The Independent Expansion Groundswell

[SteelBlue]

It would most likely be a new channel (e.g. "Cougar Sports Network"). The new BYU broadcasting building has the capacity of supporting four channels. There are currently only two (KBYU, BYUTV).

How does this solve the access problem though? A new channel puts "Cougar Sports Network" in the same boat that the mtn was in a few years back right?

[statman]

If BYU starts monetizing BYUTV I am not sure that cable and sat providers nationwide will carry it anymore. Isn't it provided as a "good for the public" type channel?

Also if BYU takes a giant gamble like this the church is saying that it is no longer opposed to gambling. So despite it likely being the demise of BYU football, I am on board with the expansion ridiculous now.

BYUTV wouldn't be carrying the games. They'd be producing them and someone else would be putting them on. I've heard $2.5 - $3.5 million thrown around just for a local station to get the games from BYU and there'd be more money when it got sold up to ESPN or Fox for PPV. And anything that's not televised nationally, BYU puts out for PPV on HD streaming (another capability that they just recently got).

From how things just recently played out, the only gamble with independence is long term scheduling. The money is there - and is multiple times better than the MWC. And BYUTV won't be broadcasting anything...

[statman]

How does this solve the access problem though? A new channel puts "Cougar Sports Network" in the same boat that the mtn was in a few years back right?

At worst, streaming video of games in HD, like Hulu or Netflix

[wally]

If BYU is interested in using its football team to get exposure for the University and by extension the LDS Church, it makes more sense to go independent and play teams in locations that they typically get out to.

[jay santos]

How does this solve the access problem though? A new channel puts "Cougar Sports Network" in the same boat that the mtn was in a few years back right?

The MTN access issues were about $$$. I'm thinking the Cougar Sports Network would be offered basically for free, and BYU would only put the low interest games on, getting most of its money with local KSL contract and selling one off games to ESPN.

[DapperDan]

The MTN access issues were about $$$. I'm thinking the Cougar Sports Network would be offered basically for free, and BYU would only put the low interest games on, getting most of its money with local KSL contract and selling one off games to ESPN.

They can show games for free on BYUTV already. And bandwidth is a finite resource. Cable & Sat providers aren't going to broadcast this channel just because it's cheap.

[jay santos]

They can show games for free on BYUTV already. And bandwidth is a finite resource. Cable & Sat providers aren't going to broadcast this channel just because it's cheap.

But they can't make commercial revenue with BYUTV. You could be right about the bandwidth issue. I don't know anything about it. It seems doable, though. If DirecTV is paying for the MTN, it seems they'd at least take Cougar Sports Network for free.

[DapperDan]

But they can't make commercial revenue with BYUTV. You could be right about the bandwidth issue. I don't know anything about it. It seems doable, though. If DirecTV is paying for the MTN, it seems they'd at least take Cougar Sports Network for free.

The short version is there already isn't enough space for all the current channels out there and moving to HD (more data) makes that space even smaller. BYUTV fills a need for providers and is free so it's a win-win. A Cougar Sports Network with virtually no viewers outside the Utah/Southern Idaho footprint doesn't sound like a channel that would warrant inclusion in the limited broadcasting space available.

[Shaka]

Are we certain that BYU isn't just waiving a big stick at the MWC in an effort to force a better deal for itself? If I were the MWC I'd be quaking in my boots and trying to figure out a way to keep BYU.

[Flattop]

The short version is there already isn't enough space for all the current channels out there and moving to HD (more data) makes that space even smaller. BYUTV fills a need for providers and is free so it's a win-win. A Cougar Sports Network with virtually no viewers outside the Utah/Southern Idaho footprint doesn't sound like a channel that would warrant inclusion in the limited broadcasting space available.

You're forgetting the 14 million strong potential international audience.

[jay santos]

Sample schedule:

Sep 1 Texas/USC/Oklahoma/Ohio State/Michigan/Tennesee 1:2
Sep 8 Washington/Oregon/Oregon State 1:1
Sep 15 Kansas/Kansas St/OK St 1:1
Sep 22 Cal/Stanford/UoA/ASU 1:1
Sep 29 Wyoming 2:1
Conf Friday night: bye
Oct 13 Baylor/Texas Tech/T A&M 1:1
Oct 20 Boise State 1:1
Oct 27 non D1A money game
Nov 3 Nevada/Fresno St 1:1
Nov 10 Utah State 2:1
Nov 17 bye
Nov 24 Utah
Dec 1 Notre Dame 1:2

That's 6.5 home games per year. A lot of good TV games to sell.

[Indy Coug]

But they can't make commercial revenue with BYUTV. You could be right about the bandwidth issue. I don't know anything about it. It seems doable, though. If DirecTV is paying for the MTN, it seems they'd at least take Cougar Sports Network for free.

Yeah, I'm sure that would work out. Easy, peasy, dogs with fleasy.

[jay santos]

Yeah, I'm sure that would work out. Easy, peasy, dogs with fleasy.

I don't know how easy it would be. Honestly I think it's doable. Maybe not that great, but something at least as good as we have now. It would be front heavy, but so is our schedule now. Is a three week stretch against Weber State, Eastern Washington, and Northern Arizona any worse than Wyoming, UNLV, SDSU? At least in the former, you do them all at home, allowing you some flexibility with 2:1's or neutral field games.

[Indy Coug]

Is a three week stretch against Weber State, Eastern Washington, and Northern Arizona any worse than Wyoming, UNLV, SDSU?

If you want to be taken seriously as a national football program, scheduling THREE D-1AA teams is probably not the direction you'd want to go. Then again, you will always have BYU71 types who are willing to attend these kinds of home games.

[Y84it]

There has to be some reasons

and good intel for BYU to go Indy. If BYU has all their ducks in a row I would be excited for BYU to make that move.