ESPN+

[Jsnhbe1Birds]

I'm happy to pay $5/6 per month for 4 months ($20-25) to see my beloved Birds on the road.

At $25 it would be at most 13 games I have to pay for since I have season tickets and a couple are on CSN so that's about $2 per game. To me $2 per game isn't enough to not pay to try to make a point.

[BirdsEyeView]

The games on ESPN 3 are still free [ actually never have been as you pay for a provider] but fewer and fewer MVC games are there and probably none in the future. But you do have to pay the $5 to get ESPN + to get the now expanded menu of college and pro sports it has which will be most of the MVC sports.

I get nobody likes paying $$, but it's a superior format and service to what ESPN 3 was, and as noted above has some great archive materials and is the precursor to what will evolve when FOX SPORTS combines in the next couple years. Again just cut the cable, get something like sling or utube tv, add the $5 ESPN + and you're still ahead dollar wise.

We have grown to accustomed to getting free content on the internet. Via newspapers online, streaming of games, etc. Those days are going away. Rightfully so.

I have no issue paying to watch a game when I live two stats away. There is a cost to produce it, distribute it, etc. I don't think $5.99/month is a lot to pay. I also pay to subscribe to the Athletic and a few newspapers I like to read. If I want quality content I have no issue paying for it.

Costs to produce are typically offset by advertising dollars more so than a subscriber paying $6 per month. These outlets usually ride the wave of eyeballs to sell those advertisers overall market reach or penetration. How will moving this to a paid option affect the overall viewership of ESPN+ versus WatchESPN? I am sure it will decline somewhat in viewers, which will be negatively impacted by ad spends by businesses if they are reaching less people.

We will see, but to say that paying to subscribe is how these media outlets afford production expenses is incorrect.

[BCPanther]

From what I understand in talking to some people at UNI is that 'league produced' games will be on ESPN3 and 'school produced' games will be on ESPN+.

[Jsnhbe1Birds]

From what I understand in talking to some people at UNI is that 'league produced' games will be on ESPN3 and 'school produced' games will be on ESPN+.

Aren't league produced games on CSN anyway. Maybe 1 or 2 on ESPN2.

[BCPanther]

From what I understand in talking to some people at UNI is that 'league produced' games will be on ESPN3 and 'school produced' games will be on ESPN+.

Aren't league produced games on CSN anyway. Maybe 1 or 2 on ESPN2.

Not all. That's the MVC Network games. The Vally also produces 10-12 games per year that are ESPN3 'Exclusives'. Those will continue to be ESPN3 as will the MVFC Football Game of the Week. Realistically, everybody will need both to watch everything.

[underdawg]

ESPN3 is not free

[Adunk33]

ESPN3 is not free

It is free.....with a cable subscription. But there are some ESPN3 games that you do not need a TV login to watch. I believe the games that were exclusively on ESPN3 were free. If they were aired anywhere else, they were not. So the MVC Game of the week which aired for football on CSN (Now NBC-Chicago) or for basketball NBC-C or Fox Sports Midwest- those required a log-in/were blacked out in the area through ESPN.

That's been my experience, anyway.

[BEARZ77]

Yeah, if you have any ESPN channels via cable , you have those same ESPN channels plus ESPN 3 when you access the ESPN app via a streaming device. You probably have to register with your cable provider and code, but you get them for nothing extra. Always have. If you don't have cable, you get whatever your package on SLING/UTUBE TV etc provides. But to get the ESPN plus when you access the ESPN app, you have to sign up and pay the $$ under whatever plan you chose.

[uniftw]

So now they use our students for all their tech work and operating cameras and want MORE money--screw 'em

They've always done that, at least at UNI. Unless it was a national ESPN/2/U game it was 100% student run with PantherSportsNet commentators.

[uniguy]

There is an article on the MVC website about why we should be excited that the games are moving to ESPN+.

https://www.mvc-sports.com/news/2018/4/ ... -espn.aspx

From reading that, I don't see what there is to get excited about. We are now being forced to pay extra for content that was covered in our cable subscription before. How is the experience better? Am I missing something? This would be great if we didn't have access before, but we did.

If anything I think this is worse. Makes it harder for fans/recruits to see our brand. Seems like it lessens our exposure.

At some point this bubble is going to burst. If I have to pay $11 a month for Netflix, $8 for Hulu, $13 for Amazon, $5 for ESPN, X for Disney, X for MLB, etc, etc, there is going to be a breaking point for people at some point.