent CBS games drew at least one million viewers.

That's even worse than I remember. I'm not sure what the remedy is, but with numbers like that I can't imagine FOX will be showing too many Big East games on the big network. I know there is the need to create buzz around the brand, but when you start playing with record lows that's the kind of thing networks want to shy away from.

One thing I think that might help would be to show some marquee nonconference games. Force fans of teams who are in leagues with ESPN deals to watch a game on FOX. Once you have them watching pimp the shit out of FS1.


I can help out in this department.

[gladdenguy]

If Fox Sports gets the Big 10 primary football package......look out.

[xu82]

If Fox Sports gets the Big 10 primary football package......look out.

Is that a realistic possibility? When's that deal up?

[nuts4xu]

If Fox Sports gets the Big 10 primary football package......look out.

Is this a possibility?

[JTG]

If Fox Sports gets the Big 10 primary football package......look out.

Isn't the BIG Network actually a FOX property ?

[xudash]

Isn't the BIG Network actually a FOX property ?

No. It is a joint venture between the B1G and Fox. But that can only help in the same way as if it were a Fox property.

[LA Muskie]

Thanks for the info. 300k is pathetic for any game that's on a free to air network. That being said, as was alluded to above, isn't part of the problem the crappy matchups? Allowing Fox to pick the premier game as soon as six days in advance should help with that. We had games where both teams were in the top 25, and the games were buried on premier tier networks. This way, you get the best game on the flagship network.
Furthermore, if it was something routine, the schedule-makers could make sure that "marquee" games were spread out across the season's Saturdays. It's really not rocket science.

[xufan2434]

I'm pretty sure there were more games on Fox National besides those 2. St John's/Duke was for sure on it. And I believe X/St Johns at X was on it along with a couple other conference games.

I always wished X could get on CBS for a big Saturday afternoon game. And I agree they should try and do a GOW. The biggest obstacles IMO are the number of fans of the new conference. The only people that are going to watch Big East games, are fans of those teams. And until the conference does some serious damage in the tournament, I don't see that changing. The other thing is that CBS has an advantage already. They show the Tournament, so when you're watching regular season games on Saturdays, it still gives you that March feel. Unless Gus Johnson is doing the Fox one, I don't get the same feel to it.

[X-band '01]

The last time Xavier had a "big" Saturday afternoon game on CBS, they peed down their legs against Duke.

[xu82]

The last time Xavier had a "big" Saturday afternoon game on CBS, they peed down their legs against Duke.

That game did not give me a warm feeling, but you're right - I think there was squishing in their shoes. Bad memory there...

[xubrew]

Furthermore, if it was something routine, the schedule-makers could make sure that "marquee" games were spread out across the season's Saturdays. It's really not rocket science.


Georgetown played IU last Dec. I think on CBS. That would have done great on Fox or FS1. I wouldn't watch Butler Northwestern and I'm a Big East fan. The key is getting the rights to good pre conference games, putting them on Fox and promoting the hell out of the conference season.
It's not rocket science, who the hell programs Fox 1, the 3 Stooges ?

That's one of the reasons it's so frustrating. It really isn't rocket science. There are basic, simple things that can be done that would make a huge difference. FS1 is part of Fox. FOX!!! It's a fairly decent sized company. When you have games between two top 25 teams on a Saturday, Fox should have the option of moving that to the flagship network for the game of the week instead of burying them on some regional network. That happened more than once. The games that were on the flagship network were selected before the season even started, and many of them turned out to be busts. This happens because about 2/3rds of all the teams end up being much better or much worse than expected, so you can't pick a big February game in the month of September. This is why I'm in favor of setting it up the way the SEC does it. It works for them.

I have a simple view of the world. They do it, and it works. So, let's do what they do.

There should also be an FS1 promo on virtually every commercial break of every sporting event that Fox shows on its flagship network. Even if it's just a ten second bumper, or a banner that flashes up for ten seconds on the bottom of the screen. They need to do more to promote what is ultimately their own channel.

[X-band '01]

Speaking of the SEC, their conference schedules will be released tonight at 7 PM on the SEC network. We're getting closer to a full schedule release for the upcoming season.

[casualfan]

That's one of the reasons it's so frustrating. It really isn't rocket science. There are basic, simple things that can be done that would make a huge difference. FS1 is part of Fox. FOX!!! It's a fairly decent sized company. When you have games between two top 25 teams on a Saturday, Fox should have the option of moving that to the flagship network for the game of the week instead of burying them on some regional network. That happened more than once. The games that were on the flagship network were selected before the season even started, and many of them turned out to be busts. This happens because about 2/3rds of all the teams end up being much better or much worse than expected, so you can't pick a big February game in the month of September. This is why I'm in favor of setting it up the way the SEC does it. It works for them.

I have a simple view of the world. They do it, and it works. So, let's do what they do.

There should also be an FS1 promo on virtually every commercial break of every sporting event that Fox shows on its flagship network. Even if it's just a ten second bumper, or a banner that flashes up for ten seconds on the bottom of the screen. They need to do more to promote what is ultimately their own channel.

Right, but brew you have to keep in mind FOX only showed one Big East vs. Big East game last year. It's not like they're showing a game every weekend where they get multiple cracks at this.

There are going to be some days, like the one when the Providence-St. John's game was on, that there aren't top 25 teams playing each other in our league.

As I posted above that was the best Big East game that day, so even if they did have a flex option it wouldn't have helped in that instance.

Can a flex option help in some cases? sure. Would it have helped on the day Providence and St. John's played on FOX? Nope.

[Xville]

the biggest thing (outside of promoting the heck out of FS1 on their flagship Fox channel) would be for FS1 to start getting college football on the dial a lot. I think there were a few games last year and there will be more this year. That's a good start. People will look and find a good college football game even if it is on FS1 or FS2, they won't necessarily do the same for college basketball. At least then a lot of people would know the channels exist and put it into their normal viewing habits.

A lot of people could care less about college basketball until February or March...it is what it is, and most of the schools that are in the big east are relatively small schools with relatively small alumni bases....not many people are going to watch a big east game unless they are a fan of a team in the big east....the average fan isn't going to care.

Joining the big east is great in a lot of ways, but a lot of people need to take a more realistic view of what the big east is...its a step up from the A-10 in terms of exposure but its a pretty big step down from the ACC, Big 10, Big 12 of the world...those conferences have huge state schools with huge alumni bases. We are still in a pretty niche conference. Its a good conference but lets take the blinders off a bit.

[xubrew]

Right, but brew you have to keep in mind FOX only showed one Big East vs. Big East game last year. It's not like they're showing a game every weekend where they get multiple cracks at this.

There are going to be some days, like the one when the Providence-St. John's game was on, that there aren't top 25 teams playing each other in our league.

As I posted above that was the best Big East game that day, so even if they did have a flex option it wouldn't have helped in that instance.

Can a flex option help in some cases? sure. Would it have helped on the day Providence and St. John's played on FOX? Nope.

I know that they only showed one Big East v Big East game last year. I think that's part of the problem. And yes, I know that there are weeks where all the games are kind of duds. But, if they were to show one Big East game every week, and they selected said game the week before, that would give them a Saturday game each and every week that would range in interest from moderate to high. That's way better than just showing one game that they had to select before the season even started.

[casualfan]

I know that they only showed one Big East v Big East game last year. I think that's part of the problem. And yes, I know that there are weeks where all the games are kind of duds. But, if they were to show one Big East game every week, and they selected said game the week before, that would give them a Saturday game each and every week that would range in interest from moderate to high. That's way better than just showing one game that they had to select before the season even started.

That's just it though. They aren't going to do that.

If they were willing to show a big east game once a week on FOX, they'd be showing a Big East game once a week on FOX.

There's the ideal scenario and there's real life. Ideal scenario is they show one game a week. Real life is they show one or two per year.

[xubrew]

....and the ratings will continue to suck because Fox would rather show reruns of Glee in the afternoon than a live Big East basketball game of the week.

[casualfan]

....and the ratings will continue to suck because Fox would rather show reruns of Glee in the afternoon than a live Big East basketball game of the week.

The sad reality is those glee reruns are getting more viewers than our basketball games. FOX is in the business of making money and right now putting a weekly Big East game on the big boy network is not a money maker.

[Xavier]

I don't know. FS1 really needs to do a lot of CFB. Even then it won't really help Big East numbers. Frankly, I just don't think a lot of non Big East teams really care about the league. Like Casual said, most CBB fans don't care too much until feb/march. FS1 really brings one thing to the table for me and its that almost every Xavier game is on national TV. 1) Outside shot it sways a recruit from afar knowing his friends and family can watch. 2) I really enjoy being able to watch all the other Big East games. Other than that, I don't see FS1 ever being ESPN like- where people just turn it on at night for sports and watch whats on.

[Section 200]

Does anybody know the basketball ratings on the Big Ten channel or the SEC channel? I assume FS1 beats these channels for most games? I don't think the Pac 12 channel is even on Direct TV yet - we probably have better ratings for most of our games than Arizona or UCLA!

It seems folks are worried about FS1 ratings since they are lower than ESPN. Except for UK, Duke, UNC, Kansas, you don't get 20 games on ESPN a year. Remember before FS1 most of our games were on Fox Ohio, Time Warner Sports Channel, A-10 network, etc that probably got 25k or less. I love FS1 since when I am out of town, I can see our games. Almost anyone in the country can see almost every Xavier game. You can't get better than that!

[LA Muskie]

Right, but brew you have to keep in mind FOX only showed one Big East vs. Big East game last year. It's not like they're showing a game every weekend where they get multiple cracks at this.

There are going to be some days, like the one when the Providence-St. John's game was on, that there aren't top 25 teams playing each other in our league.

As I posted above that was the best Big East game that day, so even if they did have a flex option it wouldn't have helped in that instance.

Can a flex option help in some cases? sure. Would it have helped on the day Providence and St. John's played on FOX? Nope.

The schedule could be arranged to guarantee a fairly significant matchup every Saturday even if they are not Top 25 teams. The conference schedule is released about 4 months before the season tips off, so there's at least and educated guess about how good or bad the teams will be. For example, going into this season:

Schedule all Nova/GTown, Nova/XU, GTown/XU, Nova/Butler and GTown/Butler games on Saturdays. That alone gives you an "out" from a national interest perspective on most Saturdays.

[X-band '01]

Does anybody know the basketball ratings on the Big Ten channel or the SEC channel? I assume FS1 beats these channels for most games? I don't think the Pac 12 channel is even on Direct TV yet - we probably have better ratings for most of our games than Arizona or UCLA!

It seems folks are worried about FS1 ratings since they are lower than ESPN. Except for UK, Duke, UNC, Kansas, you don't get 20 games on ESPN a year. Remember before FS1 most of our games were on Fox Ohio, Time Warner Sports Channel, A-10 network, etc that probably got 25k or less. I love FS1 since when I am out of town, I can see our games. Almost anyone in the country can see almost every Xavier game. You can't get better than that!

It is a 12-year TV contract, but I would have to imagine that the contract might be reworked if TV ratings are significantly lower than what Fox had projected at the time the contract was signed between Fox and the Big East. I certainly wouldn't expect Fox to keep signing contracts where their network gets low ratings and loses significant money over time.

[xubrew]

The sad reality is those glee reruns are getting more viewers than our basketball games. FOX is in the business of making money and right now putting a weekly Big East game on the big boy network is not a money maker.

I really hope this isn't the case. I really hope that it's due to a lack of foresight. There's nothing more ego crushing than being told by fox that "We've done some extensive polling and ran the numbers, and it turns out that live Big East basketball games will have less interest than Glee reruns."

[casualfan]

The schedule could be arranged to guarantee a fairly significant matchup every Saturday even if they are not Top 25 teams. The conference schedule is released about 4 months before the season tips off, so there's at least and educated guess about how good or bad the teams will be. For example, going into this season:

Schedule all Nova/GTown, Nova/XU, GTown/XU, Nova/Butler and GTown/Butler games on Saturdays. That alone gives you an "out" from a national interest perspective on most Saturdays.

Again though, i think you're approaching this from the standpoint of what benefits the conference most when in reality the decisions are made based on what benefits FOX the most.

3 of the 5 matchups you listed involve Nova. I mentioned above that Nova won their conference games by an average of 19 points last year. Until there's a team in the league that can play with them i wouldn't expect the network to pick those games. You're almost assured of a blowout if the game involves Nova. Yes they played a couple close games last year, but those are the exception and not the rule.

IMHO the league needs two things to happen in order for people outside the schools in it to take notice:

1. Someone has to close the gap on Nova. Right now I think most people outside the conference think of the league as Nova, a huge gap, some pretty good teams, then everyone else.
2. Make noise in March. Yes it was nice the conference rated #2 last year in the RPI. But fans don't care about that, especially not casual ones. The last two years the league has one sweet 16 team and in that case we didn't have to beat a single digit seed to get there. Not a single Big East team beat a higher seeded team in the tourney last year.

[xudash]

Again though, i think you're approaching this from the standpoint of what benefits the conference most when in reality the decisions are made based on what benefits FOX the most.

3 of the 5 matchups you listed involve Nova. I mentioned above that Nova won their conference games by an average of 19 points last year. Until there's a team in the league that can play with them i wouldn't expect the network to pick those games. You're almost assured of a blowout if the game involves Nova. Yes they played a couple close games last year, but those are the exception and not the rule.

IMHO the league needs two things to happen in order for people outside the schools in it to take notice:

1. Someone has to close the gap on Nova. Right now I think most people outside the conference think of the league as Nova, a huge gap, some pretty good teams, then everyone else.
2. Make noise in March. Yes it was nice the conference rated #2 last year in the RPI. But fans don't care about that, especially not casual ones. The last two years the league has one sweet 16 team and in that case we didn't have to beat a single digit seed to get there. Not a single Big East team beat a higher seeded team in the tourney last year.

I slightly disagree with your #2. Fans are fans. They care about conference RPI rankings during the season as a bragging point when their conferences are doing well in that regard. So they do care about that - for a period of time. And then they move on to care about what matters: performance in the Tournament, as you noted.

[LA Muskie]

Again though, i think you're approaching this from the standpoint of what benefits the conference most when in reality the decisions are made based on what benefits FOX the most.
I'm actually approaching it from the standpoint of the Big East/Fox Sports partnership. It is a mutually symbiotic relationship. And yes, while a better -performing Big East certainly would help Fox Sports' ratings and would better justify national broadcast coverage, everyone knew going in that Fox Sports was going to have to do its part to prop up the "new" Big East -- a league that may have kept the name, but did not keep the vast majority of its goodwill (that goodwill, on the Court, being the prior Syracuse/UConn/Georgetown rivalries). A few games may be duds. They may even underperform Glee reruns. But make no mistake -- Saturday afternoon ad revenue is not huge regardless what's on the air (unless it's a MAJOR live sporting event). So it should be worth taking a few lumps to bolster the product as a whole -- support everyone always knew was going to be necessary.

[xudash]

I'm actually approaching it from the standpoint of the Big East/Fox Sports partnership. It is a mutually symbiotic relationship. And yes, while a better -performing Big East certainly would help Fox Sports' ratings and would better justify national broadcast coverage, everyone knew going in that Fox Sports was going to have to do its part to prop up the "new" Big East -- a league that may have kept the name, but did not keep the vast majority of its goodwill (that goodwill, on the Court, being the prior Syracuse/UConn/Georgetown rivalries). A few games may be duds. They may even underperform Glee reruns. But make no mistake -- Saturday afternoon ad revenue is not huge regardless what's on the air (unless it's a MAJOR live sporting event). So it should be worth taking a few lumps to bolster the product as a whole -- support everyone always knew was going to be necessary.

Exactly.

And exactly.

[casualfan]

I'm actually approaching it from the standpoint of the Big East/Fox Sports partnership. It is a mutually symbiotic relationship. And yes, while a better -performing Big East certainly would help Fox Sports' ratings and would better justify national broadcast coverage, everyone knew going in that Fox Sports was going to have to do its part to prop up the "new" Big East -- a league that may have kept the name, but did not keep the vast majority of its goodwill (that goodwill, on the Court, being the prior Syracuse/UConn/Georgetown rivalries). A few games may be duds. They may even underperform Glee reruns. But make no mistake -- Saturday afternoon ad revenue is not huge regardless what's on the air (unless it's a MAJOR live sporting event). So it should be worth taking a few lumps to bolster the product as a whole -- support everyone always knew was going to be necessary.

Hey you're preaching to the choir there. From the beginning I have been saying that FS1 had a long and arduous road ahead of it and that they would need to add more premium properties, specifically big time football to drive people to the network.

I think a lot of people both in the league and at FOX had an unrealistic view about how much viewership the league would bring.

There is a reason leagues like the ACC, Big 12, Big 10, etc. score well in the ratings. They all have a bunch of large state schools with huge enrollments and by extension huge alumni bases.

Think about the numbers for a second.

Big East schools combined enrollment totals 119,334 students.

The Big 12 schools combined enrollment totals 280,449. Well over double ours.

The Big 10 schools combined enrollment is 570,053. Almost 5 times as much!

Now extrapolate that backwards 40-50 years.

I mean yes playing good basketball helps, but a big part of the reason those leagues do well in the ratings is because they have a shitton of alumni out there watching games.

Is Big East basketball a nice property for FOX to have? absolutely. From a ratings standpoint was (or is) it realistic to expect us to compete with those leagues? Hell no.

[gladdenguy]

Is that a realistic possibility? When's that deal up?


Is this a possibility?

The Big Ten primary football package will expire after the 2016/2017 year with ABC/ESPN. FOX and ABC/ESPN will go head to head for that and it will be a record amount.

http://www.cbssports.com/collegefootball/writer/jon-solomon/25236837/most-influential-big-ten-commish-jim-delany-will-only-gain-more-power


Isn't the BIG Network actually a FOX property ?

Yes, the Big Ten Network is co-owned with Fox. Now that contract is for secondary Big 10 football games and that contract goes until 2031/2032.

[casualfan]

If FS1's strategy is to compile a panel of sports personalities I absolutely despise they're doing a hell of a job:

http://thebiglead.com/2015/08/25/what-would-a-jason-whitlock-move-say-about-fox-sports-and-espn/

Cowherd is easily #1 for me and Whitlock is a pretty close #2.

I also didn't realize the put the producer responsible for 'First Take' in charge of FS1 going forward.

That is good news for those who like race bating and shouting matches.

Here (http://thebiglead.com/2015/08/14/fox-sports-1-at-two-a-work-in-progress/) is a really good, extensive review of the network to date from last week that i missed. It is linked in the Whitlock article

One part that stuck out was the comment that FOX thought it could overtake ESPN in 2-3 years. I would have loved to be a fly on the wall in the meeting that projection was made in.

The other is that Big East basketball was only mentioned once in the article:

FOX also airs the remnants of Big East basketball. Few people have noticed.

The few people have noticed was linked to this article which i believe was posted earlier in this thread.

http://awfulannouncing.com/2015/big-east-basketball-scoring-foxfox-sports-1.html

[Xavier]

I really like Cowherd most of the time.

[Olsingledigit]

I really like Cowherd most of the time.

I don't like sportscasters talking politics and Cowherd talks politics almost all of the time. And it is not my kind of politics either. Leave the politics at the door sports guys. I have plenty of places to go to listen to politics. I turn on a sports channel to hear about sports.

[casualfan]

I really like Cowherd most of the time.

Cowherd is all about shock value and stirring the pot and because of that he puts his foot in his mouth wayy too often for my taste (i.e. John Wall, Dominicans in baseball, etc.).

There's just not substance there. It's all "what can i say to get people up in arms today".

He also may have one of the most annoying voices I've ever heard on talk radio.

[paulxu]

Sports channels have people who comment on politics? Yikes.

What's next...commenting on politics in a basketball forum?

[xu82]

I know a lot of people are annoyed by Cowherd, so this may be unpopular. I can understand that to some extent. I actually enjoy him in that he knows when there's really nothing worthy of discussion in the sports world (usually about now) and he tries to throw some other stuff in. We don't have to agree with him (and sometimes I wonder if HE agrees with him!), but it beats breaking down the baseball races. A lot of people describe him as "condescending", but that's only true if you let it be true. Take it for entertainment value only. He makes very compelling arguments for college foortball betting, then he's wrong about half the time. Whatever, it's better than the same old crap with "long time listener, first time callers". I hope he does well for a variety of reasons, the success of FOX beiing a big one.

I also wonder if some blunders aren't just slightly miscalculated, or maybe even shrewdly caluculated. The baseball/Dominican thing was one of these. He was trying to make a point (that I agree with) that baseball is not the chess match some people want to pretend it is. He basically said you don't need a degree from MIT to play. He "erred" in specifically referencing the Dominican Republic. In his "non-apology apology" the next day he cited education ratings for the DR and they faired poorly out of 200+ countries. He was clear that was no reflection of intelligence, just documented education levels. He got 5 days off from ESPN on his way to his next big contract.... and many people are still talking about him and his comments.

I could go on, but that's enough ammo for now....

Though three other themes are fiscal responsibility, importance of family and keeping government out of your every day life - damn! I'm in trouble now! I know the pitch can be annoying, but I don't get why some are so incensed. If he pissed you off to the point you comment on him, he won. And he says that! Get the big picture folks.

(PS - the Harbaugh interview was so bad I'm not sure if he was lazy, calculating, or pulling a Sarkesian!)

[xubrew]

I only watch games, so as long as Cowherd isn't doing any of the play by play, I'm fine with him. I don't mind him now, because I never watch him.

[Nigel Tufnel]

Not to hijack or divert the discussion, but anyone listen to Jay Mohr Sports on Fox Radio? I'm sure I'm in the minority, but it's my favorite sports talk show on the radio. I've had to stop jogging at times from laughing so hard.

[Muskie]

Not to hijack or divert the discussion, but anyone listen to Jay Mohr Sports on Fox Radio? I'm sure I'm in the minority, but it's my favorite sports talk show on the radio. I've had to stop jogging at times from laughing so hard.

I've not heard his show, but I did not care for him when he filled in for Jim Rome back in the day.

[casualfan]

Kevin McNamara ‏@KevinMcNamara33 3m3 minutes ago
Now hearing that Fox/Big East Marathon will run Jan 2 and that many teams will also play Dec. 31 for difficult turnaround @BIGEASTMBB

[xubrew]

I actually like one day turnaround, but very few conferences do it. It's one less day of travel if you're on the road, and it gets you ready for the NCAA Tournament format.

[GoMuskies]

The Pac-12 manages to make it work.

[Xville]

the fact that the games will be played on a saturday (hopefully more eyeballs) far outweighs the fact that these 18-21 year olds are going to have to play two games in three days.

[casualfan]

Joe Danneman ‏@FOX19Joe 14s14 seconds ago
Xavier will have three games on national FOX-TV:
at Georgetown
at Butler
vs. UC

All games will be shown on FOX19. @FOX19

[xubrew]

joe danneman ‏@fox19joe 14s14 seconds ago
xavier will have three games on national fox-tv:
At georgetown
at butler
vs. Uc

all games will be shown on fox19. @fox19

wahoo!!!!

[casualfan]

wahoo!!!!

I think that tweet is actually wrong. It looks like the shootout and G'town games are definites, but the Butler game is part of an either or.

I'll be curious to see how this all shakes out. They're clearly putting more games on the big network because games on FS1 aren't performing. The question now is, will this help drive traffic to FS1 or is it just removing most of the best games from that network.

In looking at the schedule on Xavier's website it looks like we'll actually have 4 games on FOX national. It's showing the Seton Hall game on FOX national as well.

http://goxavier.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball&schedule=232

[THRILLHOUSE]

In looking at the schedule on Xavier's website it looks like we'll actually have 4 games on FOX national. It's showing the Seton Hall game on FOX national as well.

http://goxavier.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball&schedule=232

On the PDF version of the Schedule, that Seton Hall game is listed as FS1 - http://sidearm.sites.s3.amazonaws.com/goxavier.com/documents/2015/9/8/2015_16_XAVIER_MBB_PDF_Schedule.pdf

[casualfan]

On the PDF version of the Schedule, that Seton Hall game is listed as FS1 - http://sidearm.sites.s3.amazonaws.com/goxavier.com/documents/2015/9/8/2015_16_XAVIER_MBB_PDF_Schedule.pdf

got ya. thanks.

[fellahmuskie]

Can't wait for the season to start. Got all the games on my calendar. The Crosstown Shootout is going to be amazing - Saturday evening on national TV.

[waggy]

Fox is smart to get the shootout. ESPN has a rivalry pecking order agenda.

[casualfan]

Fox is smart to get the shootout. ESPN has a rivalry pecking order agenda.

I'm not sure what you mean. Since its a home game for us they get it as part of the big East tv deal.

When uc is the home team espn will have it.

[waggy]

I'm not sure what you mean. Since its a home game for us they get it as part of the big East tv deal.

When uc is the home team espn will have it.


Yeah that was pretty ignorant of me. I am glad the shootout is going to be on another outlet though.

[X-band '01]

If the Big East has a bunch of teams in the Top 25 or even Top 10 come March, they should have an option where they can flex the Big East tournament (at least some selected games) onto the national Fox network.

[casualfan]

If the Big East has a bunch of teams in the Top 25 or even Top 10 come March, they should have an option where they can flex the Big East tournament (at least some selected games) onto the national Fox network.

At some point they have to keep some good properties on FS1. That's the ultimate goal. To get people watching FS1.

I understand wanting to move some games over to help create a buzz, but there's definitely a tipping point.

[casualfan]

John Ourand (@Ourand_SBJ) tweeted at 6:32 PM on Tue, Sep 29, 2015:
FSI cancels "America's Pregame" daily studio show; replaces it with a Best-Of show from Colin Cowherd. Tomorrow's SBD has the details.

When I first saw this I thought it was a joke, but apparently not.

[xu82]

Is FS1 on Sirius radio? Is there anything worth listening to, or is it just TV content? Some of the crap on ESPN is unbearable. (But at least SVP is gone.)

[D-West & PO-Z]

Is FS1 on Sirius radio? Is there anything worth listening to, or is it just TV content? Some of the crap on ESPN is unbearable. (But at least SVP is gone.)

Him and Russilo were the worst. Bro this bro that. Gross.

[xu82]

Him and Russilo were the worst. Bro this bro that. Gross.

You didn't love the goofy Boston accents and the in depth discussions regarding eating cereal? You weren't alone!

[XUMIOH12]

You didn't love the goofy Boston accents and the in depth discussions regarding eating cereal? You weren't alone!

Those guys are absolute clowns!

[casualfan]

I'm clearly in the minority, but I love SVP.

[xu82]

I'm clearly in the minority, but I love SVP.

It may just be the schtick I hated, not really sure.

[JTG]

I'm clearly in the minority, but I love SVP.

SVP's head looked like a big pink watermelon.

[Chalmers0]

John Ourand (@Ourand_SBJ) tweeted at 6:32 PM on Tue, Sep 29, 2015:
FSI cancels "America's Pregame" daily studio show; replaces it with a Best-Of show from Colin Cowherd. Tomorrow's SBD has the details.

When I first saw this I thought it was a joke, but apparently not.


Fox Sports 1 will be going with a more "opinion driven" afternoon schedule. So FS1 basically saying that if you don't like the clowns on ESPN you can come see more clowns on their network. Guess I'll keep my sports network viewing to just live events...

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2015/09/30/Media/Americas-Pregame-FS1.aspx

[casualfan]

Fox Sports 1 will be going with a more "opinion driven" afternoon schedule. So FS1 basically saying that if you don't like the clowns on ESPN you can come see more clowns on their network. Guess I'll keep my sports network viewing to just live events...

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2015/09/30/Media/Americas-Pregame-FS1.aspx

I have no earthly idea why they believe people like that business model. I guess because all the unemployed mouthbreathers like that kind of thing during the day.

It's been clear they've been headed this direction since they hired Horowitz away from ESPN. He's the brainchild behind everyone's favorite race-baiting sports show: First-Take.

[xufan2434]

I'm clearly in the minority, but I love SVP.

First time I've ever seen this much hate for SVP and Russillo.. Most people I talk to love them. The people who get mad at them and describing it as "bro this and bro that" are laugh out loud funny. Not once have they ever been serious when talking like that. If you don't get their humor I guess it's a generational thing but to me, they're the most relate able guys out there. To me, they take a lot of stances on sports topics that make a lot of sense and the general fan would agree with instead of kissing ass to someone they have to for corporation reasons.

[D-West & PO-Z]

Mike and Mike, hands down the best.

[Juice]

First time I've ever seen this much hate for SVP and Russillo.. Most people I talk to love them. The people who get mad at them and describing it as "bro this and bro that" are laugh out loud funny. Not once have they ever been serious when talking like that. If you don't get their humor I guess it's a generational thing but to me, they're the most relate able guys out there. To me, they take a lot of stances on sports topics that make a lot of sense and the general fan would agree with instead of kissing ass to someone they have to for corporation reasons.

Agreed. I don't listen to much ESPN radio but I like SVP, Bomani, and Lebatard over Mike & Mike, (formerly) Cowherd. It's definitely a generational thing.

[xu82]

I like most of the rest, but the crowd voted on SVP. Where is he now, midnight sports center? If he had jsut talked about sports.....

[casualfan]

I like most of the rest, but the crowd voted on SVP. Where is he now, midnight sports center? If he had jsut talked about sports.....

I'm not sure what yoh mean the crowd voted. Tgat midnight sportscaster spot is a HUGE deal.

[xu82]

I'm not sure what yoh mean the crowd voted. Tgat midnight sportscaster spot is a HUGE deal.

I meant ratings did him in. That's the way it sounded on the day they spent the first segment discussing the lineup changes. SVP sounded depressed and discussed how his vision for the show were never quite met, or something like that. And who wants the midnight shift at anything? I'm not saying I'm correct, that's just the way it sounded and it's how I took it. Not that I care that much....

[D-West & PO-Z]

Agreed. I don't listen to much ESPN radio but I like SVP, Bomani, and Lebatard over Mike & Mike, (formerly) Cowherd. It's definitely a generational thing.

I'm 29 and am not a fan of LeBatard nor SVP and Russillo. Havent heard the new Russilo and Kanell show tho, I have liked Danny Kanell when he was on other shows and on TV. But of SVP and Russillo it was Russillo I disliked most so I'm not sure I'd like the new show either.

Listen to Mike and Mike every morning, love them.

[fellahmuskie]

I'm 27 and like listening to Cowherd and LeBatard. Those are the only guys that consistently grab my attention. I don't always agree with what they say, especially Cowherd, but I find their shows very entertaining.

[D-West & PO-Z]

I'm 27 and like listening to Cowherd and LeBatard. Those are the only guys that consistently grab my attention. I don't always agree with what they say, especially Cowherd, but I find their shows very entertaining.

Yeah Cowherd can be annoying but I did like his show for the most part.

[Juice]

I'm 29 and am not a fan of LeBatard nor SVP and Russillo. Havent heard the new Russilo and Kanell show tho, I have liked Danny Kanell when he was on other shows and on TV. But of SVP and Russillo it was Russillo I disliked most so I'm not sure I'd like the new show either.

Listen to Mike and Mike every morning, love them.

Kanell???? God, he's the f*cking worst. He thinks his trolling is hilarious. I just don't find him very original, he just copies the shtick of others that have come before him.

[Olsingledigit]

Kanell???? God, he's the f*cking worst. He thinks his trolling is hilarious. I just don't find him very original, he just copies the shtick of others that have come before him.

Russilo is much too smug for me. Loves his celebrity. Sounds like you would expect a peacock to act. Struts around with is feathers up and out.

[Juice]

Russilo is much too smug for me. Loves his celebrity. Sounds like you would expect a peacock to act. Struts around with is feathers up and out.

I don't care for Russilo much either way but I just like SVP.

[xufan2434]

Russilo is much too smug for me. Loves his celebrity. Sounds like you would expect a peacock to act. Struts around with is feathers up and out.

This is almost comical.. I've never had that impression of him where he thinks he's a big shot. I always though him and SVP were humbled. It felt more to me like they were 2 guys I could have a beer and watch a game with. And yeah they do the whole Boston thing sometimes, but for the most part they're poking fun. And because a lot of their audience is from that area. And in terms of SVP moving to a daily 12 pm est sportscenter because of bad ratings?? You don't move to television with that length and attention because of bad radio ratings. So far, his show has been a hit. For him it's a starting point. He's gone from sportscenter anchor, to radio host, to now his very own tv show where he has full control. It's only a matter of time before he gets a better time slot and on to bigger things.

[Xville]

This is almost comical.. I've never had that impression of him where he thinks he's a big shot. I always though him and SVP were humbled. It felt more to me like they were 2 guys I could have a beer and watch a game with. And yeah they do the whole Boston thing sometimes, but for the most part they're poking fun. And because a lot of their audience is from that area. And in terms of SVP moving to a daily 12 pm est sportscenter because of bad ratings?? You don't move to television with that length and attention because of bad radio ratings. So far, his show has been a hit. For him it's a starting point. He's gone from sportscenter anchor, to radio host, to now his very own tv show where he has full control. It's only a matter of time before he gets a better time slot and on to bigger things.

I agree with the rest..SVP is fine...not great but not terrible. However, as far as the bolded part. Are you sure about that? His show is basically a sportscenter with his name on it...I would kinda doubt that he has full control. From what Dan Patrick, Rich Eisen etc say it sounds like ESPN is a tyranny, which I doubt is far from the truth. The only thing I don't like about SVP is that he stayed on the ESPN network....i wish that network would burn to the ground.

[xu82]

I agree with the rest..SVP is fine...not great but not terrible. However, as far as the bolded part. Are you sure about that? His show is basically a sportscenter with his name on it...I would kinda doubt that he has full control. From what Dan Patrick, Rich Eisen etc say it sounds like ESPN is a tyranny, which I doubt is far from the truth. The only thing I don't like about SVP is that he stayed on the ESPN network....i wish that network would burn to the ground.

Rome didn't fall in a day. They're working at it...

I don't know that I dislike SVP as much as I hated the utter lack of meaningful content on his show. In the right format he might be just fine. Nothing personal, but I just hated his show. Odd? Maybe... I can always decide to hate him later.

[xubrew]

FOOTNOTE X-BAND, because I heard it from him!!

The Big East Championship game will be on the Fox flagship network this year! And all I have to say is....IT'S ABOUT TIME!!!!

[Juice]

[/B]

Rome didn't fall in a day. They're working at it...

I don't know that I dislike SVP as much as I hated the utter lack of meaningful content on his show. In the right format he might be just fine. Nothing personal, but I just hated his show. Odd? Maybe... I can always decide to hate him later.

Here is why SVP is awesome: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1zlo2bG5vBs


https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=1zlo2bG5vBs

Also, quoting Bun B earns you points in my book every single time.

[JTG]

Could this thread possibly get back to people's thoughts on Fox 1, instead of ESPN drama ? Will ratings pick up this year ? When will Fox start promos for College BBall during NFL games ? What can Fox 1 do to chip away at ESPN ?

[xu82]

Does Fox Sports air on Sirius radio? I seem to be the only person who doesn't hate Colin Cowherd, but I'd listen given the chance. I read something about them having to dump most Fox stations from satellite lineup. I'm not sure why...

[D-West & PO-Z]

Does Fox Sports air on Sirius radio? I seem to be the only person who doesn't hate Colin Cowherd, but I'd listen given the chance. I read something about them having to dump most Fox stations from satellite lineup. I'm not sure why...

I dont hate him either. I disagree with a lot of his takes, and its annoying when he acts like everything he says is indisputable fact but his show is entertaining and I listened when in the car.

[Olsingledigit]

I don't like Cowherd at all. He is an ultra liberal sarcastic political commentator masquerading as a sports commentator. I listen to sports talk shows to hear about sports. I was glad when I heard ESPN dumped him and equally frustrated when Fox picked him up.

[fellahmuskie]

Does Fox Sports air on Sirius radio? I seem to be the only person who doesn't hate Colin Cowherd, but I'd listen given the chance. I read something about them having to dump most Fox stations from satellite lineup. I'm not sure why...

He's still working on Sirius, but for now the show is on FS1, Fox Sports Go and iHeart Radio. As far as know, it's had good ratings. It's beating Dan LeBatard's show on ESPNU, anyway, which maybe isn't saying much. But definitely an improvement on Mike Francesa, which is what they were airing in that time slot before Cowherd took over.

[JTG]

I don't like Cowherd at all. He is an ultra liberal sarcastic political commentator masquerading as a sports commentator. I listen to sports talk shows to hear about sports. I was glad when I heard ESPN dumped him and equally frustrated when Fox picked him up.

Sounds like he's a Keith Olbermann clone

[casualfan]

TMZ coming to FS1:

http://awfulannouncing.com/2015/tmz-sports-is-debuting-on-fs1-next-monday.html?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=tmz-sports-is-debuting-on-fs1-next-monday

[fellahmuskie]

Broadcast teams and studio hosts announced for this season: http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/latestnews/fox-sports-unveils-loaded-lineup-of-studio-and-game-announcers (http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/latestnews/2015/11/10/fox-sports-unveils-loaded-lineup-of-studio-and-game-announcers-f)

Personally, I'm excited they replaced Austin Croshere and Kevin O'Neill. Jim Jackson is a pretty solid analyst and I imagine Lavin will be entertaining, if nothing else.

[X-Fan]

Broadcast teams and studio hosts announced for this season: http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/latestnews/fox-sports-unveils-loaded-lineup-of-studio-and-game-announcers (http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/latestnews/2015/11/10/fox-sports-unveils-loaded-lineup-of-studio-and-game-announcers-f)

Personally, I'm excited they replaced Austin Croshere and Kevin O'Neill. Jim Jackson is a pretty solid analyst and I imagine Lavin will be entertaining, if nothing else.

That is FANTASTIC news that Croshere is gone! He was painful to watch/listen to! I've never been a fan of Lavin, but he is polished and will be a huge improvement over Croshere.

[Masterofreality]

Broadcast teams and studio hosts announced for this season: http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/latestnews/fox-sports-unveils-loaded-lineup-of-studio-and-game-announcers (http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/latestnews/2015/11/10/fox-sports-unveils-loaded-lineup-of-studio-and-game-announcers-f)

Personally, I'm excited they replaced Austin Croshere and Kevin O'Neill. Jim Jackson is a pretty solid analyst and I imagine Lavin will be entertaining, if nothing else.

Ah, HAhahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!! Kevin O'Nucklehead is out of another job. Hilarious!

[Chalmers0]

Broadcast teams and studio hosts announced for this season: http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/latestnews/fox-sports-unveils-loaded-lineup-of-studio-and-game-announcers (http://www.foxsports.com/presspass/latestnews/2015/11/10/fox-sports-unveils-loaded-lineup-of-studio-and-game-announcers-f)

Personally, I'm excited they replaced Austin Croshere and Kevin O'Neill. Jim Jackson is a pretty solid analyst and I imagine Lavin will be entertaining, if nothing else.

I actually kind of liked O'Neil. Croshere will absolutely not be missed. Lavin, while being a terrible coach, is actually a fantastic TV personality IMO.

[D-West & PO-Z]

I actually kind of liked O'Neil. Croshere will absolutely not be missed. Lavin, while being a terrible coach, is actually a fantastic TV personality IMO.

If only Majerus could be with him as well. They were a great pairing.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdNCN2-D0Yw

[waggy]

I like Croshere. Whatever.

[X-Fan]

Looks like a major overhaul (or possible cancellation) is coming to FOX Sports Live

http://www.si.com/more-sports/2016/01/29/fox-sports-live-canceled-espn-sportscenter

THIS Isn't overly surprising. Never really enjoyed the show, and thought I could be way better. I hope they still have a sports news type show to compete with ESPN. Also, I had no idea the the lead anchors where from a popular show in Canada. I never cared for them AT ALL. My main issue in consistently watching the show is that I don't care about UFC. IMO, if they just focus on the basics and fundamentals of good sports reporting, they'd be successful.

[Masterofreality]

If Fox isn't getting ratings, no one can blame the Big East. The league has done its part giving Fox quality content and damn good teams that matter.
There are just so many channels now that it takes time to breakthrough. The 4 letter network started when there was no competition and established a foothold. Even so, now they are having ratings declines, despite paying huge dollars for live content. The $50 million Fox pays to the Big East yearly is actually a very reasonable, if not inexpensive, amount to provide voluminous good content.

[xubrew]

If Fox isn't getting ratings, no one can blame the Big East. The league has done its part giving Fox quality content and damn good teams that matter.
There are just so many channels now that it takes time to breakthrough. The 4 letter network started when there was no competition and established a foothold. Even so, now they are having ratings declines, despite paying huge dollars for live content. The $50 million Fox pays to the Big East yearly is actually a very reasonable, if not inexpensive, amount to provide voluminous good content.

If Fox isn't getting ratings, then the Big East can blame Fox. We were the second rated power conference last year, and had eight different teams in the top 25 at some point, had six teams in the NCAA Tournament, the teams are in big markets, and this year we've had three different teams in the top ten!!

If the ratings are bad, then WTF IS WRONG WITH FOX!!!??

[X-Fan]

If Fox isn't getting ratings, then the Big East can blame Fox. We were the second rated power conference last year, and had eight different teams in the top 25 at some point, had six teams in the NCAA Tournament, the teams are in big markets, and this year we've had three different teams in the top ten!!

If the ratings are bad, then WTF IS WRONG WITH FOX!!!??
Note: the link was strictly about FOX Sports Live, not FS1. I believe FS1 is gaining ratings with their sports content. I'd like to see them clean up FS Live and utilize/integrate the branding more with the FOX National content. That is one thing ESPN & ABC do really well.

[LutherRackleyRulez]

Dickey Simpkins is a horrendous color announcer.....

I hit the mute button as soon as I hear his voice


During a recent Providence game...

a graphic stated that 1 of their African American ballers fave group was BackStreet Boys...


Well, as expected,

Gus Johnson went nuts......

He ended rapping some BSB lyrics while going to a break....

great stuff



No doubt,

Bill Walton leads all Bball college color men....

Anybody see him rub dirt from Temecula, Cali on himself

during Az-Ore clash....


The dude is epic!!!!

[xubrew]

Note: the link was strictly about FOX Sports Live, not FS1. I believe FS1 is gaining ratings with their sports content. I'd like to see them clean up FS Live and utilize/integrate the branding more with the FOX National content. That is one thing ESPN & ABC do really well.

Ehh, it's still pretty low.

Providence v Nova, which was on the Fox main network, didn't crack a million viewers. That was one of the more exciting college games of the year, and it was on free to air TV, but still couldn't get a million. The FS1 games generally pull between 150k and 200k viewers.

Okay, now back to Fox Sports Live.

[UCGRAD4X]

Ehh, it's still pretty low.

Providence v Nova, which was on the Fox main network, didn't crack a million viewers. The FS1 games generally pull between 150k and 200k viewers.

Okay, now back to Fox Sports Live.

Just keep on winning and they (viewers) will come (?)

It is nice to have ranked teams on - but if Xavier/Providence only drew 170K...

Once Xavier (and others in the BE) start making noise in March...

..until then, don't expect it to improve too much.

[xubrew]

Just keep on winning and they (viewers) will come (?)

It is nice to have ranked teams on - but if Xavier/Providence only drew 170K...

Once Xavier (and others in the BE) start making noise in March...

..until then, don't expect it to improve too much.

I apologize for hijacking this thread because I know it isn't about FS1 or Fox Sports. Now having said that...

While I agree we need to win more in March. I think another answer is more games on the Fox Flagship, and promotion of FS1 during those games.

I have my guide pulled up right now. This is what's on Fox today

Bundesliga Soccer (that's Germany for you non soccer people)

Infomercial for Tummy Tuck

What Went Down (I don't even know what that is)

Paid Programming

Muscle Car

Infomercial for 21 Day Fix

Horse Power

Under Pressure Cooking



Okay, now.....I have to ask. I just have to ask.

WHY IS THIS CRAP ON AND NOT AT LEAST ONE BIG EAST BASKETBALL GAME?????

To me, good numbers would be at least one game a week on Fox that would pull over a million viewers. I don't know what kind of viewership Muscle Cars is getting, but surely we can beat out "Muscle Cars." For the FS1 games, between 300k and 400k for the average. I don't think that's unrealistic given how good the league is, and where the league's markets are. If you have a featured game of the week on Fox, and promote the other FS1 games during that game, I think the numbers would noticeably improve.

[Masterofreality]

Really good article on the Big East/Fox relationship from David Woods of the Indy Star. XU has three of the highest viewed games on Fox networks this year from the league.

http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/college/butler/2016/01/29/big-east-tv-viewership-limited-but-promising/79530200/

[KC4X]

Dickey Simpkins is a horrendous color announcer.....

I hit the mute button as soon as I hear his voice


During a recent Providence game...

a graphic stated that 1 of their African American ballers fave group was BackStreet Boys...


Well, as expected,

Gus Johnson went nuts......

He ended rapping some BSB lyrics while going to a break....

great stuff



No doubt,

Bill Walton leads all Bball college color men....

Anybody see him rub dirt from Temecula, Cali on himself

during Az-Ore clash....


The dude is epic!!!!



I saw that... Bill Walton is hilarious!

And I like Gus, too, but what's up with the "KD" crap (re: Kellen Dunham)? Maybe it's because I can't stand Butler, but that got annoying today.

[xubrew]

After the Providence v DePaul game ended, Fox Sports Live came on. Believe it or not, I had never seen it before. I watched about two minutes of it. I never want to see it again.

I'm....stunned. DePaul winning was shocking. That was followed by Fox Sports Live. What an awful two minutes of TV that was. They were on a couch, and talking about how they were on a couch, and reading tweets about how they were on a couch.

[drudy23]

After the Providence v DePaul game ended, Fox Sports Live came on. Believe it or not, I had never seen it before. I watched about two minutes of it. I never want to see it again.

I'm....stunned. DePaul winning was shocking. That was followed by Fox Sports Live. What an awful two minutes of TV that was. They were on a couch, and talking about how they were on a couch, and reading tweets about how they were on a couch.

Agreed...I did the exact same thing. WTF was that?

It was like Talk Soup meets SportsCenter meets Beavis and Butthead....but in a very, very bad way.

[RoseyMuskie]

Agreed...I did the exact same thing. WTF was that?

It was like Talk Soup meets SportsCenter meets Beavis and Butthead....but in a very, very bad way.

I don't mind Jay and Dan, and occasionally watch(ed) Fox Sports Live, but that was bad. One segment was essentially, "Jay and Dan make an annoying sound."

Real bad.

[X-Fan]

Agreed...I did the exact same thing. WTF was that?

It was like Talk Soup meets SportsCenter meets Beavis and Butthead....but in a very, very bad way.

I think they are in implosion mode now that word is out FS Live will be overhauled. Can't stand those two jackasses.

[xubrew]

I think they are in implosion mode now that word is out FS Live will be overhauled. Can't stand those two jackasses.

A blank screen would have been an upgrade.

Or, someone reading posts from the Big East message board. Just that. Nothing else. Much much much better television than whatever the hell that was.

[UCGRAD4X]

Really good article on the Big East/Fox relationship from David Woods of the Indy Star. XU has three of the highest viewed games on Fox networks this year from the league.

http://www.indystar.com/story/sports/college/butler/2016/01/29/big-east-tv-viewership-limited-but-promising/79530200/
I'm confused. Why does it list top three games are Butler (other than this is from Indy paper)?
And third rated is not even conference play?!?!

Top-rated Big East games

(total viewers)
On FS1

235,000 Villanova-Butler, Jan. 10

219,000 Butler-Xavier, Jan. 2

211,000 Tennessee-Butler, Dec. 12

209,000 Iowa-Marquette, Nov. 19

177,000 Xavier-Providence, Jan. 26

177,000 UALR-DePaul, Dec. 12

[fellahmuskie]

I must be the only one on here, but I like Jay and Dan. The ratings are horrible, though, so fs1 needs to make a change.

Also, solid numbers on Saturday: 215k for providence Georgetown and 202 for Butler Marquette.

[Juice]

The problem with what FS1 is doing with their website and their network is they're dumbing down their coverage. They got rid of the JABO section of their baseball site. They added TMZ Sports show to their programming. They added Cowherd, Whitlock, and are supporting Clay Travis. Everything I hate about ESPN they are now copying or doing to more of an extreme.

[bigdiggins]

I must be the only one on here, but I like Jay and Dan. The ratings are horrible, though, so fs1 needs to make a change.

Also, solid numbers on Saturday: 215k for providence Georgetown and 202 for Butler Marquette.

I do as well. I hate pretty well everyone they have had on their round tables though ( mcnabb, Gary Payton, etc)

[waggy]

Fox needs to hire away some ESPN talent. And I mean people behind the camera that understand what viewers want, and how to produce that.

[Masterofreality]

Fox needs to hire away some ESPN talent. And I mean people behind the camera that understand what viewers want, and how to produce that.

I want Katie Nolan..
1949

[ballyhoohoo]

I want Katie Nolan..
1949

Boobs

[Masterofreality]

Interesting re-tweet take from an investment advisor who I follow:
1954

Point being is that ESPN is going from a star to an oxen yoke. Meanwhile The Big East basketball content is relatively cheap content for Fox.

[waggy]

The douchiest place on earth.. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/04/us/last-task-after-layoff-at-disney-train-foreign-replacements.html?_r=1

[LA Muskie]

They don't call it Mousekevitz out here for nothing...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[QueensbridgeMF]

Saw promo for the game between #1 Nova and #8 XU. Come. On FS1 promotions dept. it'been 6 hours since rankings came out

[JTG]

The douchiest place on earth.. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/06/04/us/last-task-after-layoff-at-disney-train-foreign-replacements.html?_r=1

Isn't ESPN what is dragging Disney down ? I have not heard that people have stopped going to the various Magic Kingdoms. Why not make the cuts at ESPN. Who needs 5 different channels ?

[Juice]

Isn't ESPN what is dragging Disney down ? I have not heard that people have stopped going to the various Magic Kingdoms. Why not make the cuts at ESPN. Who needs 5 different channels ?

They've already made a crazy amount of cuts. ESPN cut 300 employees in October.

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2015/10/26/Media/ESPN.aspx

[markchal]

Isn't ESPN what is dragging Disney down ? I have not heard that people have stopped going to the various Magic Kingdoms. Why not make the cuts at ESPN. Who needs 5 different channels ?

ESPN isn't growing at the rate it was due to cord cutters and over paying for sports rights to keep them away from competitors, but make no mistake, ESPN is probably the biggest money maker for Disney, and is definitely one of their most valuable properties overall.

[PM Thor]

Fox and FS1 signed a pretty massive deal with the Big Ten conference....which is both good and bad for the Big East, but I will take the increased exposure for FS1.

http://www.bigeastcoastbias.com/2016/4/19/11464104/big-ten-fox-sports-big-east-media-rights-deal-contract

[X-band '01]

I'm sure Big 10 fans will also enjoy being blackballed by ESPN and their family of networks if they decide to sell their other media rights to either CBS or NBC. It's more likely given that the Mothership doesn't have as much money to go after every single conference/sports property as they did a few years ago.

As for the Big East, I think it's more likely that more FS2/Fox Sports Net games will be taking place in November and December (as well as Saturdays when most games are played).

[JTG]

Could this bring Big Monday to FS1..A BIG matchup followed by a BE matchup every Monday nite ?

[X-band '01]

Since it's the B1G, it has to be Super Tuesday.

[XMuskieFTW]

I'd like to see a good Thursday Doubleheader. Thirsty Thursday seems appropriate.

[xubrew]

I don't think this will have much impact on the Big East at all. 50 basketball games over the 18 game regular season probably means one or two weekly games on the Fox flagship network. I think more college basketball on free to air networks is good for college basketball, so I'm in favor. CBS has shown Big Ten games on Sundays the past two years. Fox may pick up those as well depending on how the deal works out.

I'm kind of curious about ABC/ESPN. Up until 2009 (I think) they used to have regional coverage on ABC, but a lot of the conferences, namely the ACC, didn't like that. They figured that if the game was on ESPN it was available to the entire nation, whereas if it was on ABC it was only available regionally and to those who had satellite packages. But, with football, they use all three networks. The regional game is on ABC, and the out of area games are on ESPN and ESPN2. In other words, different games are on different channels depending on what part of the country you live in, but all are on. I never understood why they haven't done that for basketball. ESPN will start losing weekend ratings if both Fox and CBS have games on free to air networks, so it may not be long before basketball is also back on ABC again.

[X-band '01]

There's only a small window for Fox to show college basketball on Sundays; they've got the NFL in the first half of the season (until January) and NASCAR that begins in the middle of February.

[THRILLHOUSE]

:sick::sick::sick::sick:

http://deadspin.com/source-skip-bayless-is-leaving-espn-for-fox-sports-1773145374

[xu82]

:sick::sick::sick::sick:

http://deadspin.com/source-skip-bayless-is-leaving-espn-for-fox-sports-1773145374

Skip Bayless directly impacts viewership. He causes me to change the channel.....to pretty much anything else.

[xubrew]

Maybe they're planning to poison him on national television. Maybe Fox is much smarter than I've ever given them credit for. That would definitely boost ratings, and it would make the entire world appreciate Fox in a way that they never have before.

POSITIVE THINKING PEOPLE!!!

[JTG]

Just saw this afternoon, Mike Tirico is leaving ESPN for NBC. Trouble at the Mother ship? ??

[xu82]

Maybe they're planning to poison him on national television. Maybe Fox is much smarter than I've ever given them credit for. That would definitely boost ratings, and it would make the entire world appreciate Fox in a way that they never have before.

POSITIVE THINKING PEOPLE!!!

That's not so positive for old Skippy, but....... what the hell?

[Juice]

Just saw this afternoon, Mike Tirico is leaving ESPN for NBC. Trouble at the Mother ship? ??

Yeah, their budget is getting slashed by Disney and they have to cut costs.

[Muskie]

And now Skip Bayless!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Masterofreality]

Skip Bayless directly impacts viewership. He causes me to change the channel.....to pretty much anything else.

Retire FiftyTu had a great series of re-tweets on Twitter yesterday of things that Bayless has recently said that were so wrong they were almost criminal:

"Johnny Football will one day be bigger in Cleveland than his buddy Lebron ever was"

"For the next 10 years give me Josh Freeman over Cam. More accurate. Clutch gene."

"I'll say it again. Give me RG3 over Luck any day, any night, any year, any career"

"Browns just stole a starting QB: Brandin Weeden. Much better than Tannehill. Will soon beat out Colt & have 6-7 good years. TRich and Weeden!"

"I KNOW what Tebow can do in the NFL. I've seen it over/over/over. I'm not sure what Andrew Luck can do or if he has Tebow's IT factor."


HA, HA, F-ing HA!!!!!!

[xu82]

Retire FiftyTu had a great series of re-tweets on Twitter yesterday of things that Bayless has recently said that were so wrong they were almost criminal:

"Johnny Football will one day be bigger in Cleveland than his buddy Lebron ever was"

"For the next 10 years give me Josh Freeman over Cam. More accurate. Clutch gene."

"I'll say it again. Give me RG3 over Luck any day, any night, any year, any career"

"Browns just stole a starting QB: Brandin Weeden. Much better than Tannehill. Will soon beat out Colt & have 6-7 good years. TRich and Weeden!"

"I KNOW what Tebow can do in the NFL. I've seen it over/over/over. I'm not sure what Andrew Luck can do or if he has Tebow's IT factor."


HA, HA, F-ing HA!!!!!!

Wow! Just wow.....

If he ever says anything that is remotely accurate, you know it was an accident.

[gladdenguy]

Retire FiftyTu had a great series of re-tweets on Twitter yesterday of things that Bayless has recently said that were so wrong they were almost criminal:

"Johnny Football will one day be bigger in Cleveland than his buddy Lebron ever was"

"For the next 10 years give me Josh Freeman over Cam. More accurate. Clutch gene."

"I'll say it again. Give me RG3 over Luck any day, any night, any year, any career"

"Browns just stole a starting QB: Brandin Weeden. Much better than Tannehill. Will soon beat out Colt & have 6-7 good years. TRich and Weeden!"

"I KNOW what Tebow can do in the NFL. I've seen it over/over/over. I'm not sure what Andrew Luck can do or if he has Tebow's IT factor."


HA, HA, F-ing HA!!!!!!

If you are a Xavier fan......RetireFiftyTu is one of the best Xavier follows on Twitter. I told him he was my favorite follow of the year.

[RetireFiftyTu]

This from PFT Commenter is hilarious. A compilation of all the tweets that make Skip Bayless look like an idiot. http://www.barstoolsports.com/boston/in-honor-of-skip-bayless-going-to-fox-sports-here-are-his-10-hottest-twitter-takes-of-all-time/

[RetireFiftyTu]

If you are a Xavier fan......RetireFiftyTu is one of the best Xavier follows on Twitter. I told him he was my favorite follow of the year.
Thanks GladdenGuy

[SM#24]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/maurybrown/2016/07/13/fs1-is-seeing-the-strongest-growth-among-all-national-cable-sports-networks/#e9dd2b451e68

[xu82]

http://www.si.com/tech-media/2016/09/06/media-circus-troy-aikman-skip-bayless-fox-sports-1?xid=si_social

Troy Aikman has worked for Fox Sports for 15 years and has been the network’s lead NFL analyst since 2002. His reputation among staffers—especially those on his NFL production crew—is excellent. He is also known among sports media writers as being a particularly honest interview, and that was the case last week when Sports Illustrated contacted him about his network’s hiring of Skip Bayless.

“To say I’m disappointed in the hiring of Skip Bayless would be an enormous understatement,” Aikman said. “Clearly, [Fox Sports president of national networks] Jamie Horowitz and I have a difference of opinion when it comes to building a successful organization. I believe success is achieved by acquiring and developing talented, respected and credible individuals, none of which applies to Skip Bayless."

Bold move by Troy.

[Juice]

http://www.si.com/tech-media/2016/09/06/media-circus-troy-aikman-skip-bayless-fox-sports-1?xid=si_social

Troy Aikman has worked for Fox Sports for 15 years and has been the network’s lead NFL analyst since 2002. His reputation among staffers—especially those on his NFL production crew—is excellent. He is also known among sports media writers as being a particularly honest interview, and that was the case last week when Sports Illustrated contacted him about his network’s hiring of Skip Bayless.

“To say I’m disappointed in the hiring of Skip Bayless would be an enormous understatement,” Aikman said. “Clearly, [Fox Sports president of national networks] Jamie Horowitz and I have a difference of opinion when it comes to building a successful organization. I believe success is achieved by acquiring and developing talented, respected and credible individuals, none of which applies to Skip Bayless."

Bold move by Troy.

It was even bolder move to accuse Troy Aikmen of being gay when it wasn't true back in the 90s when people cared about that shit.

[xu82]

It was even bolder move to accuse Troy Aikmen of being gay when it wasn't true back in the 90s when people cared about that shit.

Yep, no kidding but bold and boldly stupid are different. Did Bayless go to Missouri?

[casualfan]

SVP bringing some heat in this wapo article:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2016/09/07/dont-tell-scott-van-pelt-that-espn-is-dying/

[xu82]

SVP bringing some heat in this wapo article:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2016/09/07/dont-tell-scott-van-pelt-that-espn-is-dying/


I get that they are still big and making money, but I didn't realize their cable subscribers were down about 10% over the last 3 years. That is an ugly trend. I knew it wasn't good, but....

[bleedXblue]

I get that they are still big and making money, but I didn't realize their cable subscribers were down about 10% over the last 3 years. That is an ugly trend. I knew it wasn't good, but....

FS1, BTNetwork, NFLTicket etc

[American X]

You are killing me FS1. Fix Gus Johnson's microphone. He sounds like when they let a bridesmaid give a toast at a wedding and she eats the microphone.

[AviatorX]

Len Elmore is calling the Butler-Marquette game. Is he going to be a regular on FS1? Was always one of my favorites on ESPN.

[X-band '01]

Don't know if anyone here in Time Warner country noticed, but FS2, BTN Alternate and all of the Pac12 networks (national and regional) are now available on the HD tier. They were available only in standard def until the past weekend.

[xubrew]

We've gone from a New Years Eve marathon (good idea) to an MLK Marathon (good idea).

Why not eight Saturday marahtons?? (FANTASTIC IDEA!!). Fox paid for this. They wanted showcases. Every Saturday should be a showcase Marathon. Have a "Game of the Week" that airs on the Fox flagship network, and run the other four games on FS1.

I really don't understand why they don't do this. If you look at the programming of Fox and FS1 throughout January and February, it's shitty. This would upgrade it. This would also showcase us. Showcasing us is a good thing for them since they purchased the rights to our product.