Bye bye Pluto, Hello ESPN+

[CelticCat]

[gtapp]

Does this agreement provide any financial benefit to the BSC schools? If yes, is it a measurable amount that can help?

[The Butcher]

I hope we get a better product than the 2019 WIU game on ESPN+.
That game gives me concern that they don't really care too much about 1-AA since they couldn't even get the broadcast started on time...

[HelenaCat95]

I have several Bobcat games on my DVR. How can I record games off of ESPN+ ? (yes, I am not a tech guy)

[CelticCat]

Sam Herder thinks ROOT will still broadcast games and those games will be on ESPN+... if that's true this is a clear absolute winner. I'll wait to hear confirmation on that though, ROOT is super protective of their broadcast rights.

[Prodigal Cat]

I hope we get a better product than the 2019 WIU game on ESPN+.
That game gives me concern that they don't really care too much about 1-AA since they couldn't even get the broadcast started on time...

This. That stream was so bad i shut it off in frustration and listened to the radio feed. I am not super excited about this. More will have access... to the ****** ESPN feeds us. They only care about the bump in subscribers, not the quality of the product.

[coloradocat]

Sam Herder thinks ROOT will still broadcast games and those games will be on ESPN+... if that's true this is a clear absolute winner. I'll wait to hear confirmation on that though, ROOT is super protective of their broadcast rights.

Not that the BSC cares about the fan experience but there should be a streaming option for all football and basketball games, regardless of whether or not they are also broadcast on a TV network.

[CelticCat]

Sam Herder thinks ROOT will still broadcast games and those games will be on ESPN+... if that's true this is a clear absolute winner. I'll wait to hear confirmation on that though, ROOT is super protective of their broadcast rights.

Not that the BSC cares about the fan experience but there should be a streaming option for all football and basketball games, regardless of whether or not they are also broadcast on a TV network.

I don't think that's the BSC's fault, ROOT has had exclusive broadcast rights for the games they were awarded or chosen or whatever, and if they don't want to stream it or share it then that's up to them, unfortunately. I'd still say overall the ROOT deal has been very good for the conference.

[coloradocat]

Does this agreement provide any financial benefit to the BSC schools? If yes, is it a measurable amount that can help?

Ideally the schools would use the money from this contract to upgrade the production value of the games. ESPN isn't going to contribute anything to production, just a platform for the broadcast. So unless the schools, and/or their local media partners, step up we'll be stuck with the same unpredictable viewing experience and have to pay $6/mo for it.

[luckyirishguy25]

Pluto is just as bad as espn+ as far as being able to stream stuff. if anything I think its more of the antiquated broadcasting equipment/internet bandwidth is the bigger problem rather than the streaming platform itself. Probably need to update all that stuff.

[kennethnoisewater]

Pluto is just as bad as espn+ as far as being able to stream stuff. if anything I think its more of the antiquated broadcasting equipment/internet bandwidth is the bigger problem rather than the streaming platform itself. Probably need to update all that stuff.

That's my impression too. It's just a platform that allows schools a place to broadcast their game. That's up to the school to get it started on time and make sure the feed is any good. I'd be willing to bet that basically 100% of any issues on ESPN+ or Pluto are not the fault of ESPN+ or Pluto but the school that can't quite get it right.

[wbtfg]

To reiterate what my friend Dr. Kenneth Noisewater III is saying, I think Cat/Griz and other games will still be on Root. I think the ESPN deal is in addition to Root.....basically just taking the place of pluto. I assume games will still be on local channels in addition to being able to stream on ESPN+

[Hawks86]

To reiterate what my friend Dr. Kenneth Noisewater III is saying, I think Cat/Griz and other games will still be on Root. I think the ESPN deal is in addition to Root.....basically just taking the place of pluto. I assume games will still be on local channels in addition to being able to stream on ESPN+

Good point. Doesn't look like much of a change for actual TV football games. Sure was nice to watch all the other sports for free though.

[CelticCat]

Pluto is just as bad as espn+ as far as being able to stream stuff. if anything I think its more of the antiquated broadcasting equipment/internet bandwidth is the bigger problem rather than the streaming platform itself. Probably need to update all that stuff.

That's my impression too. It's just a platform that allows schools a place to broadcast their game. That's up to the school to get it started on time and make sure the feed is any good. I'd be willing to bet that basically 100% of any issues on ESPN+ or Pluto are not the fault of ESPN+ or Pluto but the school that can't quite get it right.

Correct, I think the people who have been railing against Pluto for broadcast issues are going to be in for a bit of a rude awakening with ESPN+, it's not going to fix the problem. Only the Big Sky Conf can fix it by enforcing better broadcast standards, and that's a tall task. It could almost be said that the vocal people complaining about Pluto could be part of the reason why the Big Sky switched to ESPN+.

Basically we are now just paying for PlutoTV (those of us who aren't already paying for ESPN+ anyway, myself included).

[AFCAT]

I have several Bobcat games on my DVR. How can I record games off of ESPN+ ? (yes, I am not a tech guy)

Your DVR should work if you have a subscription to ESPN+

You can also use '4K video downloader' to record internet broadcasts or videos but I'm not sure that you can set up a time to record. I usually just input the url of the show or video I want to record and then walk away. I don't set programs up to record. Give it a shot.

https://www.4kdownload.com/products/videodownloader

[CelticCat]

Now that I think I've digested enough information about this, I think I can make a pros and cons list:

Pros:
3 televised ESPNU games (2 football, 1 men's game)
ESPN+ is more known and popular than Pluto which may draw in a casual football/basketball fan or two (however unlikely)
ESPN+ can be more easily put on a TV at a bar than Pluto
More "big time" feel being associated with ESPN than Pluto, may be better branding for the conference

Cons:
No longer a free way to watch Big Sky events
Production/broadcast quality not likely to improve
ESPN+ has been know to misspell teams and/or have the wrong logo

Undecided:
Deal with ROOT appears to be the same, depends on how you have felt about that if it's a pro or con

Potential Gamechangers:
Dan Sutter (Big Sky Deputy) responded to my question about having ROOT games streaming on ESPN+ with "Good question, TBD". If this happen this is a slam dunk deal.

[AFCAT]

Now that I think I've digested enough information about this, I think I can make a pros and cons list:

Pros:
3 televised ESPNU games (2 football, 1 men's game)
ESPN+ is more known and popular than Pluto which may draw in a casual football/basketball fan or two (however unlikely)
ESPN+ can be more easily put on a TV at a bar than Pluto
More "big time" feel being associated with ESPN than Pluto, may be better branding for the conference

Cons:
No longer a free way to watch Big Sky events
Production/broadcast quality not likely to improve
ESPN+ has been know to misspell teams and/or have the wrong logo

Undecided:
Deal with ROOT appears to be the same, depends on how you have felt about that if it's a pro or con

Potential Gamechangers:
Dan Sutter (Big Sky Deputy) responded to my question about having ROOT games streaming on ESPN+ with "Good question, TBD". If this happen this is a slam dunk deal.

ESPN+ and Pluto apps can both be downloaded to modern flat screen TVs. I watched Pluto all the time on my home TV when the Cat games were being broadcast.

[HelenaCat95]

I have several Bobcat games on my DVR. How can I record games off of ESPN+ ? (yes, I am not a tech guy)

Your DVR should work if you have a subscription to ESPN+

You can also use '4K video downloader' to record internet broadcasts or videos but I'm not sure that you can set up a time to record. I usually just input the url of the show or video I want to record and then walk away. I don't set programs up to record. Give it a shot.

https://www.4kdownload.com/products/videodownloader

Thank you!

[bobcat99]

I think for the common fan or recruit, this is a big deal. A lot more people will have ESPN+ than Pluto, even with the price difference.

[CatBot]

I've always had a good experience with ESPN+ and glad the conference made the move. This is also good news for us cable cutters who didn't have access to ROOT. I was envious of the MV and ended up watching a crap load of their games just because they were available and Pluto didn't have any BSC games active.