The W/L decline isn't why the LHN is a failure. Even if the football team went to a BCS bowl and the basketball team made the NCAA tournament, the channel would still be too much overkill of the brand to be worth much. It needs some variety. Maybe if they added OU, OSU, A&M and ditched the "Longhorn" name there would be enough demand, but I can imagine agreeing on terms with other schools might be difficult.
They're playing the long game and the aggregation game; they have the rights to the content for 17 more years and more importantly, they have crowded out rival networks. I'm trying to think of a single piece of live sports content that Dis-ESPN has paid for that ended up paying way too much for, and I can't think of any. Also, in terms of marketing, that's simply not the way bundling works. I get Big 10 network and MLB network and Golf Channel even though I have no interest in them, I just wanted NBA TV and some of the soccer networks. The cable companies will shove it onto a sports premium tier and force you to buy it and pay franchise fees, and most people will without a second thought.
ESPN has thus far resisted putting it on the premium sports tier - because most people don't buy that package unless they are sports nuts. I believe the Big10 Network is on the primary package in Big10 area and the premium tier elsewhere - that's the model ESPN should pursue with LHN but hasn't done so thus far. It was only this year that LHN finally got onto Time Warner here in Austin because they relented on requiring TWC to take it nationwide.
Swoopes will not, and should not see the field this year. Playing a true freshman who played at a very low level is a recipe for disaster. Let him red shirt and start fresh next year when the deck has been cleaned of this trash. If he plays now he will suck, he will probably suck most of next year too. When fans have to watch a guy struggle for a year and a half they will get mad and want a QB change.
I wouldn't want to extrapolate that over the next 17 years - Having market power is an helfpul thing and TWC (and other cable cos) are in the business of getting people to pay for things they don't want or use.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p>Mack Brown said the plan was to play freshman QB Tyrone Swoopes vs <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23OleMiss&src=hash">#OleMiss</a> but coaches decided against it during the game.</p>— Chip Brown (@ChipBrownOB) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChipBrownOB/statuses/379651418266689536">September 16, 2013</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Anyone else hear of an Ole Miss kid getting severely beaten so bad after the game that he had to have brain surgery? A friend told me it was his friends kids roommate at Ole Miss.
http://www.statesman.com/news/news/...mp=editorial_facebook_post__20130916_11980494 Terrible to hear, not the type of hospitality in Austin I am proud of, especially based on my experience at Ole Miss last year. Hopefully a speedy recovery and they find who did this. Here is an update on his condition from his mom. http://hottytoddy.com/ole-miss-student-critically-injured-in-assault-in-austin/
I think it is easy to say they over payed for MNF. The new deal costs them 1.9 billion dollars a year. NBC signed a deal a few months later for $950 a year and they get flex scheduling, every primetime Thanksgiving game, and three Super Bowls.
Yeah, I've been to an Ole Miss tailgate and not only is probably one of the best tailgating experiences I've ever witnessed, EVERY SINGLE PERSON I met amazed me with their hospitality. I received free beer, free food and many hand shakes. This simply makes me ****ing ill.
Unfortunately it sounds like he was at the thug part of 6th street. Austin has let That part of 6th street turn into trouble, but tourists don't know any better, they still think its the place to go Saw plenty of ole miss fans tailgating sat and they were having fun although it was hot Hope he recovers well.
I was at the game and the Ole Miss/UT alumni were cool. Ole Miss fans were even at the alumni center mingling with people. This doesn't reflect on UT fans at all. This crap can happen to anyone in that part of downtown.
Spot on. I was at the game and saw the tailgating going on. Some of the people on this board, who DIDN'T go to the game are having the wrong impression. At the game, people were booing the big screen when they saw Mack Brown. No ill will toward Ole Miss. I'm not going to lump those idiots who did this as the people who actually went to the game and participated in the tailgating and social events. There were 100,000 people at the stadium, no incidents whatsoever, except for angry people yelling for mack to step down.
Just so everyone is clear, it happened early Saturday morning...well before the game. That, in no way makes it better. Just pointing out that it was not in retaliation for the loss. Just some idiot thug and a kid in the wrong place at the wrong time. I agree with updawg. 6th Street has taken a turn for the worse. Seems that it's focused more on shot bars and dance clubs...and a lot less on the live music that made it famous. It's changed who goes there. I don't go unless I'm going for a specific show or have customers in town that really want to check it out.
6th street is basically 3 sectors now. Don't forget east 6th (east of 35), hotel vegas, shangrila etc. and west 6th where the yuppies hang out.
