Watch out Maryland Rutgers fans! Here comes the BTN!

What a great article.

It's easy to mock from the outside, but the BTN is the gift that keeps on giving to Big Ten sports fans. I'm an Indiana grad and I have been able to watch each and every Indiana football and basketball game since the BTN started. In years prior to that, I would routinely miss a couple of IU football games that weren't televised as well as an occasional basketball game.

Sure there's plenty of crap on the network to full up the 24 hour schedule, but who cares, you're not obligated to tune in for that stuff. Bottom line is that you see all the games you want to see and the network makes a shit load of money for conference members. What's not to love?

That every cable subscriber is forced to pay for you to enjoy Indiana volleyball.

Your problem appears to be with the cable system. There are plenty of channels I get that I never watch and don't want to pay for. That's just the way the system is constructed and I'm not going to defend it. Doesn't change the fact the BTN is fantastic for a sports fan who cares about Big Ten sports.

Seriously, what's with Big Ten people hanging out on our board? Don't you have somewhere else to go?

BTB said:

Your problem appears to be with the cable system. There are plenty of channels I get that I never watch and don't want to pay for. That's just the way the system is constructed and I'm not going to defend it. Doesn't change the fact the BTN is fantastic for a sports fan who cares about Big Ten sports.

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Which NY has very few of. Most people in NYC are not diehard Big Ten sports fans. The reason you have a bunch of channels you don't watch (and most others don't either) is because they are bundled with channels cable cannot get rid of and/or run by networks that can leverage with other programming. The BTN is standalone so if there is no demand for it cable companies will be reluctant to charge an extra buck for it. There is no must have cable network associated with it. It works in true Bg Ten land because of how many alumni are there. Expansion outside of that area with schools that do not have massive followings means it is a huge gamble. If NY area cable providers refuse to pay extra and drop the network it will be a big blow to that conference. They only added Rutgers because of that TV market and I seriously doubt there will be much demand. Without that extra market, adding Rutgers costs them money while providing mediocre sports. I guess we will have to wait and see how the gamble pays off.

I so hope cable companies in NYC balk. I wonder if the Big Tenlevteen would move to boot Rutgers.

BTB said:

It's easy to mock from the outside, but the BTN is the gift that keeps on giving to Big Ten sports fans. I'm an Indiana grad and I have been able to watch each and every Indiana football and basketball game since the BTN started. In years prior to that, I would routinely miss a couple of IU football games that weren't televised as well as an occasional basketball game.

Sure there's plenty of crap on the network to full up the 24 hour schedule, but who cares, you're not obligated to tune in for that stuff. Bottom line is that you see all the games you want to see and the network makes a shit load of money for conference members. What's not to love?

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The rest of us have this thing called DVR and ESPN 3, your "network" is redundant, full of fluff, and no one outside of flyover country wants that shit.