Re: B-Ball TV Question

[Brian McCann]

> Unless things have changed, I used to pay the $10 for all the Fox Sports
> channels on Directv and almost all of the bball games worth watching were
> blacked out because they were part of the ESPN-Plus package.  FS Midwest and
> Chicago used to have some DePaul games and SLU games, but that was about it.
> I'd figure the UC games would be blacked out also.
>
> I thought that ESPN had alot more of UC's games on ESPN Plus now.



Part of the standard contract that ESPN has with most conferences
(including C-USA) is a clause that limits how far a game can be shown
"locally".  UC can have a local outlet, but that outlet can't syndicate the
telecast (sell it to other stations around the state).  If the local outlet
is a state-wide broadcats, like FSO, the game can only be shown on the
original part of the network (FSO, southern Ohio) and can't be shown
outside of the state.  This prevents schools from basically setting up a
second national TV package outside of ESPN.

To explain this a little easier, if UC used FSO instead of WXIX, the FSO
could only show it in Southern Ohio (Cleveland, etc. couldn't get the game
because there are actually two versions of FSO).  They would also have to
black it out to any part of Kentucky or Indiana that gets the southern Ohio
version of FSO.

The games also would be blacked out on any Direct TV package (that is why
so many games are blacked out on the package you mentioned).

The A-10 has a national package with Fox so there is no problem with Xavier
putting the local games on FSO and making them available nationally.







Brian McCann
Associate Sports Information Director
University of Cincinnati
One Edwards Center, Suite 1110-G
Cincinnati, OH  45221-0021
(O):  (513) 556-0617
(H):  (513) 481-5002
(Fax):  (513) 556-0619