ESPN+ will air games this season from mid-major conferences like the Horizon Leaguegetty images
College basketball execs will be "watching closely this winter" to see how ESPN+ "connects with fans," according to Brian Bennett of THE ATHLETIC. The OTT offering, which costs $4.99 per month, will "feature hundreds of college basketball games this season," mostly from mid-major conferences. Missouri Valley Conference Associate Commissioner Jack Watkins said while people have been "conditioned to consume content digitally," they have also been "conditioned to get it for free on ESPN3." Watkins: "This is the first time a portion of our events will be behind a paywall. It has not been seamless so far. But we believe in the alliance with ESPN." Bennett noted while ESPN+, which suprassed 1 million subs in September, "might be the highest profile" new OTT platform, it is "not the only one college basketball fans need to know." MAC Commissioner Jon Steinbrecher said, "Clearly as we move forward, you'll want to have a mix of platforms to provide your content. Whether that's Facebook or Amazon or Netflix or Hulu or something to be determined, all will be part and parcel of these conversations." WAC Exec Dir of Broadcasting Eric Danner, whose conference is negotiating a new deal with ESPN that includes games carried on ESPN+, said, "People now expect to see every game either on their TV or on their computer. Basically, you've got to stream everything to keep up with the Joneses." Bennett noted the "upside of all this streaming is that fans can find and watch basically any event on any campus." The only question is whether OTT platforms can "sell enough subscriptions or ads for what is essentially a niche market" (THEATHLETIC.com, 11/1).
