Aug. 9, 2004
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS
Why the subscription plan?
The landscape of the Internet has evolved in many ways as the medium has grown and become a part of millions of households. Internet service providers and companies that provide specialty services on the Internet (such as audio & video streaming) have found that the current advertising marketplace will not support continued free services. In order for such services to continue to be provided, companies must have a means of financially supporting their technology.
Professional sports such as Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association and the National Hockey League, as well as sports entities such as NASCAR, have already gone to a pay-to-listen model. Some collegiate athletic programs also chose this direction a year ago. It is not a surprise that we, too, must now take this step in order to maintain the level of dependable quality service that our fans have become accustomed to enjoying.
Why have you selected Yahoo! as your partner in this endeavor?
Yahoo!’s experience in Internet service is second to none. The company has also been a loyal and valued partner of Learfield/ISP Sports in the area of audio streaming the past three years. In fact, last year when other collegiate athletic programs first decided to use a pay-to-listen model, Yahoo! was willing to continue to provide streaming for our schools at no cost in order to be better prepared to make this changeover at this time.
Yahoo! brings vast experience in this industry and will be a reliable and cooperative partner
What programming will be included?
The same programming that has been provided in the past will be included in the subscription package. In most instances, this includes game broadcasts for football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and baseball (coverage does not include bowl games, NCAA Tournament games, or other post-season play). Call-in shows featuring the football and men’s basketball head coaches will also be offered, if they are a standard part of the Learfield/ISP Sports network programming. Additional selected audio features such as news conferences could be included as made available by the university.
Who receives the revenues?
Yahoo!, Learfield/ISP Sports and the university athletic programs involved in the pay-to-listen model will share in all revenues received from all subscribers and listeners. The percentage of payment to Learfield/ISP and the universities will be dependent upon three factors:
(A) the number of subscribers who enlist at each university’s website; (B) the number of times that all subscribers access that university’s programming; (C) the amount of time that all subscribers spend listening to the programming.
This way the university will benefit from both the quantity of subscribers that it brings into the program (through its website), as well as by the interest in its programming as measured by all listeners, even those who may not initially sign up via the university’s website.
What options are available to a subscriber?
Subscribers will have the opportunity to listen to their favorite team’s programming by signing up for one of the following options:
“SchoolPass“ – intended to satisfy the fan who may be interested in only one school or one sport (i.e., football for three months) as well as the fan who wants to receive all programming available. This package is available for a monthly fee of $4.95.
“College Pack” – for the fan who wants to receive the same programming available in “School Pass” but have access to all the major college athletic programs from around the country, over 100 college and Universities. This package is available for a monthly fee of $9.95.
How will users know how to find my school content?
There should be little change in this area. The school content will be accessible primarily through the official athletic website, but will also be promoted by Yahoo! more extensively than in the past. Coverage by school.
Is there any special software required for users to access the content?
No. All school broadcast content will be available in the Windows Media format, which is the same format that was used on Yahoo! this past school year and is the most widely available streaming format. If any users do not have this software already installed on their computer, Yahoo! provides a Media Helper that allows foolproof installation of the necessary software at no charge. Also, you can find system requirements on Yahoo! Sports help pages.
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Visit Yahoo! Sports College Broadcast Help if you have questions or are having problems with your audio stream.
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