Can someone tell me how the NCAA's deal with flotrack isn't in direct violation of the NCAA's own written policy?

They are offering a 7 day free trial during this week. This lets them off the hook.

I understand that most of this board is not smart enough to navigate the free offer but that doesn't mean that it is not out there.

Good try. Mr. Click Bait (Rojo)

You mad bro?

NCAA got paid.. it is all good.

I'll join the class action lawsuit. Of course we have to wait until after the meet to file if it isn't available to us for FREE.

I think it is worth $5 to watch the meet if I did have to pay so triple that because of my mental anguish and suffering and that would be $15 a viewer. If we can get a couple hundred thousand to join, ($3,000,000) that would probably put those clowns out of business.

Why can't they ignore their own policy? Maybe it's just like a business meeting voting to suspend standing rules in a given case.

So tonight, I stumble upon the NCAA media page.http://www.ncaa.com/mediaOn that page, under "DIGITAL RIGHTS OVERVIEW", there is a page entitled "Live Video Streaming Rights Policy" which you can find here.http://i.turner.ncaa.com/sites/default/files/images/2016/10/11/2016-17_live_video_streaming_rights_policy.pdfThe document indicates that Turner Sports Interactive holds the rights to all broadcasts not covered by a tv entity like ESPN/CBS. It says that if Turner awards the online rights for an NCAA championship to an outside entity that that entity must do the following.

The NCAA says :

Upon Turner granting the right to produce, display and distribute a live online video stream of Event Coverage to You (the “Streaming Entity”), the Streaming Entity agrees to the following terms and conditions:

6.. Free-to-User: The Streaming Entity agrees to deliver the live video stream of the Event Coverage FREE to all users. The Streaming Entity further agrees that no video streaming rights shall be granted or will be permitted as part of a subscription package. If the Streaming Entity normally uses a subscription package to broadcast video streams, the link to the stream of the Event Coverage must be separate from the subscription package and may not require any login or other user information.

To watch NCAAs, you must sign up for flotrack and login. How is that not a direct violation of this policy?

What am I missing?

I think you are right. Flotrack is in violation.

See you tomorrow wrote:

They are offering a 7 day free trial during this week. This lets them off the hook.

I understand that most of this board is not smart enough to navigate the free offer but that doesn't mean that it is not out there.

Good try. Mr. Click Bait (Rojo)

Can you not read? The document says you can't require a login or make it part of a subscription package. Flotrack does both. To watch NCAAs,, you have to login and sign up for a subscription package that costs $19.99 per month recurring of $149.99 yearly recurring.

Plus the free trial is only good for thos who who haven't signed up in the past.

So it's clearly not free to all and it requires a log in.

Good work Rojo. For those of us that are upset, my suggestion is to get practical. Get in touch with important points of contact with Turner and ESPN, CBS etc and let them know that in effect their rights are being infringed. Tip off competitors, too, of Flomedia or whatever the parent company is.

Look, Flotrack is insulting us hard working Americans who struggle for the money and bust our butts and have to abide by the rules. These jerkoffs skirt licensing and broadcasting rules (this is not the first such controversy) with impunity and only for their own selfish gain.

No mercy for them.

More like, if you can find a couple dozen.

NCAA got paid, bro.. it's all good.

I got to hand it to you, Rojo, I think you nailed it this time. This really is some BS.

Probably minimum points to Mike Floreani or whatever his name is. But points nonetheless. Found the pseudo-monopolized equilibrium in an inferior market. Like Walmart the name and sales on dryer sheets and gum. Outbid for temporary control. Next year is still open.

It appeared to me that Flotrack was offering a 7 day free trial which covered the NCAA Championship.

sayer of you mad bro wrote:

More like, if you can find a couple dozen.

NCAA got paid, bro.. it's all good.

That's the funny thing. From my reading of the document, it says the rights fee is just $1,000. So the NCAA has pissed off thousands of parents and fans for 1k.

Term 14 gives Flotrack the ability to agree with the NCAA & Turner Sports Interactive on a superseding agreement that would give them the right to put the broadcast behind their paywall. Such an agreement could mean the fee was larger than the $1,000 stipulated in 4a.

Is this situation shitty for the sport's long-term interests? Undoubtedly. But assuming there is a separate agreement (not necessarily available to the public), nothing illegal about it.

Mizner wrote:Is this situation shitty for the sport's long-term interests?

Naaah, bro. It's all about next month's cash flow. 10 paying fans > 100 freeloaders.

Possibly a great find Rojo. Keep pushing it. Obviously too late for today, but maybe Flotrack could be forced to post a free link later.

Get ugly!!!!

start tweeting at flotrack and ncaa lets bombard them until someone gives some answers, this is ridiculous for them to go against their own policy.

i really want to watch this race and almost broke down to chance the free trial but just can't bring myself to put my credit card info into their system especially after the whole porn hack fiasco that was all over their facebook a few weeks ago

If one of the goals is to expose the sport to more people, then either signing up for a free 7 day trial or paying $19 isn't going to accomplish that. I know people who don't follow xc won't care much about watching it for free or not, but it's the principle of the NCAA allowing Flotrack this option that doesn't sit right with me.

Thank you for bringing this up and looking at this. I guess NCAA's are just getting into the money these days.