My daughter and I will be there, sec 205, row 6. We had season tix years ago but the kids have gotten older and are busy on the weekends with their own activities. Life’s priorities have changed and it’s hard to make it over now, but we’re free and $18 was way too good of a deal to pass up. Hopefully MS is packed and Illini-nation gets out and support this team to the fullest.
Michigan State (Nov. 5th) & Purdue (Nov. 12th) Games
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Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
I have posted about this elsewhere, but in essence ... your game time and channel are about 1 million times more important for your TV ratings than anything else. Here are our ratings so far:
512k vs. Wyoming - 3:00 pm on BTN
965k at Indiana - 7:00 pm (Friday) on FS1
159k vs. Virginia - 3:00 pm on ESPNU ... this channel is a ratings GRAVEYARD
176k vs. Chattanooga - 7:30 pm (Thursday) on BTN
573k at Wisconsin - 11:00 am on BTN
855k vs. Iowa - 6:30 pm on BTN
Minnesota was obviously an 11:00 am BTN game, and it competed with a massively hyped Michigan/PSU game on FOX ... so if we pull anything close to those Iowa or even Wisconsin ratings, I will consider it a massive win. While those ratings don't look great, they actually compare well with other "big fan base/good draw" teams in our own conference who have been placed in similar time slots on BTN or FS1 ... for example, PSU drew 628k for a 12:00 pm EST game against Central Michigan on BTN, and Wisconsin drew under 500k (i.e., worse than our Wyoming game) for both of its games on BTN this year vs. Illinois State and New Mexico State.
Conversely, when we actually played on decent channels last year, we got pretty good ratings - 3.77 million at Penn State when we played at 11:00 am on ABC and 3.22 million when we played Nebraska at 12:00 pm on FOX to open the season. Those were both in line with what those schools drew other games, so no big Illini drop-off. We have the following opportunities to really see if the Illini can be the TV draw that I believe they can be this season:
at Nebraska (2:30 pm on ABC/ESPN)
vs. Michigan State ... on this weekend, the "big draws" play kind of crappy games - OSU at NU, MICH at RUT and PSU at IU ... I think there is a good chance we at least avoid BTN or FS1.
vs. Purdue ... Another week weekend in the Big Ten, and the only "ratings rivals" games are Iowa/Wisconsin and Michigan/Nebraska. The former has WAY less appeal than most years, and the potential stakes of the Illini/Purdue game (if we can both keep winning...) just might outweigh the traditional appeal of Michigan/Nebraska. This has the potential to be another ABC/ESPN game or maybe even FOX...
at Michigan ... Unless one of us REALLY messes up in the meantime, you would think this is practically guaranteed to be primetime viewing, as things stand now...
at Northwestern ... given the other ACTUAL rivalries going on that weekend, this one is likely destined for a crap time on BTN or FS1 (or, God forbid, ESPNU), and any quality ratings we can deliver will be genuinely impressive.
Can't wait for the flash sale vs. Purdue of $1 tickets to celebrate our No. 1 ranking. I'd settle for $10 tix to celebrate our No. 10 ranking. Then we'll get our sellout.
blackdog
- Champaign
I've been buying my tickets early and missed the last two flash sales. Now I'm holding off to see if there is going to be one last one!
Trying to dodge those $75 prices
ChiefGritty
- Chicago, IL
They wouldn't and shouldn't do this, but how funny would it be if they had a rolling offer where the next game's tickets cost as many dollars as points our previous opponent can put on our defense?
Mr. Tibbs
- southeast DuPage
maybe offer 1000 tickets in that way starting at noon on Sunday. first come first served . why not ?
skyIdub
Winged Warrior
To me this is marketing gold. Not only are you promoting the next game with the lure of a flash sale at opponents score...now more are tuning in....or attending the game with more interest.
227 row 1. Maybe that section was loud but overall I did not feel the stadium was as loud as it was back in 2007 against PSU/Wisconsin/etc.
Ransom Stoddard
Ordained Dudeist Priest
- Bloomington, IL
Re: the sit/stand argument--there's truth on both sides of this. I'm all in favor of standing when it makes sense to stand. I'm getting a little bit older, a little bit more stiff and sore, so I can neither stand the whole time nor sit the whole time.
A related observation--I saw someone come into my section last Saturday to sit with friends and was quite literally yelling "why is no one standing up?!!?!!?"--during a TV timeout. Even funnier is that one of the guys in the group he sits with is always standing, but got upset at a couple of young women for standing in the aisle in front of him while he happened to be sitting. Schadenfreud.
So to the point--if the game's exciting, the team needs some noise, etc.--get on your feet, I'll be on mine. But standing (or sitting) just to stir the isht gets in the way of the goodwill we can all share.
A related observation--I saw someone come into my section last Saturday to sit with friends and was quite literally yelling "why is no one standing up?!!?!!?"--during a TV timeout. Even funnier is that one of the guys in the group he sits with is always standing, but got upset at a couple of young women for standing in the aisle in front of him while he happened to be sitting. Schadenfreud.
So to the point--if the game's exciting, the team needs some noise, etc.--get on your feet, I'll be on mine. But standing (or sitting) just to stir the isht gets in the way of the goodwill we can all share.
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
As an ad man, that's beautiful
I get it. It’ll be release no later than 13 days before the game. 11 is my guess
TheFlyingIllini1317
- Chicago, IL
The Horseshoe looks to be best
Attachments
Dan
Admin
The contact info they provide is athleticeventstaff@illinois.edu or 1-866-455-4641 ..more info on this page-
https://fightingillini.com/sports/2022/8/11/football_accessible-services.aspx?path=football
Stevegarbs
- Mokena, IL
2 seats Section 203 Row 19. My first return to the East Balcony since I think Dad's Day 1982.
lstewart53x3
- Scottsdale, Arizona
Tickets purchased.
Flights booked.
See you all the Purdue game.
Or should I say the B1G West Semi-Final?
Flights booked.
See you all the Purdue game.
Or should I say the B1G West Semi-Final?
I have a couple friends that require wheelchair seating, and they often say it’s ridiculous to even try via the website. There are great seats available in the horseshoe for those who need accessible seats, but I think you need to actually contact the office via phone call.
Not sure what other help I can give. Sorry!
That is awesome man and thank you so much for your service!
I sincerely hope you and your son have a great time at the game.I've never paid much attention to the ticket map before these last couple of games, but from the looks of it, there appear to only be a few thousand tickets left for the MSU game. If they announce a solid game time (2:30?), I don't think it will be sold out, but it'll be enough that it will look great on TV. Kudos to the DIA for finally making some decisions to get people in the stands supporting this team!
Level of boredom in a meeting…..1280 seats remaining! +\- a few!
Fighter of the Nightman
- Chicago, IL
Update on the previous ratings conversation ... a decent rating of 619k for Illinois/Minnesota, considering it was on BTN and battling against Michigan/Penn State, with the latter getting a whopping 6.45 million viewers.
Also, fun food for thought. Obviously, football drives the bus, but I think people underrate basketball TV ratings. I get it isn't apples-to-oranges as far as regular season vs. postseason, but just look at where some Illini basketball games from the past few years rank in terms of this past week's blockbuster football ratings:
11.56 million for #3 Alabama at #9 Tennessee
6.45 million for #10 Penn State at #5 Michigan
6.16 million for (8) Loyola Chicago vs. (1) Illinois in the 2021 NCAAT Second Round
3.68 million for #9 Ohio State vs. #2 Illinois in the 2021 BTT Championship Game
3.38 million for #4 Clemson at Florida State
2.89 million for #5 Iowa vs. #2 Illinois in the 2021 BTT Semifinals
2.46 million for LSU at Florida
2.45 million for Wisconsin at Michigan State
2.35 million for Iowa State at #22 Texas
1.59 million for #15 Illinois at Michigan in the 2022 NCAAB regular season
1.21 million for Kansas at Oklahoma
Only real point here, of course, is that while football WAY outdraws basketball overall, the big-time basketball games can indeed bring in viewers comparable to football audiences. Additionally, last year's Georgia/Alabama CFP Championship Game drew 22 million, with 19 million tuning in for the previous year's Alabama/OSU game. That isn't that much more than last year's NCAAB Final, which drew 17 million (Duke/UNC drew 18 million in the Final Four), and past games like UNC/Gonzaga (23M in 2017) and Duke/Wisconsin (28M in 2015) way outdrew that. For those interested, our 2005 game drew 24 million viewers.
Sorry about the rant, haha, but basketball matters a bit more than people think for TV, IMO. It will never match football's importance, but I don't think you'll ever see a Clemson or Oregon be picked up because of their football revenues and TV ratings alone ... way more to the equation.
Also, fun food for thought. Obviously, football drives the bus, but I think people underrate basketball TV ratings. I get it isn't apples-to-oranges as far as regular season vs. postseason, but just look at where some Illini basketball games from the past few years rank in terms of this past week's blockbuster football ratings:
11.56 million for #3 Alabama at #9 Tennessee
6.45 million for #10 Penn State at #5 Michigan
6.16 million for (8) Loyola Chicago vs. (1) Illinois in the 2021 NCAAT Second Round
3.68 million for #9 Ohio State vs. #2 Illinois in the 2021 BTT Championship Game
3.38 million for #4 Clemson at Florida State
2.89 million for #5 Iowa vs. #2 Illinois in the 2021 BTT Semifinals
2.46 million for LSU at Florida
2.45 million for Wisconsin at Michigan State
2.35 million for Iowa State at #22 Texas
1.59 million for #15 Illinois at Michigan in the 2022 NCAAB regular season
1.21 million for Kansas at Oklahoma
Only real point here, of course, is that while football WAY outdraws basketball overall, the big-time basketball games can indeed bring in viewers comparable to football audiences. Additionally, last year's Georgia/Alabama CFP Championship Game drew 22 million, with 19 million tuning in for the previous year's Alabama/OSU game. That isn't that much more than last year's NCAAB Final, which drew 17 million (Duke/UNC drew 18 million in the Final Four), and past games like UNC/Gonzaga (23M in 2017) and Duke/Wisconsin (28M in 2015) way outdrew that. For those interested, our 2005 game drew 24 million viewers.
Sorry about the rant, haha, but basketball matters a bit more than people think for TV, IMO. It will never match football's importance, but I don't think you'll ever see a Clemson or Oregon be picked up because of their football revenues and TV ratings alone ... way more to the equation.
Can't trust the maps as they hold some seats back - at least that's what it appeared like last week - as I was closely monitoring availability. In other words, they do a phased release of seats. Perhaps the approach is to fill best TV sight lines first?
Tickets went fast for MSU. I looked at 9 AM yesterday and there was space still everywhere. Bought 4 at 9 PM and could barely get in the East Balcony. Definitely gonna hit 50k, maybe even 55k for this one.
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