I’m not sure when Pitt dropped the price on All-Access. They originally priced it at $69.95 for the year or $9.95/month. That seemed quite high. Apparently the initial sign-ons weren’t quite what was expected as the price has now dropped. They are now offering it for $59.95/year or $7.95/month. I can’t say I’m surprised, though the price should be lowered a bit more. They had a table at FanFest and I saw no body even approach it for information.
The Pitt website is run through CSTV.com, and the All-Access is part of their service. CSTV just launched a publicity campaign about the service being offered.
Football and other sporting events from dozens of colleges and universities will be available live over the Internet through a service launching Friday.
Notre Dame games will be free, while other schools will charge $4.95 to $9.95 a month each for an “All-Access” broadband channel that includes live audio and video feeds of some games, news conferences, highlights, play-by-play animation and other features.
CBS’s CSTV Networks, which is running the service, will also sell access to CSTV XXL, the entire package of more than 100 schools for $14.95 a month or $99.95 a year.
The schools do have the ability to set the price however they want. For Notre Dame that is easy to give away free audio. With every home game nationally televised on NBC, and ABC/ESPN happy to fall to their knees to air the game, and essentially a national radio broadcast meaning if you can’t catch the game on a radio or TV, you’re not trying.
If you’re wondering about the chance of seeing games in streaming video. Well…
Because of existing television contracts, however, live video of football and basketball games will initially be limited.
Notre Dame, for instance, promises audio only for every football and basketball game, but video will generally be limited to less-prominent sports, such as hockey, baseball and volleyball, Bedol said. Video highlights of football and basketball will be available.
Bedol said every school will have some live video, but only half will show some football games and up to two-thirds will carry basketball games. Audio is expected for most of the schools, primarily for football and basketball.
He also said more schools should be able to carry video as they re-negotiate deals with television rights holders. In some cases, he said, video could be restricted to viewers outside a broadcaster’s coverage area, and a school might share online revenues with the rights holder.
[Emphasis added.]
I’m hoping this might make it a little clearer some of my annoyance at the BE TV Contract where all broadband rights remained with ESPN. Unlike the Big 11 and the SEC, who will have control of those rights. They won’t have to provide a cut to ESPN to show their own games on their websites or be flat out refused — like teams in the Big East until 2013. They will have the control and can make the decisions. That’s part of the key to the ownership of their own station. Ownership. Of. Their. Own. Content.
For a conference like the Big 11, their big games will still get the wide network and cable distribution. The other games, the games of key interest to their fans and alumni will be there for them. This is about being able to strengthen the ties and connection to those fans and alumni. Creating more loyalty. It also means being able to offer more value.
I don’t see a point in getting the All-Access. Watching coaches press conferences is not something I place a high economic value upon. The main value is access to the live games. Frankly, I’m not willing to pay that much for streaming audio. That’s really all they are offering. Extended highlights. Great. But it’s just streaming content. Not downloadable, not a keeper.
