I think -- as said before -- that there is collusion among the cable providers that is keeping this under wraps, but eventually someone will work a deal and fold and when that happens I will switch to ANYONE from TWC, even if it all happens at once. I am sick of them and hope they take it in the chops. I will not stay with those jerks.
For what it's worth, I talked to a Time Warner rep last night about an unrelated issue. I mentioned LHN. He said he expects an announcement about LHN and NFL network coming to Time Warner before the season starts.
Some good takes Shark, and I agree that the more football games that get added to LHN, the more likely there will be backlash if the network doesn't find carriers before the start of the season this fall. That being said, ESPN didn't get where they are by being stupid. Right now, UT is the only one making a lot of money...they get paid whether or not the LHN finds carriers. ESPN is in this to maximize their profits, and if they have to give to get, meaning give in a bit on the price they charge carriers to get an agreement, I would imagine they will. I wouldn't undersell the LHN, even though it reps one school instead of a whole conference. UT is hugely popular...and the LHN will find a lot of watchers outside of UT's southwest footprint. Very few people are gonna spend all day watching it, but then few spend all day watching any cable channel, unless they lack a real life. A part of me wants to believe ESPN will do a deal with at least one of the major carriers before the season, and if not, I suppose I always have the option of moving a few miles away and picking up Verizon Fios.
Gomer here, Uh Geezer, UT does stink athletically right now. The fact that you can't see that shows that maybe you're drunk on kool-aid... I know you don't understand people who aren't impressed by DeLoss Dodds but you go ahead and defend a system that is basically taking YOU for granted. As for me I'm not involved. And I went to Trinity University so I'm not trying to compare my school to your school. I'm talking about the facts of the situation.
The difference between UT, and most of the other schools, since Mack Brown took over the football program is this...UT has a down year or two. Most other programs have a down decade or two. 'Bama? How good were they for several years before Saban came to town? USC? I don't remember them being relevant for a long time before Pete Carroll took over. Florida? There's the Spurrier years, the Meyer years, and a lot of mediocrity otherwise. LSU? See my comments above about Saban coming to town. Nobody's drinking any Kool-Aid around here. This past school year's been mediocre to worse for UT, and the last two football seasons aren't satisfactory, and aren't to the UT standard. Still...ESPN went into their deal with UT for the LHN with research that indicated it was a good business decision. I don't see any sign that ESPN has changed their mind, despite the last couple of years. Oh, and I agree with Geezer...I've done plenty of traveling around the country in the last few years. I've seen a lot of burnt orange and Bevos out there. Like it or not, UT is a hot merchandising brand, and that's a great indicator of national popularity.
Shark your argument might have some validity if the Big Ten Network was not on the basic level. The Big Ten or B1G could go away and very few outside of B1G territory would care - same for their network.
UT isn't quite the national program Notre Dame is...call us half a step back. That being said, UT's footprint extends way beyond just the southwest. A huge UT alumni base is spread all over the country, and beyond. In addition, UT is a school that's either loved or hated...not much in-between about feelings for the Horns. It's almost as easy to find UT gear on the east and west coasts as it is in Austin, and ESPN understands that kind of popularity, that "t-shirt fandom" as the agricultural school formerly in the Big XII calls it. That's why ESPN made its' deal with UT and is willing to take whatever time and steps is necessary to get the LHN on the major carriers. Those who don't like UT aren't gonna like the LHN, and will be quick to pronounce it a failure. If the LHN is still trying to get on with the major carriers two or three years down the road, there's that argument, but now is too early to make it, no matter how many Longhorn football games are carried by the LHN this fall. By the way, UT isn't the only program a half a step behind ND as a national figure, but there aren't very many of them.
fios is not available at my location. Nor is the LHN available for the vast majority of folks who would love to watch Texas sports. So far this is only limiting the exposure to my beloved horns. This sucks now, for most of us.
LHN, right now, is a failure. Just give me the gd "network". Don't tell me possibilities or probabilities. Don't tell me you're working on it. Don't tell me that you're going to have (gasp) 2, or even 3, games on it, which will "force" carriers to take it. Just make it available to me. Until then, it's a failure.
One Husker fan said they got tired of Doddsy "pissing on their leg and telling them it's raining". Doddsy would piss on their leg, look them in the eye, and say " I just pissed on your leg". Then, piss on their other leg.