HUDL or some similar service should carry all D2 regular season games

[boyblue]

With this Hudl PO package I've been watching a lot of D2 football, If there was one service carrying all of the games I believe the sport would grow exponentially.

[KleShreen]

If they charged 19.99 for the entire season, and every D2 football game during the entire season was on there, then maybe the NCAA would actually have a good idea.

[Turbonium]

With this Hudl PO package I've been watching a lot of D2 football, If there was one service carrying all of the games I believe the sport would grow exponentially.

Unless the quality of streams and announcers improve greatly then it's not growing beyond those who are directly connected to a team. No one wants to hear some of these people trying to announce a game that have no idea what they're talking about nor do they want to watch the 720p stream failing to follow the play or switching angles mid play or any of the other silly things that take place during these broadcasts.

I'm not sure how having all of the low quality productions in one place is going to grow the sport at all.

[boyblue]

If they charged 19.99 for the entire season, and every D2 football game during the entire season was on there, then maybe the NCAA would actually have a good idea.

The idea is solid but won't happen anytime soon, unless Hudl buys Flosports, because Flo already has the GSC, GLIAC & SAC locked into 3 to 5 year deals.

[OBUGrad]

The idea is solid but won't happen anytime soon, unless Hudl buys Flosports, because Flo already has the GSC, GLIAC & SAC locked into 3 to 5 year deals.

Or….now here is a novel idea, if you truly want to grow the game and help fans, make all of them free. Most of the GAC is like that and it’s great. You can watch as many games as you’d like.

[boyblue]

Unless the quality of streams and announcers improve greatly then it's not growing beyond those who are directly connected to a team. No one wants to hear some of these people trying to announce a game that have no idea what they're talking about nor do they want to watch the 720p stream failing to follow the play or switching angles mid play or any of the other silly things that take place during these broadcasts.

I'm not sure how having all of the low quality productions in one place is going to grow the sport at all.

I may be the exception, but having the ability to watch the games of potential upcoming adversaries has been fun.

Over the top streaming services is a technological marvel and the current quality may not be what most people are accustomed to but it will improve. In terms of the on air talent, that will also get better as renumeration goes from stipend, to standard wages, to commensurate with value.

[boyblue]

Or….now here is a novel idea, if you truly want to grow the game and help fans, make all of them free. Most of the GAC is like that and it’s great. You can watch as many games as you’d like.

Inexpensive yea but free is unlikely because the cost of production has to be covered somehow. The GSC was free for a while too, but I'm sure cost got to the point where a for profit solution had to be found and those pesky investors do like to see profit at the end of the day.

[Turbonium]

I may be the exception, but having the ability to watch the games of potential upcoming adversaries has been fun.

Over the top streaming services is a technological marvel and the current quality may not be what most people are accustomed to but it will improve. In terms of the on air talent, that will also get better as renumeration goes from stipend, to standard wages, to commensurate with value.

Look at the drop in viewership for the playoffs with the pay wall now in place. People aren't going to pay to watch schools they've never heard of on a mediocre stream (I would argue that even if the streams were equal quality of P5 schools you're still not getting people to watch).

You're the exception because you're already a D2 fan, although I'd guess you're just a Valdosta fan and haven't watched the free streams from around the country, let alone paying to watch any games. Now imagine you're not even a Valdosta fan, are you going to tune into a single D2 game that you have to pay for?

[boyblue]

Look at the drop in viewership for the playoffs with the pay wall now in place. People aren't going to pay to watch schools they've never heard of on a mediocre stream (I would argue that even if the streams were equal quality of P5 schools you're still not getting people to watch).

One way or another cost has to be covered and the new media model seems to be direct pay, eventually everything is going to be pay to view. The trick is the price has to be inconsequential though. In terms of streaming quality, every situation is different, I had verry little freezing but I'm set up for it because where I'm I have to stream everything. I can't understand how you guys trade a quarter of every hour to sit through commercials, I'd say you're already paying.

You're the exception because you're already a D2 fan, although I'd guess you're just a Valdosta fan and haven't watched the free streams from around the country, let alone paying to watch any games. Now imagine you're not even a Valdosta fan, are you going to tune into a single D2 game that you have to pay for?

I've watched some, but the conferences and teams I kinda follow are all behind pay walls. Thankfully the GLIAC and SAC are with the GSC on FloSports so I've watched very little DI this year. Like I said, it was so cool to click on that game broadcast link and watch any game.

In terms of D2 fans, I believe that once former students have access to the games their interest will be awaken. My first year at "Valdosta State College" was the first year of the program. So when I left, we were doormats. The next time I heard about Blazer football was 10 years later when a friend called to say that we were playing on ESPN2. I've been a D2 fan from that day.

[KleShreen]

One way or another cost has to be covered and the new media model seems to be direct pay, eventually everything is going to be pay to view. The trick is the price has to be inconsequential though. In terms of streaming quality, every situation is different, I had verry little freezing but I'm set up for it because where I'm I have to stream everything. I can't understand how you guys trade a quarter of every hour to sit through commercials, I'd say you're already paying.

The issue is the quality provided by the individual schools, not your own internet. Not every school can afford high quality broadcasting equipment. Some broadcasts are going to be markedly better than others. That shouldn't be the case if the NCAA is forcing people to pay for the product and removing the school's ability to license local broadcasts with professional production. At the very least, the NCAA/WBD should be providing the equipment, the staff, and production capabilities.

[Turbonium]

One way or another cost has to be covered and the new media model seems to be direct pay, eventually everything is going to be pay to view. The trick is the price has to be inconsequential though. In terms of streaming quality, every situation is different, I had verry little freezing but I'm set up for it because where I'm I have to stream everything. I can't understand how you guys trade a quarter of every hour to sit through commercials, I'd say you're already paying.




I've watched some, but the conferences and teams I kinda follow are all behind pay walls. Thankfully the GLIAC and SAC are with the GSC on FloSports so I've watched very little DI this year. Like I said, it was so cool to click on that game broadcast link and watch any game.

In terms of D2 fans, I believe that once former students have access to the games their interest will be awaken. My first year at "Valdosta State College" was the first year of the program. So when I left, we were doormats. The next time I heard about Blazer football was 10 years later when a friend called to say that we were playing on ESPN2. I've been a D2 fan from that day.

I have 1 gig fiber internet, it doesn't matter though when the equipment being used on the production side is not able to provide good quality to begin with. Add to it announcers and camera operators who leave a lot to be desired and you're simply not going to grow the D2 fanbase by adding a ppv aspect to it. The opposite is now shown to be true, which is no surprise, with what the Mines guy shared. These will be the lowest watched D2 playoffs since games have been able to be streamed and it won't even be close. The fact that the NCAA is taking almost all of the profit from it has done nothing but push me further away from wanting to watch. They can do what they want, it's a business and D2 Football is a product that they know isn't popular so why waste resources to improve it?

[Matt Witwicki]

This topic came up on our show....as schools such as Mines have local TV impacted by this....badly..(paywall)..(around the 1:09:00 mark of the show, roughly..in our Overtime segment) FYI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQqhMa4ubY0

[Greenman]

I may be the exception, but having the ability to watch the games of potential upcoming adversaries has been fun.

Over the top streaming services is a technological marvel and the current quality may not be what most people are accustomed to but it will improve. In terms of the on air talent, that will also get better as renumeration goes from stipend, to standard wages, to commensurate with value.

they have been charging a pretty decent price in the miaa for awhile now. haven't seen much in the way of improvements. i am ok with student productions, but if that is the quality you are producing you can't charge 125.00 a season...

[GoneBlastin]

The issue is the quality provided by the individual schools, not your own internet. Not every school can afford high quality broadcasting equipment. Some broadcasts are going to be markedly better than others. That shouldn't be the case if the NCAA is forcing people to pay for the product and removing the school's ability to license local broadcasts with professional production. At the very least, the NCAA/WBD should be providing the equipment, the staff, and production capabilities.

Totally agree with you here. I think the travesty is that the schools bear the production cost and that WBD and the NCAA get the check. They don't have any skin in the game. I don't know what the agreements are between the individual schools, the NCAA, and WBD but this feels adjacent to intellectual property theft.

[boyblue]

This topic came up on our show....as schools such as Mines have local TV impacted by this....badly..(paywall)..(around the 1:09:00 mark of the show, roughly..in our Overtime segment) FYI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQqhMa4ubY0

I saw that and thought that the Flosports guys probably appreciated that bit of intel. If that is the kind of deal that Hudl offered the conferences they have deals with, then FloSports' takeover of D2 is going to be easier that I thought.