# S.E.C. Football Games this year 2009



## Msguy (May 23, 2003)

Does anyone know if DirecTv is going to pick up ALL of the SEC Football games this coming up year? The Southeastern Conference has just signed a new deal with ESPN over the air affiliates who used to cover the RAYCOM SEC Games. This is the first contract i have ever heard of. But it is a fact that every SEC Game is supposed to be on TV This year. Does Anyone know if DirecTv will carry these games, especially for folks who live in the Southeast? I have been wondering this because it will not be long till College Football season will be here.


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## Lee L (Aug 15, 2002)

I thought that Raycom was still involved? I know that ESPN has been doing deals to allow various RSNs to cover some of the lower tier games. I also figure that ESPNU will cover a fair amount of SEC games this year and of course, DirecTV has not seen fit to put ESPNU HD up yet.

It would be nice to see a good overview of where everything will be this coming season.


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## Msguy (May 23, 2003)

Well Lee. All I know is that every S.E.C. Football game is supposed to be televised this upcoming season. It is part of the new deal the S.E.C. and ESPN signed starting for this season. I am just wondering if DirecTv is going to have these channels available, especially for people who live in Southeastern Conference Football Territory.


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## ARKDTVfan (May 19, 2003)

http://www.secsports.com/index.php?..._id=12874&url_subchannel_id=&change_well_id=2

as you can see the SEC regional package has extended to Chicago, NYC, Detroit etc in addition to ther CBS ESPN, ESPNU and ESPN2 games

also FSN will have some exclusive football games 
http://www.secsports.com/index.php?...nel_id=&url_article_id=12865&change_well_id=2
I just hope no games are put on CSS or if they are they'll be made available to us with Directv

and the schedule for the first 3 wks and some other games
http://secsports.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=2&url_article_id=5905&change_well_id=2
as you can see some games WILL be on CSS, D* needs to hurry up and get CSS!!!!!!


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## dstout (Jul 19, 2005)

I hope we see CSS too. They will also have 20 basketball games.


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## Msguy (May 23, 2003)

CSS is owned by Comcast. I doubt we'll see this channel anytime soon on D*


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## Lee L (Aug 15, 2002)

ARKDTVfan said:


> http://www.secsports.com/index.php?..._id=12874&url_subchannel_id=&change_well_id=2
> 
> as you can see the SEC regional package has extended to Chicago, NYC, Detroit etc in addition to ther CBS ESPN, ESPNU and ESPN2 games
> 
> ...


Good find on the schedule.

I guess I misunderstood what exactly was happening and Raycom is totally out of it like MSguy thought. We do have an SEC affiliate here, the local NBC station, which makes sense because they never had any ACC football, just the ND package. The local CBS affiliate here is the Raycom ACC. Now they can compete against the other 2 on Saturday somewhat.

The main question I have is how will all these games be handled WRT ESPN Game Plan? I hope they start giving us a schedule soon.


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## Ira Lacher (Apr 24, 2002)

No Iowa outlet - of course. Stuck with Big Zen.


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## dstout (Jul 19, 2005)

Comcast can't keep DirecTV or Dish from carrying it. 

I wonder if the SEC content is worth it to DirecTV? I would like to have CSS.


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## LarryFlowers (Sep 22, 2006)

Everything you could possibly want to know about the ESPN/SEC agreements can be found right here...

http://secsports.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=3&url_article_id=11428&change_well_id=2


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## Lee L (Aug 15, 2002)

LarryFlowers said:


> Everything you could possibly want to know about the ESPN/SEC agreements can be found right here...
> 
> http://secsports.com/index.php?s=&url_channel_id=3&url_article_id=11428&change_well_id=2


Are you sure you posted the right link? That page, which is from the initial announcement 11 months ago, talks in general terms and leaves out pretty much every single detail about what games will be on when and where.


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## Msguy (May 23, 2003)

My thoughts exactly. That Link posted is an old link almost a year old. According to a local newspaper in my area. The SEC is supposed to have EVERY Football game on Television this year. That link says nothing about that. I'm wondering if they will be in High Def. I hope the SEC didn't iron out some deal only to continue to broadcast games in Standard Definition. They need to be in High Def available to everyone.


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## soloredd (Oct 21, 2007)

As someone with ties to UF and a die-hard SEC football fan, so far this deal has screwed me being in California. Previously, the Raycom games would be available not just on ESPN360 but also GamePlan. So I subbed to GamePlan every year. Now, I have no idea what is going to happen. I know for sure that the season opener (Charleston Southern) will be on ESPN360 as it is a SunSports game (not SEC Network). But the next game against Troy is an SEC Network game, which if I'm following correctly, is only a regional telecast.

Over the past two weeks I've been looking for a definitive answer but haven't found one yet.

edit: just read the link posted - which I've read before curiously - and saw that GamePlan will include SEC games. But, GamePlan is not in HD! Doh!


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## soloredd (Oct 21, 2007)

Msguy said:


> My thoughts exactly. That Link posted is an old link almost a year old. According to a local newspaper in my area. The SEC is supposed to have EVERY Football game on Television this year. That link says nothing about that. I'm wondering if they will be in High Def. I hope the SEC didn't iron out some deal only to continue to broadcast games in Standard Definition. They need to be in High Def available to everyone.


Not sure about entire SEC but I know for a fact all Gator games are HD (unless ESPN somehow does their ESPN2 non-HD dance at some point). I thought I read somewhere the SECNetwork required HD broadcasts but not sure.


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## Msguy (May 23, 2003)

What I do not understand is why the SEC did not just create an SEC Channel the way that the Big 10 did and put the channel as a basic channel on every provider in the country the way the Big 10 did. The SEC failed to do this and they are stupid for not creating a dedicated channel to the SEC. Those idiots did not do the right thing for their fans. I hope this curses the SEC and I hope none of their schools win any Championships for a LONG time Now because of there conference's stupidity with this dumb television deal they signed for the next 15 seasons. How Dumb can one conference be? The thing about it is I live in SEC Territory but on the channel listed that is supposed to carry SEC Games, that channel is not in High Definition and the games are always blurry on my tv trying to watch the "Game Of The Week" every Saturday afternoon. They should have started a channel in High Def the way the Big 10 did.


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## SamC (Jan 20, 2003)

OK, very slowly:

First, remember that rights to games are determined by the home team.

There are actually a few, too complex to post, exceptions to the "first choice, second choice" line up, mostly relating to teams only appearing on particular channels a certain number of times. 

All times Eastern.

CBS has first choice and will carry a game every Saturday @ 3:30.

ESPN has multiple second choices and will carry games on weeknights and on Saturdays, generally no earlier than 6:00. These will be on ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU.

ESPN Regional Television has the rights to all remaining games. ESPNRT is not a channel, it is a company owned by ESPN that distributes games it produces to various outlets. Before ESPN bought the company it was known as "Creative Sports". When you see a game listed as being on "ESPNRT" the one place you are certain not to see it is any channel labeled ESPN.

These remaining games will be distributed thusly:

Third choice belongs to the syndication packge. These games will be logoed as "SEC Network" and the game will kick off at 12:20 every Saturday, with a 20 minute pre-game show for a show time of Noon. These games will be on the list of local stations referenced above. This is the old RAYCOM package. Same deal and most of the same channels. If there is no SEC Network station in your area, these games are a part of ESPN Game Plan. These game are also on ESPN360 computer feed.

Last choice games have been sold by ESPNRT to CSS and the regional group of FSN member stations in the affected areas.

FSN is self-explanatory. The games will be on the FSN member RSNs in the SEC states, and on ESPN GP and ESPN360 elsewhere. 

CSS always takes some explination. The name can stand for either Comcast or Charter Sports Southeast, as the channel is a joint venture between those two cable companies. It uses the same logos as the Comcast Sports Net members, but is totally unrelated to CSN. This channel only reaches 5.6M viewers in 12 states. Not because of the kind of landline "loophole" that Comcast practices with the Philadelphia version of CSN, but simply because DirecTV and DISH and almost every other cable company in the southeast other than the channel's two owners simply do not see the value in the channel. Other than this small package of SEC games, the channel's only other Div I football offerings are four to six CUSA games, but it does have a large number of lower division games. It has no major pro sports at all. If you disagree with your provider's decision to not carry this channel, give them a call. But, of course, unless you live in an area served by Comcast or Charter, or one of the very short list of other cable companies that carry this channel, there is really nothing you can do about it in terms of switching providers to get it.

Anyway, CSS gets a package of games. These will be on ESPN GP outside the POSSIBLE CSS footprint, which means NOT in the SEC states, nor NC, VA, or WV. It does not matter that neither DirecTV nor your local cable have the channel, the entire area that COULD carry CSS will be blacked out.

Lastly, every SEC team can carry one game per year on a PPV basis. These games will be PPV (on DirecTV and on cable) in the team's home state and in ESPN GP elsewhere. Not all teams will exercise that right. As of now Bama, Arkansas, and USC have plans to do so. UT also will but has not picked the game yet.


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## Lee L (Aug 15, 2002)

Msguy said:


> What I do not understand is why the SEC did not just create an SEC Channel the way that the Big 10 did and put the channel as a basic channel on every provider in the country the way the Big 10 did. The SEC failed to do this and they are stupid for not creating a dedicated channel to the SEC. Those idiots did not do the right thing for their fans. I hope this curses the SEC and I hope none of their schools win any Championships for a LONG time Now because of there conference's stupidity with this dumb television deal they signed for the next 15 seasons. How Dumb can one conference be? The thing about it is I live in SEC Territory but on the channel listed that is supposed to carry SEC Games, that channel is not in High Definition and the games are always blurry on my tv trying to watch the "Game Of The Week" every Saturday afternoon. They should have started a channel in High Def the way the Big 10 did.


There had been rumors going for a while before the ESPN deal was announced that the SEC was trying to do a channel like Big Ten. Either they could not get enough traction from cable and sat providers to carry it or they just figured the ESPN deal was more money and less work.

Oh, SamC, that is about the best, most concise description I have seen anywhere.


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## chudgins (Aug 3, 2006)

The games being broadcasts on CSS, will there be any blackout restrictions on ESPN360.com? I sub to D* and therefore don't get CSS, live in Tennessee and will be happy to watch Vandy and Ole Miss on the web if I can.

Thanks,


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## dstout (Jul 19, 2005)

Msguy,

You call getting $3 billion stupid? Are you serious?


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## Milkman (Dec 6, 2006)

I didn't read this whole thread, but I hope to god that RAYCOMM is *OUT*. I was REALLY pissed last year, that the Gators had ~3 games broadcast on that channel, and that channel is not broadcast in HD through D*.

After watching football in HD, you just can't go back to SD.


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## Lee L (Aug 15, 2002)

Yep, Raycom is out. I thought maybe they were involved in the ESPN regional TV thing, but they have nothing to do with it. It is just that many of the same affiliates that used to be Raycom Affiliates are now going with the ESPN RT broadcast.

Now, I only have to do with crappy Raycom for ACC football now. They have been showing some HD though last year.


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## Milkman (Dec 6, 2006)

Lee L said:


> It is just that many of the same affiliates that used to be Raycom Affiliates are now going with the ESPN RT broadcast.


THAT SUCKS!!!

That means instead of watching the SD Raycom on my local affiliate, now I will have to watch the SD EPSN RT broadcast on my local affiliate???

I hope to god not. If so, I need to figure out who to write to, so that they dump my local affiliate and pick another.


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## Lee L (Aug 15, 2002)

Have you checked your area's affilitate? Here is hte list that was posted above in this thread. http://www.secsports.com/index.php?..._id=12874&url_subchannel_id=&change_well_id=2


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## Milkman (Dec 6, 2006)

SIGH.... 

They are there unfortunately....

Tampa-St. Pete, Sarasota WTTA MNT

SD ONLY on DirecTV... 

Who should I write to, the SEC??? I can get others to write a letter too.


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## Milkman (Dec 6, 2006)

I just read this, and I guess I am screwed:



> "The markets that will air the package represent more than 54 million television households, or 47 percent of the U.S. Before the first football game this season, as clearance work continues, the coverage area will be larger still. *The 15-year agreement* between ESPN and the SEC begins with the 2009-10 season and continues through 2023-24."


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## Lee L (Aug 15, 2002)

Well, I imagine that the local affiliates do not have 15 year agreements with ESPN SN. Plus DirecTV may bring them in HD eventually. You could also try an antenna setup.


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## Milkman (Dec 6, 2006)

Lee L said:


> You could also try an antenna setup.


Not an option unfortunately.


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## SamC (Jan 20, 2003)

As to HD, the SEC Network station in my area has always been the best run station in the area. First will all new technologies back as long as I can remember. It is NBC.

And it carries all material other than NBC in SD. SEC games, Jeopardy, WOF, Oprah, etc. All are feed in HD, all are broadcast in SD.

The station said that it has one HD receive system, which NBC provided and which NBC requires be locked on NBC. It would have to buy another HD system to provide syndicated material in HD. That is, according to the station, several years away. The other stations in this market are certainly years behind that. No local station has ever shown anything in HD not from its network.


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## Milkman (Dec 6, 2006)

My local station is run by Sinclair Broadcast Group. I wrote to them asking if there were any plans to go HD over D*... Not even the courtesy of a response.


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## SamC (Jan 20, 2003)

Milkman said:


> My local station is run by Sinclair Broadcast Group. I wrote to them asking if there were any plans to go HD over D*... Not even the courtesy of a response.


Sinclair illegally owns two stations in my area (ABC and Fox). It is the worst ownership group in broadcasting. Arrogant, unresponsive, rude, and greedy.

The sad thing is that if I started my own 4 watt radio station the FCC would have me slammed to the pavement and in jail within a week, but Sinclair has been in open violation of the law in two dozen markets for 15 years, and they do nothing about it.


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## kevinwmsn (Aug 19, 2006)

last year I watched my local Raycomm channel on OTA in High Def. I was just glad the game was in HD, not some crappy SD lite from the beginning of time.


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## ARKDTVfan (May 19, 2003)

I just flipped ahead on my Directv On screen guide to Sept 5 and a couple things showed up

1. the SEC game on FSN South, Sun Sports and FSN SW have HD logos 
2. the SEC on CSS game is on ch 630 Comcast SportsNet New England HD no HD logo but in the schedule, hopefully games won't be blacked out on that channel here
3. no HD logo on the early regional game but didn't have one last year even though they were in HD


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## bigzeto (Jul 21, 2007)

ARKDTVfan said:


> I just flipped ahead on my Directv On screen guide to Sept 5 and a couple things showed up
> 
> 1. the SEC game on FSN South, Sun Sports and FSN SW have HD logos
> 2. the SEC on CSS game is on ch 630 Comcast SportsNet New England HD no HD logo but in the schedule, hopefully games won't be blacked out on that channel here
> 3. no HD logo on the early regional game but didn't have one last year even though they were in HD


Nice. Thanks


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## ARKDTVfan (May 19, 2003)

some thoughts on yesterday's coverage
I was at the Hogs game vs Missouri St so I didn't get a chance to watch much of the other SEC games
but the HD quality of the SEC Network game was outstanding
Directv needs to add ESPNU NOW!!! SD is bad enough but the U's PQ is terrible!!!!!!!!!


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## Msguy (May 23, 2003)

ARKDTVfan said:


> some thoughts on yesterday's coverage
> I was at the Hogs game vs Missouri St so I didn't get a chance to watch much of the other SEC games
> but the HD quality of the SEC Network game was outstanding
> Directv needs to add ESPNU NOW!!! SD is bad enough but the U's PQ is terrible!!!!!!!!!


AGREED! We should have had ESPNU in HD on DirecTv LAST year. Come On DirecTv get with the show. They also need to move ESPNU's Channel down to where the ESPN Channels are around Channel 210 or 211 where the other ESPN Channels reside.


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