The Illini men are out west this weekend, playing the final two games of the Las Vegas Invitational Tournament. Both games are available for viewing at HoopTV.net — $7 for one or $10 for both.
Spoiled fans are grumbling about paying for access. The alternative, as in past years, is listening to the radio (if you live in certain parts of Illinois) or just reading about the game afterward.
I got in touch with the guys behind HoopTV.net, and they explained that the networks weren’t interested in coordinating Vegas coverage.
“The schools themselves, including Illinois, looked into doing linear television for the games,” added Mark Owens, the CEO of HoopTV, “but the cost of trucks, crews and other associated expenditures became too great for it to be viable even for them.”
Owens compares the present model to i-Tunes, but hopes to move to a 100% advertiser-supported model (i.e. free) in the future.