“In order to broadcast or stream a game [from Simmons Bank Arena], there would be a significant expense — several thousand dollars,” Yurachek said. “You’d have to rent a production truck, hire a crew to come in and do the game and then put it on the SEC Network or ESPN-Plus.
“I don’t know how many people across the state are going to miss seeing the game who, if it were available, would tune in Saturday at 3 o’clock,” he said. “I don’t know if that’s hundreds, I don’t know if that’s thousands.
There hasn’t been much I would be critical of HY about since he took over as AD, but the shortsightedness of not ensuring every game played by this highly ranked, uber talented Razorback basketball team is televised is definitely a dropped-the-ball moment. At the very least, he should know the potential viewership for such an event (hint: it’s not hundreds) … I would wager there are tens of thousands in the DFW Metroplex alone who would be interested in watching Arkansas on a Saturday afternoon … including me and several other Hog fans in my community. There are Razorback fans literally in every corner of the world who, for whatever reason, can’t be in NLR tomorrow … but would love to watch their Hogs play.
My advice to HY for 2023: Rent the production truck … hire the crew … make your fanbase happy. Sell a few ads if you need to, but don’t give us the excuse of “several thousand dollars” or “don’t know how many would miss seeing the game” … that’s poppycock.
That said, I do like listening to Chuck on the radio
Wife with liver cancer and have had tickets to nrl games for more years than I can remember. Can’t go because we can’t take the chance of contacting illness there. Would loved to have been able to watch the game. I agree spend the money and keep this great fan base happy. Sold tickets every year in fact had people calling for them. There are thousands of us that would watch the game.
I think it’s kinda silly. Surely in a $130-million-plus budget we could find $10K to hire a truck and crew and announcers and stream it. Heck the Shootah would probably do the analysis cheap, or Slater Mo Joe. Let Brett Dolan do the PBP. Get some Central Arkansas business to underwrite it.
I think the cost is more in the $50,000-plus range, based on the estimates I’ve heard. I’m not saying it isn’t doable, but it’s quite a bit more than $10,000.
I’m not gonna, yes I am…stream the damn game and charge 20 bucks for it.
Problem solved.
I paid for those sorry a$$ FloSports broadcasts last summer, and I would pay $20 to watch tomorrow.
And, yes I know, I have beat Mr. Ed to death on this topic.
Doesn’t really change my original idea. Get Simmons Bank, whose name is already on the arena, to underwrite it, or Stephens Inc., or somebody else who sponsors Muss’ show.
I don’t think PPV is an option, Jeremy. UA doesn’t own those rights; SECN does. That’s why the PPV football game we played at one time went away.
That is the biggest load of BS I’ve heard yet. He11 you could probably get Pinto for free to go and use his phone and stream it on Twitch. He’s done it before until they shut him down. There HAVE to be other reasons they don’t do it and I’ll bet it has something to do with conflict of obligations between the SEC, the UofA, and the Arena.
These days you can stream feeds with a phone and a twitch account… so we wouldn’t get the play by play… big deal. At least we could see it and most likely hear the PA announcer.
I think you are correct. I don’t think you can have a pay-per-view option for SEC home games anymore.
Bob does not outright mention this in the story, but this problem could be solved by classifying the North Little Rock games as neutral-site games. Then a third party could come in and televise/stream, and there is no doubt in my mind one would jump at the opportunity. But because Arkansas plays this game every year, I think it has to be classified as a home game.
Matt, if we can pay Arkansas State (who has begged for a game for years) $750,000 to play us in football, we can spend $50,000 for our fans who love the Hogs.
Yes, paying ASU to play us is a sore spot with me.
Total budget, $148 million for 2021-22. Total revenues were about $154 million, so $6 million goes back in the kitty.
Also, while looking for that number, I came across another number: Nearly half of the 470 Razorback athletes, male and female, had some kind of NIL deal last year.
