This is a follow-up to an article from November 2012.
With the new Pac-12 Network on the air and on more cable and satellite systems, and thanks to new contracts with both ESPN and Fox, there's more Pac-12 basketball on TV this year. It's now a rarity for a Cardinal or Bears tip-off not to be on the tube somewhere. That's the good news.
The not-so-good news is that the Fox deal is a continuation of the FSN package with contests on Thursdays and Saturdays. And in case you haven't heard, FSN events are no longer available on CSN's two channels. The NBC-run sports outlets quietly dropped FSN programs back in August.
College football games produced by FSN on Saturdays last fall aired on KICU channel 36. But no one has picked up Pac-12 basketball.
That means fans in the Bay Area can only watch FSN-produced hoops on Fox College Sports Pacific, which is not widely known nor available.
That includes both Cal's matchups at the LA schools this week, the Bears at Stanford on January 19, and another five contests featuring our local squads.
This unfortunate situation is compounded by the fact that the CSNs could use Pac-12 hoops right about now to make up for the absence of Sharks hockey.
But Stanford and Cal fans can take heart: There are an overwhelming number of games on the Pac-12 Network along with the ESPNs to make up for the FSN debacle. And Pac-12 is now available on Dish Network and Astound Cable, though still not on DirecTV nor Uverse.
So in the area of sports TV contracts, you win some, you lose some. It's just too bad that the Bay Area loses more than other Pac-12 locales.
Next time, a look at this year's WCC hoops on TV.
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