Like last year, every Lehigh broadcast in 2017 will have a the live broadcast on ESPN Radio of the Lehigh Valley. If you're in Bethlehem, the broadcasts can be heard on AM 1160, AM 1230 and AM 1320, and from their website, you can always access a live stream of their broadcasts anywhere in the world.
And like last year, Service Electric Channel 2 will be carrying all of Lehigh's home games with the exception of the 153rd meeting of The Rivalry vs. Lafayette. That game will be carried on WFMZ Channel 69.
Following college football teams in the current media landscape can sometimes feel like a maze of different providers and sources, and in the 2017 season, getting the whole picture is sometimes a bit tricky. Below the flip, I'll try to offer some clarity.
Last season, many Lehigh games were streamed online by the Patriot League Network, powered by Campus Insiders. And for home games, it was identical to the broadcasts available locally on Service Electric 2 and WFMZ.
These productions were always broadcast over the internet on their website, and occasionally on Twitter.
On occasion, some of these broadcasts would additionally also be distributed through regular TV via an entity called the American Sports Network. Probably the best way to describe ASN was as a loose confederation of small broadcast TV stations across the country, who would choose from a buffet of ASN games available to them each weekend, and occasionally some would pick Lehigh's games.
This offseason, this relationship has changed.
Earlier this year, Campus Insiders, the American Sports Network and a company called 120 Sports merged to form a brand-new company called Stadium.
"Stadium is a new sports network featuring live and on-demand games, original programming and highlights, the "Coming Soon" website says.
A Forbes article says that Stadium is "launching with the intention of featuring exclusive live and on-demand sport events, original programming and live studio programming, as well as delivering highlights on both broadcast and digital-first channels such as Twitter," the article says. "The next part of the launch will be in August, when Stadium shifts to a true 24-hour, seven day per week broadcast. [Dan] Scalia, senior VP of revenue, refers to Stadium as a digital-first business that will extend into TV through digital antenna devices."
More details into Stadium came from Conference USA's media day, whose digital rights were owned by Campus Insiders last season.
"Former partner Campus Insiders streamed games last season live on Twitter, completely free," The Bowling Green News reported. "Those efforts will be increased this year through Stadium. Games will also be broadcast on over-the-air channels that previously aired American Sports Network content."
So what does that mean for the old Patriot League Network?
Well, the digital rights held by American Sports Network by ASN and Campus Insiders are now all owned by Stadium, and it seems like it's going to be the same operation under a different corporate banner. Will Stadium broadcasts and/or streams be done via their own webpage, be done on Twitter, Netflix, Yahoo, Amazon Video or all of the above? Until the Patriot League gives their conference call in August to preview the upcoming season, those details will probably not leak out.
What is a certainty is that Campus Insiders have been a great partner for the Patriot League overall in terms of video content and digital streaming. When they signed their original deal for internet broadcasts in 2013, it was hardly a foregone conclusion that streaming live sports over the internet was going to win over TV broadcasts. Now, as a part of Stadium's huge portfolio of sports, Patriot League broadcasts have leverage they would have never, ever had negotiating as one conference or even school by school.
September 2nd: Villanova at Lehigh, Goodman Stadium, Bethlehem, PA
12:30 PM
ESPN Radio: 1160/1230/1320, ESPNLV.com
TV: Service Electric 2
Stream: Stadium
September 9th: Lehigh at Monmouth, Kessler Field, Monmouth, NJ
1:00 PM
ESPN Radio: 1160/1230/1320, ESPNLV.com
TV: None
Stream: ESPN3
12:30 PM
ESPN Radio: 1160/1230/1320, ESPNLV.com
TV: Service Electric 2
Stream: Stadium
September 23rd: Penn at Lehigh, Goodman Stadium, Bethlehem, PA
12:30 PM
ESPN Radio: 1160/1230/1320, ESPNLV.com
TV: Service Electric 2
Stream: Stadium
September 30th: Lehigh at Wagner, Hameline Field, Staten Island, NY
Kickoff TBD
ESPN Radio: 1160/1230/1320, ESPNLV.com
TV: None
Stream: (None listed yet, but last season Wagner home games were streamed on NEC Front Row.)
October 7th: Lehigh at Colgate, Andy Kerr Stadium, Colgate, NY
1:00 PM
ESPN Radio: 1160/1230/1320, ESPNLV.com
TV: Possibly through Stadium-associated TV stations
Stream: Stadium
October 14th: Georgetown at Lehigh, Goodman Stadium, Bethlehem, PA
12:30 PM
ESPN Radio: 1160/1230/1320, ESPNLV.com
TV: Service Electric 2
Stream: Stadium
October 28th: Lehigh at Fordham, Coffey Field, Bronx, NY
1:00 PM
ESPN Radio: 1160/1230/1320, ESPNLV.com
TV: Possibly through Stadium-associated TV stations
Stream: Stadium
November 4th: Lehigh at Bucknell, Christy Matthewson Stadium, Lewisburg, PA
12:00 PM
ESPN Radio: 1160/1230/1320, ESPNLV.com
TV: Possibly through Stadium-associated TV stations
Stream: Stadium
November 11th: Holy Cross at Lehigh, Goodman Stadium, Bethlehem, PA
12:30 PM
ESPN Radio: 1160/1230/1320, ESPNLV.com
TV: Service Electric 2
Stream: Stadium
November 18th: Lafayette at Lehigh, 153rd Meeting of The Rivary, Goodman Stadium, Bethlehem, PA
12:30 PM
ESPN Radio: 1160/1230/1320, ESPNLV.com
TV: WFMZ and possibly Stadium-associated TV stations
Stream: Stadium
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