News that will make Jim Delany squirm about getting the BTN in NYC.

[Alsacs]

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/b...-yank-stars-rehab-article-1.1341409?pmSlide=0
Yankees TV ratings are down 39%.
Jim Delany plans on using FOX's purchase of YES to leverage the NYC cable providers to bundle YES w/BTN that carries the Yankee games. If YES's ratings are 39% lower this year even though the Yankees are doing really well and are winning games then NYC residents could most likely be able to survive without YES if it meant having to take BTN and pay for it as well with YES. The Yankee fans that had to have YES could just switch to Satellite DTV or Dish. If YES can't leverage BTN on cable providers then B1G made an even BIGGER mistake in taking Rutgers and would blow B1G expansion into epic failure level.

 

[baggerbob]

Jeter is the face of the Yankees, and no-one they have now is going to replace His stature. The handling of the team by the sons, leaves a lot to be desired. Plus maybe the Yankee fans are sending a message, they like the Yankees, but dislike outside interests sticking their nose where it doesn't belong. A guy like Murdoch who owns fox probably makes New Yorker's skin crawl.

 

[44PRIDE]

I really wouldn't read a ton into this. The Yankees are "recession proof" when it comes to the NYC market. I consider myself a Yankees fan, but have simply not had interest in this team just yet.

With the exception of Rivera and Cano, there are very few stars actually on the field. And consider what NYC sportsfans had to deal with this spring. SU made a deep NCAA run. Also the Knicks (and the recently departed NETS) are still making their own playoff runs.

April baseball isn't all that compelling. It's likely that NYC sportsfans are still in BBall mode. Give it a few weeks. I'm sure the fans will return

 

[dasher]

I really wouldn't read a ton into this. The Yankees are "recession proof" when it comes to the NYC market. I consider myself a Yankees fan, but have simply not had interest in this team just yet.

With the exception of Rivera and Cano, there are very few stars actually on the field. And consider what NYC sportsfans had to deal with this spring. SU made a deep NCAA run. Also the Knicks (and the recently departed NETS) are still making their own playoff runs.

April baseball isn't all that compelling. It's likely that NYC sportsfans are still in BBall mode. Give it a few weeks. I'm sure the fans will return

A lot of empty seats for a recession proof fan base

 

[44PRIDE]

Meh, they haven't been able to sell out the new stadium with regularity for awhile. The premium seats behind homeplate are always empty.

 

[Resonator]

I just don't see Maryland or Rutgers being great adds for the B10 long term. Both of their fanbases are largely apathetic, and, I think that will be shown once they begin competition. In the beginning, the crowds will be there, because of the novelty of being in a new league.

But, once the losses begin piling up, the crowds will thin out again. The Terps will compete in hoops, but, neither will do jack in football. They'll battle each other, and Indiana, for 5th in their division. Hope the money will be worth being non-competitive.

I wonder what the over-under will be for UMD blaming Michigan and Ohio State for their lack of success? Because that WILL happen. Guaranteed.

 

[Alsacs]

I just don't see Maryland or Rutgers being great adds for the B10 long term. Both of their fanbases are largely apathetic, and, I think that will be shown once they begin competition. In the beginning, the crowds will be there, because of the novelty of being in a new league.

But, once the losses begin piling up, the crowds will thin out again. The Terps will compete in hoops, but, neither will do jack in football. They'll battle each other, and Indiana, for 5th in their division. Hope the money will be worth being non-competitive.

I wonder what the over-under will be for UMD blaming Michigan and Ohio State for their lack of success? Because that WILL happen. Guaranteed.

I agree about this. The B1G added a 3 star football/2(they aren't 1 star just because they play in a BCS league) star basketball program in Rutgers and 2 star football/4 star basketball program in Maryland. The only reason the B1G added these schools were for the BTN cable boxes they were acquiring in Washington D.C./Baltimore and New Jersey/New York City. Now the B1G didn't get exclusivity in Washington D.C. as their are lots of UVA and VPI fans, but they did get Baltimore. New Jersey was acquired as well, but New York City is like Boston which is a pro sports town and doesn't care a lot about college football, but does care about college basketball unlike Boston. When Maryland and Rutgers join the conference the BTN will probably get on the basic tier in Baltimore/Maryland and New Jersey due to Maryland and Rutgers joining the conference. However, I don't see Washington D.C. as a lock because that city is Terp/Hokie/Cavalier town and New York City was never going to happen unless FOX was able to leverage YES without BTN. If the B1G/FOX can't leverage YES with BTN to get that channel on the basic tier in NYC then B1G's plan will be a failure IMO.

Rutgers brings NO athletic success to the B1G. They have won N-O-T-H-I-N-G of value while being a member of the Big East. They had 1 good football season in 2006 and their best bowl win was in the Texas Bowl against a mediocre Kansas State team. They never made the NCAA men's basketball tournament ONE time while a member of the Big East basketball conferences. Teams like Providence, Seton Hall have multiple bids in this time, and even South Florida made the tournament one time while Rutgers has never made it. Their football program has been the definition of mediocre only winning the a piece of the football conference 1 time last year when Syracuse, Louisville, and Cincinnati ALL WON a piece of the football title. Since 2004 which has been the worst era of Syracuse football Syracuse has 2 football titles and Rutgers has had its best era of football and they only have 1 title which was a 4-way piece. This program BRINGS nothing to the B1G except a state for the schools to come into and take high school recruits. UConn was a better a fit for the B1G over Rutgers except their stadium is smaller and they have won more important games than recruits. Their football program has made lower tier- bowl games while playing the softest of non-league games that the makers of Charmin blush by how soft their schedules have been. Yet, by how their fans behave you would think Rutgers is Florida State/Ohio State. Honestly, the B1G purchased a whipping boy for Penn State when they added Rutgers.

Maryland is going to add nothing in football and will consider finishing in the 3rd place of the B1G East a successful season. Maryland can't compete with Florida State, Clemson, or even North Carolina State good luck competing with Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Michigan State. Rutgers, Maryland, and Indiana will be competing for 5th place a lot.

Maryland basketball will have to recruit differently as well. Only Rutgers will give them a game in the Northeast and they will continue recruiting their backyard of Baltimore/DC, but will play a lot more games in the Midwest versus games in the Southeast. I don't see the Terps as an elite basketball program I would consider them a 4 star basketball program, but Gary Williams rebuilt that program from after Lefty Driesell, but they will bring consistent NCAA tournament teams and bring some NCAA units I believe.

Thus, if the BTN doesn't get on the basic tier in NYC this expansion will be a failure in my mind because they won't be bring in the revenue they anticipated when they decided to add Rutgers.

 

[Upstate]

A lot of empty seats for a recession proof fan base

It's not even warm yet in the city. Once the city gets warmer, more people will go. Plus, 90% of the payroll is injured.

 

[RMH44]

Meh, they haven't been able to sell out the new stadium with regularity for awhile. The premium seats behind homeplate are always empty.

No sports franchise is recession proof and many have priced themselves out of the average family's budget. The opening of the new stadium (2009) coincided with the economic collapse of 2008 which I'm sure has hurt attendance over the years.

Many people have simply changed their priorities. Personally, I used to catch a game or two a year at The Stadium but it's difficult to justify shelling out $800-1000 during such depressed economic times. Obviously, watching the game on YES doesn't live up to the experience of being at the park...but my wallet is much happier.

 

[DeGrozz]

It's not even warm yet in the city. Once the city gets warmer, more people will go. Plus, 90% of the payroll is injured.

Add that to the Rangers and Knicks being on almost every night with legit chances to make deep runs in the playoffs.

 

[OttosBestFriend]

Many people have simply changed their priorities. Personally, I used to catch a game or two a year at The Stadium but it's difficult to justify shelling out $800-1000 during such depressed economic times. Obviously, watching the game on YES doesn't live up to the experience of being at the park...but my wallet is much happier.

$800-1000????

Where are you buying your tix?

A simple check of StubHub shows nearly 1,000 tix on sale for Tuesday's Yankees vs. the Mariners - with some as cheap at $9 each and hundreds of tix less than $15 per.

Say you buy 4 tix for $20, spend $20 on parking and buy 4 hot dogs, 4 cokes and a yearbook... That's STILL less than $150 for top-end sports entertainment in of the world's greatest venues.

Save for special circumstances and specific match-ups, no one has to pay full price for regular season events in any sport in 2013.

Now the playoffs, Final Four, Super Bowl and World Series are another story, but regular season games can DEFINITELY be done on a budget.

 

[Resonator]

I agree about this. The B1G added a 3 star football/2(they aren't 1 star just because they play in a BCS league) star basketball program in Rutgers and 2 star football/4 star basketball program in Maryland. The only reason the B1G added these schools were for the BTN cable boxes they were acquiring in Washington D.C./Baltimore and New Jersey/New York City.

Thats a perfectly legit reason to add them. The potential income is impressive, if it comes to fruition. I am not sold that it will.

Now the B1G didn't get exclusivity in Washington D.C. as their are lots of UVA and VPI fans, but they did get Baltimore.

A completely valid point that gets lost on B10 honks. UMD doesn't give them exclusivity in DC. They never have, and, never will. There are plenty of ACC member schools' graduates living and working in DC to give the league a decent presence there. OTOH, lets be honest. Losing Baltimore hurts. Adding Pittsburgh and Louisville lessens that sting.

New Jersey was acquired as well, but New York City is like Boston which is a pro sports town and doesn't care a lot about college football, but does care about college basketball unlike Boston. When Maryland and Rutgers join the conference the BTN will probably get on the basic tier in Baltimore/Maryland and New Jersey due to Maryland and Rutgers joining the conference. However, I don't see Washington D.C. as a lock because that city is Terp/Hokie/Cavalier town and New York City was never going to happen unless FOX was able to leverage YES without BTN. If the B1G/FOX can't leverage YES with BTN to get that channel on the basic tier in NYC then B1G's plan will be a failure IMO.

Notre Dame aside, I don't know of any single school that moves the CFB needle in NYC. But, the ACC DOES have basketball brands that will move the needle. Especially UNC, Duke, and, Syracuse.

Rutgers brings NO athletic success to the B1G. They have won N-O-T-H-I-N-G of value while being a member of the Big East. They had 1 good football season in 2006 and their best bowl win was in the Texas Bowl against a mediocre Kansas State team. They never made the NCAA men's basketball tournament ONE time while a member of the Big East basketball conferences. Teams like Providence, Seton Hall have multiple bids in this time, and even South Florida made the tournament one time while Rutgers has never made it. Their football program has been the definition of mediocre only winning the a piece of the football conference 1 time last year when Syracuse, Louisville, and Cincinnati ALL WON a piece of the football title. Since 2004 which has been the worst era of Syracuse football Syracuse has 2 football titles and Rutgers has had its best era of football and they only have 1 title which was a 4-way piece. This program BRINGS nothing to the B1G except a state for the schools to come into and take high school recruits. UConn was a better a fit for the B1G over Rutgers except their stadium is smaller and they have won more important games than recruits. Their football program has made lower tier- bowl games while playing the softest of non-league games that the makers of Charmin blush by how soft their schedules have been. Yet, by how their fans behave you would think Rutgers is Florida State/Ohio State. Honestly, the B1G purchased a whipping boy for Penn State when they added Rutgers.

Rutgers got the biggest gift in realignment. But, outside of B10 country, everybody knows it was a crap pick. Delany wanted UNC or UVA, but, neither was ever a legit option for them. He got the league the two lowest hanging fruits on the tree. Even his attempted head fake using FSU didn't work.

Maryland is going to add nothing in football and will consider finishing in the 3rd place of the B1G East a successful season. Maryland can't compete with Florida State, Clemson, or even North Carolina State good luck competing with Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Michigan State. Rutgers, Maryland, and Indiana will be competing for 5th place a lot.

Maryland is in a great recruiting ground for both high school football and basketball. Plus, fewer schools recruit the Baltimore-DC corridor than recruit in New Jersey. If they can keep more local talent home, they can be better and more successful than Rutgers.

Maryland basketball will have to recruit differently as well. Only Rutgers will give them a game in the Northeast and they will continue recruiting their backyard of Baltimore/DC, but will play a lot more games in the Midwest versus games in the Southeast. I don't see the Terps as an elite basketball program I would consider them a 4 star basketball program, but Gary Williams rebuilt that program from after Lefty Driesell, but they will bring consistent NCAA tournament teams and bring some NCAA units I believe.

IMHO, UMD will be markedly better than Rutgers going forward. They've shown they can win titles in the ACC. Rutgers hasn't shown the same in the BE.

Thus, if the BTN doesn't get on the basic tier in NYC this expansion will be a failure in my mind because they won't be bring in the revenue they anticipated when they decided to add Rutgers.

I always thought that their revenue projections were pie-in-the-sky numbers, anyway. Even with Baltimore/DC, and, New Jersey.

We'll see, won't we?

 

[RMH44]

$800-1000????

Where are you buying your tix?

A simple check of StubHub shows nearly 1,000 tix on sale for Tuesday's Yankees vs. the Mariners - with some as cheap at $9 each and hundreds of tix less than $15 per.

Say you buy 4 tix for $20, spend $20 on parking and buy 4 hot dogs, 4 cokes and a yearbook... That's STILL less than $150 for top-end sports entertainment in of the world's greatest venues.

Save for special circumstances and specific match-ups, no one has to pay full price for regular season events in any sport in 2013.

Now the playoffs, Final Four, Super Bowl and World Series are another story, but regular season games can DEFINITELY be done on a budget.

I live in CNY...so any trip would include at least one over night plus food & drink.

 

[OttosBestFriend]

...If YES's ratings are 39% lower this year even though the Yankees are doing really well and are winning games then NYC residents could most likely be able to survive without YES if it meant having to take BTN and pay for it as well with YES. The Yankee fans that had to have YES could just switch to Satellite DTV or Dish...

There isn't a snowball's chance in Tuscon that NYC residents would allow any cable provider to dump YES.

It's not happening so don't even consider it as a minute possibility. Forget you ever mentioned it.

The moment any provider even suggested they might drop YES, they'd lose subscribers by the hundreds of thousands.

Ratings might be down in this small sample size, but that doesn't mean Yankees baseball isn't very important to the NY metro area. As the linked article and lots of posters said above, there's a ton of reasons why ratings have slipped, but don't expect them to stay that low all year long... No chance.

Whether BTN can get on in NYC is debatable, but using the threat of losing YES as leverage will NEVER happen... EVER.

 

[Alsacs]

There isn't a snowball's chance in Tuscon that NYC residents would allow any cable provider to dump YES.

It's not happening so don't even consider it as a minute possibility. Forget you ever mentioned it.

The moment any provider even suggested they might drop YES, they'd lose subscribers by the hundreds of thousands.

Ratings might be down in this small sample size, but that doesn't mean Yankees baseball isn't very important to the NY metro area. As the linked article and lots of posters said above, there's a ton of reasons why ratings have slipped, but don't expect them to stay that low all year long... No chance.

Whether BTN can get on in NYC is debatable, but using the threat of losing YES as leverage will NEVER happen... EVER.

Do you follow the news? Rupert Murdoch and FOX purchased a controlling interest in YES from the Steinbrenner brothers. Jim Delany and the B1G are bed with FOX as FOX owns 51% of the BTN. When Rutgers joins the B1G the plan is to get the BTN on the NYC basic cable tier and brings millions of dollars to the B1G coffers. The idea is to have YES/FOX shove BTN along with the YES on the basic cable tier. Do you have any idea what you are talking about? You seem to have a bone to pick with me in a lot of my posts and the fact is you come off like somebody who doesn't look at the big picture and wants to come at me. If you are going to at me atleast know what the hell is going on as I don't think you understand the situation.

When YES debuted years ago Cablevision refused to put YES on the basic tier in NYC. They were angry at George Steinbrenner for leaving MSG and forming his own network. YES and the Yankees went months without being on TV in NYC until Cablevision-YES came to an agreement and the Yankees were back on TV. If you don't think that Rupert Mudoch/FOX won't use YES to leverage NYC providers to add BTN you obviously have no clue how business is done at all. I never said YES would be gone permanently, but FOX and DirecTV had a feud over carrier rates for networks like FX,FMC and several other FOX/News Corp channels until the two sides came to an agreement over carrier rates. Also, DirecTV and Viacom had a dispute over MTV, Comedy Central, Nickeledon,VH1, Spike over carrier rates last July. Hell the Knicks weren't on last year for Time Warner subscribers last year before Linsanity caused a deal to be reached between TWC and MSG, but you CAN NOT COMPREHEND what I am saying and want to attack to me. The freaking New York Knicks games weren't available for TWC customers do you remember that? http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/2012/0217/Time-Warner-Cable-MSG-reach-deal.-Linsanity-at-work

Rupert Murdoch and FOX will laugh at TWC and do what they want. I am typically a leveled person who doesn't take some comments personally, but your consistent terrible personal responses to my posts has gotten me angry and I will respond this way.

You honestly have a problem with me based on your message. All I said in my original post was that Jim Delany won't like the fact YES ratings are down in NYC. If YES numbers aren't as high when FOX/B1G try to leverage BTN on the basic tier the cable providers will have more LEVERAGE. The answers that people have given in this thread all legitimate and they probably have a lot of truth in them, but you are making it seem like I talk in absolutes WHEN I HAVE NEVER DONE SO and you can't comprehend that

Read the damn history on the situation before you open your mouth next time http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2012/04/30/Media/YES-launch.aspx
While YES was launching, it was locked in a bitter dispute with Cablevision that resulted in the operator not carrying YES for the network’s first year. Cablevision eventually submitted to binding arbitration that compelled the cable operator to carry YES as an expanded basic channel. The bitterness was never far from the thoughts of those building YES.

If you don't understand my overall point then next time PM before you start these type of responses.

 

[OttosBestFriend]

Do you follow the news? Rupert Murdoch and FOX purchased a controlling interest in YES from the Steinbrenner brothers. Jim Delany and the B1G are bed with FOX as FOX owns 51% of the BTN. When Rutgers joins the B1G the plan is to get the BTN on the NYC basic cable tier and brings millions of dollars to the B1G coffers. The idea is to have YES/FOX shove BTN along with the YES on the basic cable tier. Do you have any idea what you are talking about? You seem to have a bone to pick with me in a lot of my posts and the fact is you come off like somebody who doesn't look at the big picture and wants to come at me. If you are going to at me atleast know what the hell is going on as I don't think you understand the situation.

When YES debuted years ago Cablevision refused to put YES on the basic tier in NYC. They were angry at George Steinbrenner for leaving MSG and forming his own network. YES and the Yankees went months without being on TV in NYC until Cablevision-YES came to an agreement and the Yankees were back on TV. If you don't think that Rupert Mudoch/FOX won't use YES to leverage NYC providers to add BTN you obviously have no clue how business is done at all. I never said YES would be gone permanently, but FOX and DirecTV had a feud over carrier rates for networks like FX,FMC and several other FOX/News Corp channels until the two sides came to an agreement over carrier rates. Also, DirecTV and Viacom had a dispute over MTV, Comedy Central, Nickeledon,VH1, Spike over carrier rates last July. Hell the Knicks weren't on last year for Time Warner subscribers last year before Linsanity caused a deal to be reached between TWC and MSG, but you CAN NOT COMPREHEND what I am saying and want to attack to me. The freaking New York Knicks games weren't available for TWC customers do you remember that? http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/2012/0217/Time-Warner-Cable-MSG-reach-deal.-Linsanity-at-work

Rupert Murdoch and FOX will laugh at TWC and do what they want. I am typically a leveled person who doesn't take some comments personally, but your consistent terrible personal responses to my posts has gotten me angry and I will respond this way.

You honestly have a problem with me based on your message. All I said in my original post was that Jim Delany won't like the fact YES ratings are down in NYC. If YES numbers aren't as high when FOX/B1G try to leverage BTN on the basic tier the cable providers will have more LEVERAGE. The answers that people have given in this thread all legitimate and they probably have a lot of truth in them, but you are making it seem like I talk in absolutes WHEN I HAVE NEVER DONE SO and you can't comprehend that

Read the damn history on the situation before you open your mouth next time http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2012/04/30/Media/YES-launch.aspx
While YES was launching, it was locked in a bitter dispute with Cablevision that resulted in the operator not carrying YES for the network’s first year. Cablevision eventually submitted to binding arbitration that compelled the cable operator to carry YES as an expanded basic channel. The bitterness was never far from the thoughts of those building YES.

If you don't understand my overall point then next time PM before you start these type of responses.

I read the news and am aware of everything you said and all stories referenced.

In particular, I very much remember TWC and MSG struggle during Linsanity... But that was temporary leverage. Such a situation would never go on long term (i.e. more than a season) as it would cost the provider way too many subscribers... Stuff like that happens all the time with the networks and providers playing a game of chicken with the only losers being the people.

I do not have a bone to pick with you... In fact, I had no idea I've had "consistent terrible personal responses to your posts." You and my wife now have something in common as she tells me the same thing... Congrats on that.

I simply respond to posts when they intrigue me - regardless of who posted them. I simply don't have the time or energy to look for a flame war with someone in here - yourself included.

 

[KaiserUEO]

as a Yankee diehard who basically watches every game, i admittedly havent watched as much this year as in years past, but lets be clear im acutely aware of whats going on and if anyone ever tried to take the YES network off my system, id be 1 of millions who went ballistic.

this is partly to blame on my time being occupied by the Rangers & Knicks (prior to the playoffs and them only playing 1x a week :bang and partly because i was afraid to watch a train wreck.

but Girardi is working miracles (who doesnt love that man and his binder!! ) the cavalry is on the horizon and its truley baseball season so my attention and viewership is on the rise.

ratings for the 1st 5 weeks of Yankee baseball will have zero impact on the genious move of putting rutgers in the b1g and coupling their channel with YES.

we can all move on.

Oh Lord

 

[Chip]

as a Yankee diehard who basically watches every game, i admittedly havent watched as much this year as in years past, but lets be clear im acutely aware of whats going on and if anyone ever tried to take the YES network off my system, id be 1 of millions who went ballistic.

this is partly to blame on my time being occupied by the Rangers & Knicks (prior to the playoffs and them only playing 1x a week :bang and partly because i was afraid to watch a train wreck.

but Girardi is working miracles (who doesnt love that man and his binder!! ) the cavalry is on the horizon and its truley baseball season so my attention and viewership is on the rise.

ratings for the 1st 5 weeks of Yankee baseball will have zero impact on the genious move of putting rutgers in the b1g and coupling their channel with YES.

we can all move on.

Oh Lord

I was waiting for you to comment first. Having $80M or so on the DL is a bit of an anomaly. One the Yankees are dealing with quite nicely. But not something I would think it's worth eulogizing the YES Network over.

 

[KaiserUEO]

I was waiting for you to comment first. Having $80M or so on the DL is a bit of an anomaly. One the Yankees are dealing with quite nicely. But not something I would think it's worth eulogizing the YES Network over.

another siliver lining is youkelis has basically missed half the season and the big run here, so i can continue to hate him unabashedly.

overbay, wells and hafner are like tino, oneill and chili davis reincarnate.

 

[Scooch]

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