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Comcast and the the Pac-12 Network - pauloalto - 08-16-2012

The new Pac-12 Network went on air (do we still say that for cable?) yesterday and today a lot of Comcast customers are very disappointed and angry.

Comcast is having a terrible time rolling out their new Pac-12 channel. Many customers - mostly those outside the Pac-12 states - find they have no access to the Pac-12 channels at all. I have been tracking a Comcast FAQ/Complaint board and here are some of what they have to say:

"If you live outside one of the Pac-12 states, The Pac-12 National Network will be part of our Sports Entertainment Package in most markets."

The PAC 12 Network is not currently scheduled to be added in

* Indiana or Illinois
* the Minnesota area
* Virginia
* the Metro DC area

There could be other areas where it will not be available, I don't know.

And as for watching online, the Comcast online feature is expected to be up and running by September or earlier - in time for the beginning of the football season they say. Online availability will be possible only for customers who receive the Pac-12 channels by cable.

And finally, they admit their website's channel finder tool "needs updating".

Re: Comcast and the the Pac-12 Network - Roberton3 - 08-16-2012

(08-16-2012, 12:16 PM)anmalanman link Wrote:The PAC 12 Network is not currently scheduled to be added in
* the Metro DC area

>:( >:( >:( >:(

I didn't think it would be possible to make me hate Comcast any more than I already did.  Evidently it was.

Re: Comcast and the the Pac-12 Network - fullmetal - 08-16-2012

I can't believe they didn't add the metro DC area.  That's absolutely ridiculous given the high ROI there.

Re: Comcast and the the Pac-12 Network - washingtonismoney - 08-16-2012

It's crazy. I think I see more Pac-12 college apparel around here than any other BCS conference.

Unable to Find Comcast Channel? - pauloalto - 08-16-2012

I should add that the Comcast answer-person at the FAQ website has been giving out channel numbers for areas that do carry the Pac-12 Network.

See http://forums.comcast.com/t5/Channels-and-Programming/Pac-12-FAQ-and-Information/td-p/1329911/page/2

If you're searching for your Comcast channel, check it out.

Re: Comcast and the the Pac-12 Network - Farm93 - 08-16-2012

Have Cox in the OC now that I moved down.  Having moved between the Bay Area and SoCal a few times now, I can assure you that Comcast has far better customer service than Cox.  Think D- vs. F.

FWIW - Cox did not have anything for the conference in HD yesterday.  The SD channel was easy to find, I guess.  The online registration for the online access was acceptable, but requires a familiarity with the webpage that is probably uncommon.  I needed to know my Cox online ID and password.  I have those things set up for pay online and bill view because I do that for almost every account, but without that I would have been stuck.  So I am confident few cable customers will get instant access if they try to figure it out 10 minutes before kickoff of their team.

I would love to get a different provider, but will stick with Cox until someone else in SoCal steps up to provide access.

All seven channels seemed to show the same things last night based on the online experience.

First, there were a few programs that seemed focused on getting to know the studio hosts and establish the studio hosts as Pac-12 football experts.
Every football team in the conference seemed capable of beating every non-Pac-12 team, upsets of OOC teams like LSU, for example, were predicted.  Then we got a nice set of feel good stories about how the Pac-12 channel talent came to love the Pac-12.  Summer Sanders seemed to have the best and longest section.  It was far and away the most focused on the campus and the campus experience.  I attributed that to Sanders' genuine interest in Stanford and the proximity of the campus to the network HQ.

Then the night had a feature series on Alex Smith (got to get Utah in somehow), and Andrew Luck.  If you live in the Bay Area both stories probably seemed like old news, but they did reinforce the idea that the conference produces big time NFL talent.

Finally the night's prime time feature was presented on all channels.  That feature was the painfully boring replay of Oregon and UCLA in the Pac-12 football championship game.

Did not watch after that, but the channels will seem to have the production quality of the regional FSNs.  I would probably be willing to stream live content to watch Stanford sports, but I am very confident that casual fans will not do that unless the Pac-12 creates some type of Olympic Sports fantasy league or something.

Re: Comcast and the the Pac-12 Network - washingtonismoney - 08-16-2012

Don't have much to add, but their streaming is really quite good. Impressive that they've been able to figure that aspect out so well and quickly. They could give some tips to NBC.

Re: Comcast and the the Pac-12 Network - washingtonismoney - 08-17-2012

Skepticism is fine, but Dodd doesn't note that the Pac-12 network launched in more homes than the Big Ten Network did at its onset. So it's certainly off to a good start, comparatively speaking.

Re: Comcast and the the Pac-12 Network - washingtonismoney - 08-17-2012

It's certainly possible. However, it's the only apples-to-apples comparison we have of the two networks at an equivalent time in their histories. Doubtlessly the Big Ten Network's numbers were similarly inflated at a comparable time.

Re: Comcast and the the Pac-12 Network - yvonne - 08-17-2012

I can't wait for football season to start so we can have something better to talk about than the size of conferences' TV network.

Re: Comcast and the the Pac-12 Network - needle - 08-17-2012

I'm of course absolutely unqualified to judge, but this fan's perspective: Get Pac-12 on DirecTv and the idea is an early success, don't and it's time to start shining up the pitchforks for Scott.

Re: Comcast and the the Pac-12 Network - fullmetal - 08-17-2012

Most of the sports bars around here (Austin) have DirecTV--I'll have to call around and see what places carry Comcast (with the Pac-12 network).

Re: Comcast and the the Pac-12 Network - Farm93 - 08-17-2012

(08-17-2012, 02:39 PM)needle link Wrote:I'm of course absolutely unqualified to judge, but this fan's perspective: Get Pac-12 on DirecTv and the idea is an early success, don't and it's time to start shining up the pitchforks for Scott.

True enough, so the challenge becomes to get 3 Pac-12 football teams in the top 15 or so.  The top 2 will get most of their games on the channels with nationwide coverage.  Therefore, if there are only two top 15 teams non-Pac-12 college football fans will see all the teams they want to see from our conference.

The secret here will be for a third team to enter the mix.  That third team would force at least one team onto the Pac-12's network.  And then people in other areas might complain about missing a top 10 contest.  The Ducks/SC are teams one and two.  The conference needs at least a strong third to get that DirecTV deal done.

Hmmm, now what program has won a lot over the last few years, had multiple sellouts last year, and say has appeared back to back BCS bowl games?  It will come to me, but THAT team could save the conference's little network.

Re: Comcast and the the Pac-12 Network - washingtonismoney - 08-17-2012

I think it'll take a while for full distribution to come around. Again, the Big Ten had the same problem for quite a while after its launch. That might not soothe the pain for those of us without easy means to see the games in question, but it's true.

Re: Comcast and the the Pac-12 Network - stan01 - 08-17-2012

For those of you who can get the channel, watch Stanford women's soccer team live tonight at 7pm Pacific against Santa Clara.  The football team will be there to cheer on our girls.  For everyone else, I really hope they figure out the demand and bring you the coverage soon.

Re: Comcast and the the Pac-12 Network - pcgoode - 08-17-2012

I feel the pain. There are ways around this, such as by using a slingbox  so you can watch online...

Ok....NOW I am paying attention - Redrum - 08-17-2012

Brief me on this brave new world,  Sorry if this seems ignorance-based.  It is.  Feel free to point out where I'm ludicrously off base or to politely embellish.

1.  The game broadcasts still originate from the usual suspects:  ESPN, Fox Sports Network, NBC...yes?  Is there still a hierarchy of broadcasts:  ESPN national,  ESPN U or ESPN 2? 

2.  The function of the Pac-12 Network is to pick up these games and distribute them throughout Pac-12 territory and, we hope, beyond.  But the Pac-12 network has to cut deals with separate carriers, cable systems, satellite.

3.  So, some Pac-12 games will still appear on regular old ESPN/ ESPNU/ ESPN2 and Fox? on the usual cable packages like we had last year?  If Stanford/ Oregon was on late night ESPN cable last year,  it still would be?  And additional P12 games would be on the Pac-12 Channel.

4.  OR...now if Comcast doesn't carry the Pac-12 Channel as a discrete package (like the Big Ten Channel)  then I  am SOL??

(Note:  For a world-devouring mega giant, Comcast does the world's worst job explaining what its offerings are.  In the Sports Entertainment Package  they list Fox Pacific  ESPN/ESPNU/ESPN2 as part of my current digital digital package)



Re: Ok....NOW I am paying attention - Roberton3 - 08-17-2012

(08-17-2012, 08:11 PM)Redrum link Wrote:1.  The game broadcasts still originate from the usual suspects:  ESPN, Fox Sports Network, NBC...yes? 

Others here know the details better than I, but I think the Pac-12 channel is actually broadcasting games itself, not just picking up games broadcast by other networks and retransmitting them.

Re: Comcast and the the Pac-12 Network - washingtonismoney - 08-17-2012

Yeah, Pac-12 is actually putting on their own broadcasts. Judging from the just-concluded women's soccer game, they'll be at least competent at it.

Re: Comcast and the the Pac-12 Network - fullmetal - 08-17-2012

Right, we'll still have the national broadcasters paying the league (the network?) big bucks for the rights to the popular games, but there will be no more fragmentation of the less popular games amongst FSN Bay Area or Comcast BA or some such channel.  If it's not on a major network, I would expect to see the Pac-12 broadcasting the game via a cable provider partner.