I know I’m going to be branded as a heretic for saying this, but here goes. For all the grief that people have given Craig Thompson and the mtn deal, I think it’s actually worked out pretty well—at least for people on the East Coast with Dish Network.

This year with having a just basic Dish Network subscription I’ve been able to see Arizona (TBS), Boston College (ESPN2), TCU (Verses), Air Force (Verses), Wyoming (CSTV), Utah (CSTV), and the Las Vegas Bowl (ESPN). That’s seven games.

By contrast, last year (with my same Dish Network basic subscription), I was able to see Boston College (ABC), Notre Dame (NBC), and the Las Vegas Bowl (ESPN). That’s three games. Of course I also watched the Utah game, but I had to get that on pay-per-view through ESPN Gameday, so I’m not going to count that one.

In 2004 (again, with my same Dish Network basic subscription) I was able to see Notre Dame (ESPN), USC (ESPN), Boise State (ESPN), UNLV (ESPN2), and Utah (ESPN2). That’s five games.

In 2003 I was able to see Georgia Tech (ESPN2), Colorado State (ESPN2), Boise State (ESPN), and Notre Dame (NBC). I didn’t get to see USC or Utah because both games were only regional broadcasts (ABC and ESPN respectively). Those in the South were out of luck. I suppose I could have shelled out for the pay-per-view for those games, but I didn’t. Anyway, that’s four games in 2003.

In summary…
2006: seven games
2005: three games
2004: five games
2003: four games

For all the trash people have talked about Craig Thompson, I can’t argue with the numbers. From 2003-2005 I was able to see an average of 4 games a year on TV. This season I’ll be able to see seven games without doing anything different. Next year (assuming that the mtn is able to negotiate a deal with Dish Network) I’ll be able to see every BYU game on TV. That’s something I never would have been able to do under the old ESPN deal.

Also, one thing that I’ve loved about the television coverage this year is that the games start at reasonable hours. It seemed like during the 2003-2005 seasons, even when BYU games were on TV, they didn’t start until 10:00ish on the East Coast. ESPN always relegated the BYU broadcasts to the most obscure time slots. Hey, I love my Cougs, but there’s something about having to stay up until 2:00 in the morning to see the end of the game, that really detracts from the experience. Under this year’s TV deal, the only game that was a late broadcast was Arizona (which started around 9:00 on the East Coast if I remember correctly). I think all the other games started at reasonable times.

From my experience the only negative about the new TV deal is the fact that the games are no longer shown at church. Before the mtn we could always get an additional 2-3 games a year on the church satellite. The mtn deal killed that option. I’ll admit that not having the church broadcasts hurts, but the fact that I’m getting an extra three games a year on regular TV makes up for the pain.

In short: I for one am going to give Craig Thompson a break. Even without a satellite deal for the mtn, I’ve still been able to see three more games this year than I ever could have hoped to see with ESPN. Also, this year’s games have come on TV at times when I can actually enjoy watching them. For those of us who don’t live in the land of milk and honey (i.e. Utah) the mtn deal hasn’t been that bad.

Everybody take a deep breath. Things are going to work out just fine.

What a great ending last game was and the celebration that followed it. All of it was first class, except for the crowd booing Craig Thompson. It seemed pretty cold-hearted. The man is trying his best and knows his own mistakes. Booing him was beneath what BYU represents in my opinion.

Tyler, what do you call basic, I had to upgrade to the top 180 to get verses, I sure don't call that basic, the top 60 is basic in my world....I still hate this setup and CT should hear about it.

Tyler1830

I know I’m going to be branded as a heretic for saying this, but here goes. For all the grief that people have given Craig Thompson and the mtn deal, I think it’s actually worked out pretty well—at least for people on the East Coast with Dish Network.

This year with having a just basic Dish Network subscription I’ve been able to see Arizona (TBS), Boston College (ESPN2), TCU (Verses), Air Force (Verses), Wyoming (CSTV), Utah (CSTV), and the Las Vegas Bowl (ESPN). That’s seven games.

By contrast, last year (with my same Dish Network basic subscription), I was able to see Boston College (ABC), Notre Dame (NBC), and the Las Vegas Bowl (ESPN). That’s three games. Of course I also watched the Utah game, but I had to get that on pay-per-view through ESPN Gameday, so I’m not going to count that one.

In 2004 (again, with my same Dish Network basic subscription) I was able to see Notre Dame (ESPN), USC (ESPN), Boise State (ESPN), UNLV (ESPN2), and Utah (ESPN2). That’s five games.

In 2003 I was able to see Georgia Tech (ESPN2), Colorado State (ESPN2), Boise State (ESPN), and Notre Dame (NBC). I didn’t get to see USC or Utah because both games were only regional broadcasts (ABC and ESPN respectively). Those in the South were out of luck. I suppose I could have shelled out for the pay-per-view for those games, but I didn’t. Anyway, that’s four games in 2003.

In summary…
2006: seven games
2005: three games
2004: five games
2003: four games

For all the trash people have talked about Craig Thompson, I can’t argue with the numbers. From 2003-2005 I was able to see an average of 4 games a year on TV. This season I’ll be able to see seven games without doing anything different. Next year (assuming that the mtn is able to negotiate a deal with Dish Network) I’ll be able to see every BYU game on TV. That’s something I never would have been able to do under the old ESPN deal.

Also, one thing that I’ve loved about the television coverage this year is that the games start at reasonable hours. It seemed like during the 2003-2005 seasons, even when BYU games were on TV, they didn’t start until 10:00ish on the East Coast. ESPN always relegated the BYU broadcasts to the most obscure time slots. Hey, I love my Cougs, but there’s something about having to stay up until 2:00 in the morning to see the end of the game, that really detracts from the experience. Under this year’s TV deal, the only game that was a late broadcast was Arizona (which started around 9:00 on the East Coast if I remember correctly). I think all the other games started at reasonable times.

From my experience the only negative about the new TV deal is the fact that the games are no longer shown at church. Before the mtn we could always get an additional 2-3 games a year on the church satellite. The mtn deal killed that option. I’ll admit that not having the church broadcasts hurts, but the fact that I’m getting an extra three games a year on regular TV makes up for the pain.

In short: I for one am going to give Craig Thompson a break. Even without a satellite deal for the mtn, I’ve still been able to see three more games this year than I ever could have hoped to see with ESPN. Also, this year’s games have come on TV at times when I can actually enjoy watching them. For those of us who don’t live in the land of milk and honey (i.e. Utah) the mtn deal hasn’t been that bad.

Everybody take a deep breath. Things are going to work out just fine.

I'm East Coast, and feel about the same. The only thing that really got my blood boiling is that the first few games were unavailable via internet PPV because they were trying to force us to lobby the satellite providers.

But I actually preferred wacky times via church satellite - I wasn't missing any family time from 10 pm to 2 am!

I do agree that it is unfair to blame just CT. However, there's no one left to complain to. Dish/DirecTV don't care, nor does comcast. It's not CT's fault. However, like when a president is blamed unfairly for economic downturns (i.e. Bush Sr.), CT is ultimately responsible for the conference. You may not care enough to see all 13 games, but there are several fans that are. I think you are in the minority in this situation.

12 is more than 7.

You COULD have seen all 11 games in the last few seasons but chose not to. Therefore, the mtn. situation hasn't affected you too much. However, fans that DID see all 11 games (via gameplan) now can't.

montanafan

Tyler, what do you call basic, I had to upgrade to the top 180 to get verses, I sure don't call that basic, the top 60 is basic in my world....I still hate this setup and CT should hear about it.

You're right. I should have been more specific about this. Dish offers essentially three different packages: Top 60 (~$30 per month), Top 120 (~$40 per month), and Top 180 (~$50 per month). I guess different people have different views about what "basic" means. In my mind basic is anything between $30-$40 that doesn't include premium channels (e.g. HBO, Showtime, etc). Since my local cable company's cheapest package is $45 a month, I consider anything under $45 a month to be "basic", but I understand that others might have a different view of what "basic" means. Either way, you're looking at a difference of $10 a month (during football season).