Is The Way We Watch College Football (Sports) About To Change?

[JayOzOne]

http://www.si.com/college-football/2015/08/03/college-sports-consumers-espn-punt-pass-pork

BY ANDY STAPLES

We love to speculate about how the bracket will look when the first College Football Playoff contract with ESPN ends after the 2026 season. The most popular guess is that it will include eight teams, and maybe the bowls get cut out and the quarterfinals and semifinals will be played on campus. But here’s a better question.

How will we watch those games?

Disney CEO Bob Iger joined CNBC’s Squawk Box last week and offered some answers that should raise the antennae of everyone who watches college football. Meanwhile, those who run college conferences and athletic departments should be very, very interested in every word that comes out of Iger’s mouth. Last week Iger gave the strongest impression to date that Disney property ESPN will eventually be sold directly to consumers instead of as part of a cable or satellite package. This is inevitable as the cable bundle erodes thanks to a new generation of consumers, raised on YouTube and Netflix, that keeps asking why it should continue to pay for channels it doesn’t want. How ESPN and the leagues handle this inevitability will determine how we watch our favorite sport—and other, less interesting sports—and will determine in large part how athletic departments fund their programs.

Let’s start with one basic assumption: At some point before these current league television deals expire in the middle of the next decade, home Internet service will improve to the point where it will allow for a clean 720-, 1080- or even 2160-pixel (4K) s tream that never pixelates and never buffers. What comes through your Internet pipe will look exactly like what comes through your cable or satellite box— even on your new 100-inch screen. (I just threw out that number in case the wife is already contemplating gifts for my birthday in 2021.) Last year crews dug up yards throughout my neighborhood to install fiber optic cable that will eventually carry that programming. Chances are, the same thing has happened or will soon happen in your neighborhood. Or, if you’re lucky enough to live in a Google Fiber city, you can live in the future now. Thanks to Google’s prodding, other companies are now playing the “Game of Gigs” and it’s only a matter of time before most of the country has access to cable-killing Internet service.

So, what does that mean for you and for your favorite school’s athletic budget? For you, it means the way you pay for the games you watch will eventually change. At my house, Disney Junior, ESPN, HBO and HGTV are the most popular channels. The other 150 or so channels fall far down the list. So why wouldn’t I pay for only the channels I want? Because I can’t. DirecTV, my current provider, doesn’t offer that. Neither does the cable company where I live. Right now, the only one of those channels I can buy directly is HBO. For $14.99 a month, I can purchase HBO Now, which would allow me to s tream anything that appears on HBO anywhere, anytime.

That’s going to change. Iger, who has previously couched any mention of an over-the-top ESPN in language that suggests it will come when we get our The Jetsons-era flying cars, seemed resigned to the inevitability of a direct-to-consumer ESPN. “There are a few brands in the television space that have the ability to do that,” Iger said. “HBO is doing that now. … Disney is another brand and product that could be sold directly to the customer. ESPN definitely is one of them.” But he did offer one caveat. “If you want to use HBO as the model,” Iger said, “I think what ESPN would be looking for is much larger penetration of the marketplace.”

[JayOzOne]

It might be time to invest in a Roku.

[Carter]

Precisely why I don't have cable and the only reason I am about to get it... for college football and a few other channels. It's such a waste of money.

With all the advancements being made in sky based wifi hubs, this could get interesting before long.

[JayOzOne]

I haven't had cable for years. I watch college football on my tablet and PC. I was watching it on my Roku until they figured out that I don't have cable as part of my bundle. I refuse to pay $120 or month for 200 channels when I watch the same six it seven channels almost exclusively. That's not a good deal for me.

With my Roku, I can watch Netflix, HBO, and a surprising amount of other content for less than $20 per month.

[Carter]

But how would I get the ESPN channels and SEC Network for the different games they carry, plus the NBC and Fox channels that carry games on my tablet or PC without a subscription? Asking because I don't know.

I only need cable for college football and beyond that there are only a few channels I actually watch at all. I have HBO included with my Verizon FiOS internet.

[JayOzOne]

That's a good question. CBS broadcasts their national games on the web and that includes the SEC game of the week. You can watch Sunday Night Football online but college games on the NBC Sports network might require another subscription. That could get expensive over time. I need to check to see if Fox makes nationally televised games available like CBS does, but I'd be shocked to find out that they don't.

If you know someone who has cable and you can jibe it with your personal ethics, you can always ask a friend or family member if you can use their account information to access cable content on your tablet.

Note: This should not be construed as an endorsement of anyone committing inappropriate acts.

[GAbred]

Sling TV may be a good option for some. https://www.sling.com/some internet providers have data limits though so check your provider.

[SacFalcFan]

But how would I get the ESPN channels and SEC Network for the different games they carry, plus the NBC and Fox channels that carry games on my tablet or PC without a subscription? Asking because I don't know.

I only need cable for college football and beyond that there are only a few channels I actually watch at all. I have HBO included with my Verizon FiOS internet.

[richham]

But how would I get the ESPN channels and SEC Network for the different games they carry, plus the NBC and Fox channels that carry games on my tablet or PC without a subscription? Asking because I don't know.

I only need cable for college football and beyond that there are only a few channels I actually watch at all. I have HBO included with my Verizon FiOS internet.

I use my parents cable login for espn, fox sports channel and the rest I record on tivo with an antenna. We haven't had cable for three years now and I have better quality hd over the air than any cable service could dream of offering. HBO now has a pay stand alone service for like $9.99 a month or again a cable subscriber that has it you can watch for free over apple tv, roku or any other device that has HBO Go.

[Billy Ocean]

I've just never found paying for cable or satellite to be that big a deal.

[Guest]

See at least now people should understand that T.V is about to bite the dust.

Before Netflix I use to watch multiple channels, but now thanks to reality shows running me off. All I turn on T.V for is news and sports.

[JayOzOne]

My folks have 200+ channels and pay $145/month for it. They switched to that lower rate after AT&T jacked up their price to $210/month. When I visit them, they typically are watching the local channels and otherwise only watch ESPN, Fox Sports Ohio (for Cleveland Cavaliers games) and maybe 2-3 other channels sporadically. In my opinion, it's money mostly wasted.

I honestly did quite well without cable for 15 years, even though it killed me to miss out on the sports channels. Since I purchased my Roku and my Kindle, I have access to HBO, ESPN, A&E, History, Comedy Central, FX, and a lot of other networks' content. I downloaded the DirectTV app over my folks' house since they're paying for the service and not using it. My total television entertainment investment is $8.99 for Netflix, $369 for the Kindle, and $49 for the Roku. I have more to watch than I have time to watch it and I retired a year ago.

[Guest]

My folks have 200+ channels and pay $145/month for it. They switched to that lower rate after AT&T jacked up their price to $210/month. When I visit them, they typically are watching the local channels and otherwise only watch ESPN, Fox Sports Ohio (for Cleveland Cavaliers games) and maybe 2-3 other channels sporadically. In my opinion, it's money mostly wasted.

I honestly did quite well without cable for 15 years, even though it killed me to miss out on the sports channels. Since I purchased my Roku and my Kindle, I have access to HBO, ESPN, A&E, History, Comedy Central, FX, and a lot of other networks' content. I downloaded the DirectTV app over my folks' house since they're paying for the service and not using it. My total television entertainment investment is $8.99 for Netflix, $369 for the Kindle, and $49 for the Roku. I have more to watch than I have time to watch it and I retired a year ago.

Technically speaking that's still not bad what so ever just speaking spending 8.99 vs 120 per month etc yeahhhh, or more.

Basically the new cable is Internet service providers, but again not having to hear a billion things like keeping up with the Kardashian which I don't care about. Smh

[JayOzOne]

It's a matter of time before a la carte packages will be the only way that cable survives. NetFlix is already more popular than network television and the most critically acclaimed shows are on NetFlix, Amazon Prime, and HBO. Each of these can be ordered without having a full cable package. I'd rather pay $8.99 each for ESPN, Fox Sports, NetFlix, and HBO or Showtime or Starz than an extra hundred dollars for the Cooking Channel, OWN, Lifetime, and Bravo.

[Guest]

It's a matter of time before a la carte packages will be the only way that cable survives. NetFlix is already more popular than network television and the most critically acclaimed shows are on NetFlix, Amazon Prime, and HBO. Each of these can be ordered without having a full cable package. I'd rather pay $8.99 each for ESPN, Fox Sports, NetFlix, and HBO or Showtime or Starz than an extra hundred dollars for the Cooking Channel, OWN, Lifetime, and Bravo.

Not to turn this into one of those discussion, but personally speaking. This is cable television companies own fault. Kind of like the demise of the CD.

I use to watch Animal Planet and History Channel now it's total farce for both. I like dogs and certain animals, but I didn't watch animal channel for the pet police. Same with history channel didn't watch it for some of the ******** you see now.

Again this is part of the demise of T.V couple that with what you said, and everyone getting their own show for BS reasons etc. Yep....

Edited August 5, 2015 by Zone#7

[JayOzOne]

I vowed to forgo cable when the Big Ten Network forced all cable customers within its footprint to purchase it. That's wrong. You should be able to pay for what you are going to watch.

[Carter]

I've just never found paying for cable or satellite to be that big a deal.

For a lot of people it's not. As time progresses though I think most folks are not finding the value in a cable subscription anymore. That's why these companies are coming out with plans to take popular content independent. Services like Netflix and Hulu and then HBO going solo make the standard programming plan obsolete. People can choose what they want to watch, when they want to watch it; find new shows and watch it from episode one to the end. There is greatly diminishing value in paying an inflated premium for a package of channels that mostly go unwatched on a schedule dictated by someone else. While each channel certainly has an audience, it's becoming more of an issue that people are paying for content they don't care for.

Like me for instance, paying for cable is not the problem... what all I'm paying for is. All I want cable for is college football and a handful of other channels. So why am I going to throw $100 or more per month at a service I'm only using a small fraction of? I'm perfectly fine without cable until football season comes around. I just don't see the point in it anymore.

[Billy Ocean]

I watch one hour dramas on HBO, A&E and FX. I watch a few comedies on FXX, Comedy Central, Adult Swim and HBO. I watch mafia and military stuff on A&E, AMC, The History Channel and H2. I watch nature documentaries on Nat Geo Wild, Discover and Animal Planet. I watch college football on the ESPN channels, the network stations, several different Fox channels, the SEC Network and the BIG10 Network. I watch the NBA on ESPN, the NBA Network, TNT, ABC and a few different Fox networks. I watch the NFL on the ESPNs, the NFL Network, and the network stations. I like knowing I can see several hours of Seinfeld reruns everyday if I want. This is not even including other channels my girlfriend watches.

People have different hobbies. Some play golf or fish or work on cars or collect stamps. I like to sit on my couch, smoke weed, and watch television in the evenings. It's just easier to pay for DirecTV than to go to the trouble of cobbling together programming by paying for it a la carte or stealing services. Hopefully, pretty soon DirecTV will be broadcasting a lot of the stuff I watch in 4K. I can't wait.

[Porter Osborne Jr]

But how would I get the ESPN channels and SEC Network for the different games they carry, plus the NBC and Fox channels that carry games on my tablet or PC without a subscription? Asking because I don't know.

I only need cable for college football and beyond that there are only a few channels I actually watch at all. I have HBO included with my Verizon FiOS internet.

Borrow someone's espn password

[Carter]

I watch one hour dramas on HBO, A&E and FX. I watch a few comedies on FXX, Comedy Central, Adult Swim and HBO. I watch mafia and military stuff on A&E, AMC, The History Channel and H2. I watch nature documentaries on Nat Geo Wild, Discover and Animal Planet. I watch college football on the ESPN channels, the network stations, several different Fox channels, the SEC Network and the BIG10 Network. I watch the NBA on ESPN, the NBA Network, TNT, ABC and a few different Fox networks. I watch the NFL on the ESPNs, the NFL Network, and the network stations. I like knowing I can see several hours of Seinfeld reruns everyday if I want. This is not even including other channels my girlfriend watches.

People have different hobbies. Some play golf or fish or work on cars or collect stamps. I like to sit on my couch, smoke weed, and watch television in the evenings. It's just easier to pay for DirecTV than to go to the trouble of cobbling together programming by paying for it a la carte or stealing services. Hopefully, pretty soon DirecTV will be broadcasting a lot of the stuff I watch in 4K. I can't wait.

The standard programming works for you, as it does for many people. It is a growing trend though; a lot of people are dumping cable/satellite providers in favor of streaming services.

I don't necessarily want to piece together each network I intend to watch. I had that option with Verizon when I got the FiOS internet and it cost more than ordering a regular package of channels, which I thought was ridiculous because I was getting less content for more money.

[Billy Ocean]

I'm one of the only people I know who still buys blu-rays rather than torrenting. That way I'm not exposed to possible litigation, and I can feel morally superior.

But yeah, I know the business model with television will change with time, and probably sooner rather than later.

[Guest]

I'm one of the only people I know who still buys blu-rays rather than torrenting. That way I'm not exposed to possible litigation, and I can feel morally superior.

But yeah, I know the business model with television will change with time, and probably sooner rather than later.

Which isn't a problem if I could afford Blu-ray probably wouldn't have a problem.

That's the problem with my generation too we go into college kinda broke, and you develop the habit of torrenting etc. I always told myself once I get a decent job I'd chill out with that, and still abide by that.

[JayOzOne]

I like streaming. Binge watching us the best way to experience a season of a television series. I'm not even watching "Ballers", "The Brink", or "True Detective" until all the shows have aired because I don't like watching shows one week at a time.