With the kickoff to the college football season less than three weeks away, the Northeast Conference finally released its ESPN+ and regional TV selections. Various Northeastern regional sports networks will simulcast a pair of games alongside ESPN+.
Among the regional sports network partners is an ambitious new player in NESN 360, a subscription service offered by the New England Sports Network, the television partner of the Boston Bruins and Boston Red Sox. You can read more about the service here. In short, fans can access the content of New England's preeminent regional sports network without having to subscribe to Cable or an over-the-top service like YouTube TV or Hulu Live TV.
The addition of NEC football conveys a desire for NESN to stockpile inventory to give consumers the most value out of the $29.99/month cost. With this in mind, a partnership between Merrimack football and NESN 360 is a perfect match.
Less than a month before the season kicks off, Merrimack is still without a broadcast partner for its home football games. On the contrary, their fellow independent, Sacred Heart has a partnership with SNY, joining multiple Northeastern schools that simulcast games on the TV home of the New York Mets.
Why neither side has pursued an agreement defies logic. Beyond Merrimack needing a media partner, the Warriors have several home games pertinent to the New England region. Notably, Merrimack hosts a CAA school in Maine and an Ivy League school that NESN already partners with, Dartmouth. NESN has aired a pair of Big Green home games each year over the past three seasons and will air two more this season.
Airing a Dartmouth road game serves as cross-promotion for one of NESN's main collegiate attractions. Furthermore, Dartmouth is already one of the FCS' more impactful brands, being an Ivy League school. They have multiple Friday night games on ESPNU for a reason. NESN not airing these games on their new streaming service is bad business.
A NESN 360 partnership does little to attract the diehard college football fan who is likely already paying for a service to get every essential linear (traditional) TV channel. However, the partnership could expose the Warriors football program to Red Sox and Bruins fans who are casual college football fans. Being a lead-in for Red Sox and Bruins games is optimal exposure for Merrimack. NESN has a substantial presence in the region. An appearance on the network or its streaming service arguably brings the program more attention than an appearance on ESPN+, which Red Sox and Bruins fans are less likely to have.
It is past due for Merrimack to find a broadcast partner. They are far behind their independent rival and risk losing momentum the program gained during the Dan Curren era. A partnership with NESN 360 makes too much sense for both parties. In short, this partnership should have happened long ago.
