Live Stream Will Include Games
posted: 10/12/2009 at 10:11 PM
In an attempt to give fans an alternative way to view games, while adding more content to this website, Trail Blazers president Larry Miller announced on our Courtside radio/tv show Monday night that the franchise will be the first NBA team to begin streaming games live online.
I will attempt to outline what Miller talked about, but the easiest way for you to get all the information is to hear the interview yourself. You can do that by
clicking here.
The NBA has recently given teams the permission to explore this new world, and the Blazers are the one team, so far, looking to take full advantage of this new opportunity. Obviously, the fact that Comcast Sportsnet Northwest has yet to reach an agreement with the satellite providers, and some cable distributors, has many fans out in the cold when it comes to seeing many Blazer games.
I'm not going to sit here and try to say that is a cure to the ultimate problem for fans. It's not the solution we are hoping for in the grand scheme, and you know that. But, as Miller said, his goal by the start of the new year is to have every Blazer game streamed live on the website.
As it currently stands, the KGW games will be included in the live streaming from the start, while the team works out the logistics with Comcast to get all of them streamed. Again, Miller is hopeful that by the January, another alternative way to see all Blazer games will be available.
There are now two negotiations going on- one, between Comcast and the satellite providers, and one between the Blazers and Comcast, on the ability to stream online. They are exclusive of one another, and I view this as a positive, in that the odds are naturally better that something positive will happen to give us something better than we have now. Possibly one negotiation will help the other, or at the very least will kick start the process.
As stated, this simply will serve as a new distribution method that could potentially provide an alternative. Clearly, not everyone has access to the Internet, and watching a game on a 15-inch monitor isn't exactly like kicking back on the couch in front of a 50-inch plasma. But, it's at the very least, a step in the right direction.
Even though the original deal didn't happen on Miller's watch, it's certainly at the top of his priority list to do what he can to push this along. The battle between the cable companies and satellite providers wages on, and it's so unfortunate that fans, like ours, are the ones caught in the middle, many times with no alternative. Recently Versus, which has, among other things, Pac-10 football and the rights to the NHL, was taken off DirecTV's lineup, as the two sides go back and forth. In other words, there are a lot of people caught in the middle.
I'll do what I can to answer questions you have on this, but most of it is happening way, way above my head.
RSS FEED
Excellent and exciting news for fans!
Mike........At least Juwan seems to be comfortable here. http://twitpic.com/lapyt Streaming Games wont be so bad on my 18 inch monitor and my studio speakers.Glad to hear it,I'm psyched to have other options.Hope the deal goes through. Wonder what the cost will be?
Actually Mike, you can connect your computer to your TV if you have a nice video card with HDMI out (and a HDTV). I watch streaming videos all of the time from the internet from sites such as netflix (which offers high-quality streaming). On my 42" HDTV it looks very good, almost as good as a real DVD. I don't need cable TV anymore and don't spend any $$ on a cable TV bill. Doesn't take much to set it up, you just gotta be a nerd.
Mike, I'm not kidding at all when I say this is one of the proudest days of my life as a Blazers fan. Not just because no I can finally watch my favorite team play but because this is the right step for sports as a whole. Enough with the old media monopoly and paying a fortune to get a bunch of channels you don't want just to get one product, sell your content directly to consumers and someone on the Blazers heeded that obvious opportunity.
Hey MB:
thanx again for the update....since we just moved to the East Coast - we ordered "NBA League Pass"....GO BLAZERS!
this is damn good news! a step in the right direction.
thanks mike!
go blazers!
downtownvinnie,
I don't know what the cost will be. Larry isn't even sure. This is new territory for the NBA, so I get the feeling they're trying to figure that out. And, I know most of you realize the NBA ultimately owns the live pictures from a game and they will set a price, not us. From what I understand, the team will have to pay the league to be able to do this. But, hopefully it's going to be great investment.
MB
The blazers should consider picking up the cost for the streaming for the first year for the comcast seige
my dads going to the game on wednesday it is his birthday so im hoping he gets to see some of the old blazers we both grew up with. clyde the glide porter ect. i was wondering which oldie but goodies blazers are going to be there.thanx
go blazers
Is this still the preseason? Because the anxiety level surrounding this team seems to be in mid-season form, when a team's record is 0-41. Andre, they forgot to tell you before you got here that everything you say, can, and will, be used against you. We'll lambaste you for not being a boyscout, criticize you for wanting to start, mock you for being aloof with the press, and hideously magnify your every move, to where you won't even recognize your own reflection in the mirror. Other than that, it's all good.
The fact that no one is even talking about Jerryd Bayless in this conversation, is a testimony to JB's professionalism. My biggest disappointment actually comes from Brandon Roy. Demanding the ball more in order to be more effective. I thought we were bringing in people to help take some of the focus off of Brandon. The fact that Nate wants to coddle this behavior leads me to believe that he has learned nothing from the Zach Randolph Experiment. Let's hope that Roy doesn't become the black hole that Zach was (i.e. predictable offense).
I to believe the most disappointing comments from the Blazer camp have come from Brandon and LaMarcus concerning their touches.
To get to the next level has less to do with Brandon and LaMarcus's touches and everything to step up thei defensive efforts. It also has to do with their willingness to get Oden the ball. Scoring is not this team's problem; how the scoring is shared amongst the players is what it is all about. To be a leader of a championship team one has to recognize this and remember the trite phrase "there's no I in team".
Uh Mike, some of us dont have a 50 inch plasma screen:(. I live in L.A. so I appreciate this streaming. I also dont have a T.V. I do however have a widscreen monitor:)
"I'm not going to sit here and try to say that is a cure to the ultimate problem for fans. It's not the solution we are hoping for in the grand scheme, and you know that."
Actually, this is exactly the solution I want. I want to watch Blazers games without paying $50-100 a month to Comcast, DirectTV, or other "providers". More access means more fans. Bring it on.
don't ever say broy and the the big goof in the same sentence ever. zach is not even close to broy. broy and la asking for more touches whats wrong with that? thats who this team is built around not andre, broy and LA. I know everybody thinks oden is going to make leaps and bounds (including me) but he is not shaq yet. LA and broy are our high scorers thats where are points will come from. when oden avg. 25 points a game we can rethink our game plan. i would say that the main focus is defence and its no secret enough said. tring to insinuate brandon is selfish for asking for more touches then he is getting at the moment to get back into a rythem is the dumbest stuff i have ever heard. we brought in andre to take some of the scoring pressure off broy that does not mean broy is not going to score 25 a game or he gets less touches. That does not make any sence why would we turn away from what got us back into the playoffs and in that championship conversation.I have 82 million reasons why i would want broy touching the ball more then anybody else on the blazers. nate also agrees reading his latest comments saying he is experimenting and will go back to how things were.
MB,
That is great news about the streaming of Blazers games especially when they stream all including games that Comcast is playing. I believe Miller said that the Blazers will be streaming all games by Jan.
Once all the games are being streamed Comcast might finally make a deal with satellite providers since anyone with a computer will be able to watch them anyway.
I sent in a few emails, but none of them made it on air. I hope that's not a indication of the quality of my emails. :)
I know you guys get a lot of emails and one email I sent in commenting about Oregonian's sport writers might have been one of the emails you said you'd like to read on air, but can't.
The comment below I sent to Courtside, but after reading it again I realize I could have said it better and rewrote it.
Any time you make a change you usually get worse before you get better, but once you get better you usually are much better than you were originally. I can understand Nate not wanting to make drastic changes so he won't lose a lot of games that he wouldn't have if he stuck with the line up that won him 54 games last season. Instead slowly adding different players to the starting lineup as they learn to play with each other. I just hope he doesn't give up with a starting lineup including Oden, Miller, and even Webster one game.
One other comment I wanted to make. I was very happy you ask Miller about Comcast not making deals with other providers. I had gotten the feeling that the Blazers were just trying to ignore the problem hoping eventually the complaints would go away. I also liked what Miller said. His statement that as long as he had been with the Blazers this has been the most frustrating problem he and the BLazers have had to deal with exactly mirrored my own thoughts and feelings. And I've been a Blazers fan since 74 so that is a long time and shows how frustrating this has been. I'm glad that the Blazers have tried to find solutions and has even came up with one with the streaming of games. I have probably posted more than any other poster to your blog complaining about this issue and I feel a lot better now! :)
I think and hope that once the Blazers are able to stream all the games that Comcast will be more willing to make a deal with satellite providers and other providers since anyone with a computer can watch the games if they are willing to pay of it. That's all I think anyone has ask is a means to see the games.
One question, how long is this contract with Comcast? Really the mistake was made when the contract was made originally, but I'm sure as Miller seem to indicate the Blazers felt a deal would be made with other providers right a way as they said way back then. That is in the past now, but how long of a future is it?
Millertime: Your points concerning Brandon are valid. I used Zach as an example of how an offense can stagnate when it revolves around one player, not so much to compare Roy with Randolph. I think Houston exposed our offense in the playoffs; and often during the regular season, when Roy struggled, so did the team. We talk a lot about how balanced this team is, yet at the end of the day, the scoring load inevitably falls on Brandon's shoulders. If you remember the championship team we had , it wasn't built to rely solely on Walton. It was a collection of role players that all worked together like an individual part of an engine. Take out one piece, and the engine doesn't start. It is my opinion that this team would do well to exploit its depth, not shelter it.
during 3 pre-season games brandon roy has shot the ball 25 times, an average of 8.33 attempts per game.
last season brandon averaged 16.9 shots per game.
who wants brandon to get more shots?
you better believe i do.
in roy we trust!
MASSIVE KUDOS to president miller and his team for moving on getting the games streamed! (i moved recently and didn't bother to plug in my tv).
GO BLAZERS!!!
E_L_FUDGE said...
Actually Mike, you can connect your computer to your TV if you have a nice video card with HDMI out (and a HDTV).
Ya, I have a DVI to HDMI cable from my computer to my tv. I'm viewing this page on my 67" HDTV! :)
Btw, you can also easily get a cable to connect to either head phones out or speakers out on your computer to your tv or as in my case I have it connected to my stereo so you can listen as well.
Travis,
We are talking about preseason. A preseason which we are playing two new players in Miller and Webster since he missed all of last season. Also Oden is trying his show now when it doesn't hurt us for him to try it. Don't worry during the regular season and the final preseason games when we are going to get settle more to how we are going to play during the regular season his shot attempts will change.
That should have been 'Oden is trying his SHOT not show.
Great news for fans. I have comcast myself, but it'll be nice to view some games on the go with the website streaming the games. Let's not forget with people that need to be in front of their computers can now have it to view instead of on the TV which is pointing an opposite direction or is in another room.
Great update for the Blazer fans. I'm still annoyed comcast is too lazy to play the preseason games - even for its customers. I would like to know why we lost against the clippers.
phi slamma:
I agree with what you said about Brandon and the need to exploit our depth. There are some games where Brandon has struggled. It is during these times that we need to explore other capable options. To not deviate would be irresponsible. The same should happen if other players are struggling for all or a portion of the game.
Lately there has been a lot of anxiety for both the fans and the team. When the official season starts, a lot of this anxiety will fade. We have the talent to do really well this year. Everyone that wants the Blazers to succeed wants to make sure that we do it right. We need cooperation and teamwork to make this happen.
wow...is the moon full or something??? I am sorry for those fans than yearn for all of this corporate leverage and greed to end so they can watch basketball games. I understand your pain and as a testament to Barrett and Rice, I would would rather watch them announce a game over anyone on ABC or ESPN in most cases. Does anyone remember Blazer Cable? If my memory serves it was quite a similar situation with being able to watch all the games. All I can say is technology really comes in handy for situations like this so hopefully we can have some patience.
A thank you Larry Miller and the Blazers for seeing through the lines and attempting to help out some of our troubled fan base.
I have Comcast and it is WAY overpriced for what you get in regards to television. The only thing that makes it worth it to me in the end is watching those Blazer games and that is the whole truth.
Blazer fans...stay positive. This is still the preseason. I really don't think anyone should over scrutinize things like Andre Miller and Roy, or playing time issues. Leave that to Pritchard and Coach McMillan. All our guys need to do is focus on basketball right now and they will be just fine I am sure...
See you tomorrow night at the game.
Peace
fathom
great idea for us displaced fans (philly...boooo!). What would you say to making a trade for Stephen Jackson???? for Travis or Bayless?? both?
Don't tease us, now. I sure hope Miller is really confident that this is going to happen. I hate being so negative, but i'll believe it when i see it. If i were him, i'd have brought it up only after the deal was done.
Also, Mike, Larry Miller was in charge when the comcast deal became official. Maybe he didn't have much to do with it, but they sure made it sound like he did back when they thought the comcast deal was a good thing. It was heralded as his first big move when he got here. Of course, it doesn't surprise me to see anybody trying to get away from it, now.
This is fantastic news, though. If Miller gets this done, he'll remove himself from my "you know what" list. Maybe this isn't as good as watching from a TV, but it is finally something the blazers are doing that shows they care. As far as i've been concerned, they were just saying "oh well," until now.
This will go a long way with the fan base, and again, will show the organization gives a rip that thousands of fans have been screwed the last two years. It doesn't completely make up for it, but it is about time the blazer organization did something besides telling the public that they are making calls to comcast. That just didn't cut it. This does.
will the live stream be free?
Phi Slamma.......I'm glad we are so deep that we have two starting units,for the most part, which is making for all this spirited discussion.Thank you for rescending the Zach Randolph comment.When I read the first post I was already pullin out the guns,then I read the second,Oh,OK. I think Nate has a real conundrum ahead of him. Juggling this lineup will be a biatch.
It will be interesting to see how LMA matches up with Amare tomorrow.It will be a good measuring stick for him.I'm also hopin they work Broy and Dre together more .Broy says he is so used to where Blake is on the court.His spacing is different from Dre's,their chemistry won't happen overnight.It takes time. Dre and Steve's games are almost Polar opposite.Dre is better going to the hoop, whereas Steve is More of an outside guy.It will be fun to see it develop.
We at times played good basketball with Zach. When we were hitting jumpers and moving without the ball we did pretty well and Zach would pass out of double teams, but the problem was when the jumpers were not dropping. Zach was ask to carry more and more of the load and the rest of the team would stand around instead of moving without the ball and people would say Zach was a black hole. Then when the jumpers were dropping again everyone would says now if Zach would just play like that every game.
Now Zach has his faults, most notable his defense. Another one once he started a move he was a terrible passer. He could pass it out before he started a move, but not after he started a move to the basket.
I think though not having Zach the players were force to find a way to improve instead of just standing around and watching Zach when jumpers are not dropping. But even now when our jumpers don't drop we struggle for points and have to rely on Brandon. Brandon though is much better at making a pass after he starts a move to the basket. That is one reason it'll be nice to have Miller, not only his passing, but his ability to get to the basket. Same with Oden, we don't want to disrupt our offense, but he is another player that can take it to the basket.
This is off the subject...but tonight's pre-season game, at the glass palace absolutely should be televised. A lot of fans would LOVE to see our young Blazers play where our old Blazers did. I fail to understand why none of the pre-season games are being televised let alone one of this stature. Just voicing the opinions of many fans that I've spoken with.
Actually, it's a 46" LCD, but I'll forgive you for the misunderstanding. I'm sure the games will look just as good on that as a plasma though.
You guys play terrible. Cann't make free throught and keep turn a ball over.
Phi.......................Its fun writing when you write a word and you know that certain people will react to it.When I was using the word conundrum,I thought PS will make a comment. Like I'm from Arkansas or something..........Weuns down here in Ujean don't speak right good,but weuns got spellcheck .We go online to look up dem fancy words so people dont know we aint none too bright. ................BLAZERSROCK
zach was lazy thats why i don't like him and the drama he was all ways involved in.i liked him at a time but when he was traded no long goodbyes.
wright out the wisdom but save the role for the best ideas.
dezperado........Don't worry about going off subject.There are people here way worse.
Post a Comment
<< Home