There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding about the TV situation regarding UND hockey games this season, so I will try to clarify it again here in this blog post.
THIS YEAR:
1. UND games WILL be on Fox College Sports and DirecTV again this season. They will be produced by Midco (which has hired some of WDAZ’s guys). Dan Hammer will be the play-by-play announcer.
2. UND games WILL be on Midcontinent locally. Fans who are used to watching games on their Midco channels will continue to get them.
3. CableOne in Fargo DOES NOT yet have an agreement with Midco to pick up UND games. As of now, CableOne subscribers will be left out. This, of course, could change. I’m guessing CableOne will hear from a lot of customers once hockey season starts.
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BEYOND THIS YEAR:
4. Beginning in 2013-14, UND will NOT be on Fox College Sports anymore. The reason for this is that the NCHC and CBS College Sports have an exclusivity agreement for national broadcasts. The five-year Midco deal has NOTHING to do with UND going off of Fox College Sports.
5. Beginning in 2013-14, all of UND’s home games will continue to be on Midcontinent locally and regionally.
6. Beginning in 2013-14, CBS College Sports will broadcast approx. five UND games per season nationally.
7. I have not yet received clarification on whether the Twin Cities will be considered “regional” and if games will be picked up there beginning in 2013-14.
8. For those of you who live far away and watch games on Fox College Sports, webcasts will probably be your best option beginning in 2013-14. There have been rumblings that UND will increase the quality of their webcasts to coincide with that season. Also, I recommend learning how to hook up your computer to the TV. It’s easy and works well. I’m guessing some UND hockey bars (perhaps Senser’s) will do this as well.
9. The 2013-14 season is still more than a year away. A lot of movement can and will happen with TV/webcasts between now and then. So, I do not know how everything will work come that season and which games will be on TV. We will have to let that play out in the next year. It is nearly impossible to say how everything will work 14 months from now.
10. Once again, you will NOT notice many changes for this upcoming season. The changes will begin in 2013-14.
Brad – Just before you get some CableOne customers asking you questions you might want to clarify that CableOne customers with the digital TV package WILL get the games on Fox College Sports (ch 306-308). They WILL NOT get the games on what used to be FSSN which was channel 70.
Thank you. Good info.
Brad, looking to the 2013-2014 who can we contact at UND to pressure them into making some type of concession for more than 5 games nationally.
No one at UND. I’m sure UND would love to be on CBS Sports every week. The deal is between the NCHC and CBS Sports. Contact those groups.
we are on Dish network here in Bismarck do you know which network will carry the UND games? will it be the FOX SPORTS NETWORK?
thanks in advance for you assistance.
Does anybody know if the games are or will be available on free to air satellite? I bought one of these setups back when the fssn first started up and they said you could pull it in that way. I never did get it tuned in, but might try again if that is an option.
Dish network does not offer Fox College Sports, therefore dish has no options for UND hockey this year. Only the usual games (MN, Wis) will/my be on the Fox Sports Networks and alternates.
And, Midco has stated that FTA is not an options for those with their own systems.
any way we can convince Hammer to retire from sport yet again so we can get a real UND hockey guy like Sweeney or Hennessy (or both!) on the broadcasts?
As an out-state fan that gets the games through the web. My concern is, what improvements will be taken into consideration, due to an increase of web traffic, as more fans will have to go to the website for games. Will there be more streaming problems?
This isn’t the 90s. UND uses the same company that streams NHL GameCenter and other schools like Nebraska, Oregon and Duke. I’m sure they have enough bandwidth to go around.
The real update is a variable bitrate stream which adjusts the quality to whatever internet access is available. UND currently streams at a constant rate, which causes problems for connections (hotel wireless, etc.) that can’t keep up.
I’m sure UND will make the upgrade. However, I think they need an HD stream to do it. Most do anyway.
The web viewing is a great option for those of us without DirectTv or regional coverage. I have hooked my computer up to my TV for the last 2 seasons and it is not “to bad.” If you have questions on how to do it, look into youtube and there are some step by step instructions for iMac and PC users. Also, I needed to get a longer HDMI cable to connect the computer. Look online for the cables, since if they work, they work. There is no reason to spend a bunch of money on a cable. I do not advertise one company or another, but I went with monoprice.com and am VERY happy with the quality and price. Respond to this if you have questions, and I will try to help out…. thanks. omasiouxfn
Thanks for the info Brad. I can understand fans frustration as I don’t feel UND made it that clear in their press announcements about the deal with Midco how it might affect this coming year, which of course it doesn’t affect any of us used to watching on Fox College Sports. I enjoy watching the games on Fox College Sports so it is ashamed we’ll lose that in 2013-2014; however, I appreciate you making it clear for those that live out of the area that nothing will change for 2012-2013. I guess I’ll keep the devil, err Comcast, another year.
Thanks for the update.
Comcast in the Twin Cities carries the Fox College Sports channels…will people with Comcast be able to see the games?
BTW…it’s lame that Midco is shutting down the FTA feed…there are thousands of viewers across the country in bars/homes watching the game via FTA…just ask the guys over at Joe Sensers in Minneapolis…Sioux fans have been packing that place on Friday/Saturday nights for years.
Really, maybe I am going to the wrong Sensors but last time I went there for a game there was nobody around and I had to ask the waiter to turn the game on to the big screen. I believe that one was in Roseville tho…. You DID say Minneapolis, the one of 94 out of Bloomington?
The school or who ever set up the fox college sports deal needs to set something else up for the following season. I can think of at least a few houses just in my subdivision in Colorado that would love to have these games.
Brad, thanks for taking the time to post this information. There are two other points that should be touched on…
First, a question to you, Brad, or for you to put to the folks at UND… for those of us who don’t understand the contractual part of TV broadcasts (the vast majority), what in the world is the NCHC’s motivation to sign a TV deal that precludes broadcasts on secondary outlets when the primary outlet (CBS) CHOOSES not to carry a game?
Second, I’m in the same boat with everyone who is frustrated at the perceived lack of FTA satellite broadcasting, but I just wanted to point out, Midco has used Ku-band for its feeds of both football games so far. No clue if this will extend to hockey, but I for one will be keeping an eye out. It could mean that “No FTA broadcast” really means nothing more than “we’re no longer putting it there especially for you and therefore we’re not advertising it.” Fingers crossed.
I Love lamp!
Brad. Thanks for the information. I hope the people making decisons understand how many people “out of state” watch the games on Fox Sport
Network. Who can we persuade to upgrade and broadcast more than five games in 2013-2014.
Cleared things right up. Haha!