Lamar Joins The College Sports Pass!
Cardinals join more than 60 top colleges and universities in an exciting new digital media subscription service.
Dec. 17, 2004
COLLEGE SPORTS PASS: FAQ
• Why are you charging fans for something that used to be free?
• Why are you charging for access to live game audio while other schools still have free audio?
• Who delivers and supports the College Sports Pass?
• Why should I pay $6.95 when I only want to listen to one game? Isn't $6.95 awfully expensive?
• What do I get for the $6.95 each month?
• I am a donor; I already give the University money every year. Do I have to pay for this?
• What's the difference between the "College Sports Pass" and RealNetworks' "Superpass"?
• What are the system requirements for the RealOne Player?
• I own a Mac, can I still partake of College Sports Pass?
• I am trying to sign up online but I am having problems.
• I am a paid subscriber but I cannot access a game or programming.
• I am trying to download the RealOne player but I am having difficulties.
• I'm trying to listen to game audio but I'm not getting the game!
• I am logged in, but get "looped" through a sign-in page when I click a link!
Why are you charging fans for something that used to be free?
It's clear that requiring payment for access to live game audio and other multimedia is a departure from what in the past had been a free-to-user service. There are a number of factors that played into the decision to move to a pay model. As with other important decisions that affect alumni and fans, issues were carefully weighed before moving forward.
Based on accepted knowledge of where streaming media has come from, and where it is heading, a subscription model will best serve the athletic department, student-athletes, parents, alumni and fans. As with any change to an existing paradigm, some will question this decision; but as this product grows in depth and evolves into a new and exciting service, the athletic department's many supporters who are interested in this type of content will be pleased.
There are a number of reasons why a subscription product built around multimedia is being offered. Here are some of the top level issues:
First, the College Sports Pass product is in its second year with over 55 university, college and conference partners. There will be more live events, offered in a better format within the most advanced media player available. The programming offered in this package, as presented in such a robust manner, has real value.
In aligning with RealNetworks' College Sports Pass, the athletic department can now offer a better user experience beginning this season and beyond. Some exciting new features that you'll see include:
- Better quality audio and video
- More live and on-demand programming
- A school branded RealOne player that includes a web browser along with integrated gameday features like "GameTracker" for football and hoops
- Multiple access point customer support including seven-day-a-week phone support
Additionally, streaming broadcasts and hosting multimedia are expensive endeavors, and the advertisement-supported streaming model proved to be ineffective. The shift to this new model will allow athletic departments to operate successfully in this arena now and in the future. More than 50 athletic departments joined Yahoo!Broadcast's new audio subscription program known as Yahoo!Platinum; by 2004 most major Division I programs will present multimedia as premium programming. Also, sports leagues like Major League Baseball and the NBA, as well as leading media companies like ABC, CBS, CNN and Fox have already made the transition to the subscription model in the face of economic reality.
We recognize fans' desire to hear live game audio and experience other rich multimedia. And as access to the Internet and broadband availability increases, the demand for more game audio and other dynamic media also increases. Through College Sports Pass, fans receive this unique connection to the University.
Why are you charging for access to live game audio while other schools still have free audio?
More than 55 programs are now enlisted in the College Sports Pass and another 50+ joined a similar Yahoo!Broadcast subscription product in 2003. We believe that most colleges and universities will be using some form of subscription product for their multimedia content by the start of the next school year. We decided to shift into this model now rather than later. Having already made the transition, we can offer our fans this improved experience and broader media coverage. Further, subscriptions benefit the athletic department from a revenue standpoint, vice draining the athletics budget in an attempt to offer as many live events as possible and the best in multimedia production.
Who delivers and supports the College Sports Pass?
RealNetworks™ partners with members of the College Sports Online, Inc.™ to deliver College Sports Pass to fans of collegiate athletics worldwide.
RealNetworks is the market leader in digital media on the Internet and on corporate networks. In 1995, RealNetworks pioneered the mass medium of Internet broadcasting and has been meeting the 
challenges of digital media ever since. Today, thousands of the world's leading corporations, educational and governmental institutions, and media companies manage media creation, distribution and security with RealNetworks end-to-end systems technology. More than 285 million end-users in at work and at home use the company's popular RealOne Player and RealPlayer products.
Why should I pay $6.95 when I only want to listen to one game? Isn't $6.95 awfully expensive?
The goal of College Sports Pass is to present live game audio for a number of sports, in addition to compelling on-demand audio and video content. The initial payment options include the monthly fee and an annual option; based on feedback and user data, a pay-per-play system of payment may be instituted in the future. With the annual subscription price of $49.95, you effectively get almost 5 months free vs. the monthly price.
What do I get for the $6.95 each month?
In addition to live audio broadcasts of currently available sports, you will also have access to weekly coach's shows, press conferences, video highlights, practice or post-game clips and more. All of the programming will be available in the enhanced RealOne Player with better-quality delivery.
RealOne Player, which debuted in December 2001, provides consumers with everything they need to enjoy and organize their media, including the ability to stream and download, browse the Web, create CDs and use portable devices. RealOne Player offers consumers an immersive, breakthrough media experience uniting digital media and the Web.
In the future, College Sports Pass programming will expand even further with other exciting features and content that will be exclusive to subscribers.
I am a donor; I already give the University money every year. Do I have to pay for this?
Donations from University boosters in every form are essential to the success of our student-athletes and our program at large. We're extremely grateful for all contributions. However, contributions to the general scholarship fund or any other have no bearing or relation to the costs associated with game audio streaming or multimedia hosting. The College Sports Pass is a service funded by user subscriptions, and a portion of each subscription will contribute to the athletic department, as does the purchase of officially licensed merchandise.
What's the difference between the "College Sports Pass" and Real's "Superpass"?
The RealOne player is a gateway to a variety of premium programming. The College Sports Pass is one of the programming bundles offered to RealOne users. College Sports Pass includes live game audio and on-demand audio and video clips from over 55 universities and colleges.
RealOne SuperPass is a subscription service offering access to exclusive subscription-only content, including news, sports, and entertainment. You get to watch, listen, and enjoy it all with the Web's best media player, RealOne Player Plus. For an easy-to-use product summary, please visit http://www.real.com/realone/entitlements.html.
What are the system requirements for the RealOne Player?
RealOne Player Minimum System Requirements
- 233MHz Intel Pentium II processor
- 64MB of RAM
- 28.8Kpbs modem (audio only)
- 16-bit sound card and speakers
- 65,000-color video display card set to display at 800x600 (video)
- Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows 2000 ME Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 4 or later, Windows XP
- IE 5.0 or later
RealOne Player Recommended System Requirements
- 300 MHz Intel Pentium III processor or greater (supports simultaneous record/playback features)
- 128MB of RAM
- 56Kpbs modem
- Full Duplex sound card and speakers
- 65,000-color video display card set to display at 800x600 or higher (video)
- Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows 2000 ME Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 4 or later, Windows XP
- IE 5.0 or later
- Windows Media Player 6.0 or later
- QuickTime 4 or later
- If using Screen-Reader software: JAWS (v4.02 or greater recommended) or Window-Eyes (v4.21 or greater)
Legacy Versions of Real Player; may not be supported by RealNetworks. RealPlayer 8 is compatible with premium content delivery, but not all features will be supported.
I own a Mac, can I still partake of College Sports Pass?
Yes, but you must be on Mac OS 10.2 or later. Here are the system requirements for Mac users:
- Mac OS X 10.2 (with Safari installed) or later (10.3 or later recommended)
- 256 MB RAM (512 MB recommended)
- G3, G4, Mac OS X compatible
Here is the link to download the new RealOne Player beta for Mac OSX users:
RealOne for Macs
• MAC SUBSCRIBERS: if you have difficulty accessing College Sports Pass Content, please use this log in page:
Mac Log In
- I am trying to sign up online but I am having problems.
- I am a paid subscriber but I cannot access a game or programming.
- I am trying to download the RealOne player but I am having difficulties.
Please refer to RealNetworks' online support center: http://service.real.com/realplayer/
Call Customer Service if you are having questions about quality of service, cancellation or refunds. Telephone Customer Service is available in English and Spanish in North America at (866) 420-5833.
Monday, 9:00 am to 9:30 pm - Eastern Time
Tuesday - Friday, 9:00 am to 9:00 pm - Eastern Time
Saturday, 10:30 am to 8:00 pm - Eastern Time
Sunday, 10:30 am to 9:00 pm - Eastern Time
Call Technical Help if you are having technical problems installing or using RealOne Player. Technical Help is available by phone in English and Spanish in North America at 206-674-2680.
Monday - Friday, 9:00 am to 9:00 pm - Eastern Time
Saturday - Sunday, 10:30 am to 8:00 pm - Eastern Time
I'm trying to listen to live game audio, but I'm not getting the game!
There are a number of factors involved with delivering live game audio; if you're not hearing a game that should have started, you can email Official College Sports Networks' media team at broadcast@collegesports.com. It's very likely we're already working on the problem, and we'll email you back with the status of our troubleshooting efforts. We work with school and radio station personnel onsite at the live events, and Real Broadcast Networks personnel at Broadcast Operations to resolve any issues during a live event.
I am logged in, but get "looped" through a sign-in page when I click a link!
If you log in, click a link and keep getting a "this content is part of a subscription service" page in your RealPlayer, then you are experiencing a "loop" issue. This usually has to do with security and cookie settings in Internet Explorer and your RealPlayer.
To fix the problem, you should open your RealPlayer and go to the "Tools" menu in the top right corner. Then select the "Preferences" option on the menu and then select the "Internet/Privacy" subheading on the window that opens. On the right side of the window is a series of check boxes. One of them is labeled "Enable RealPlayer Cookies." That boxed needs to have a check in it.
From there, you will want to make sure your security settings in Internet Explorer are set no higher than medium. To do that, you'll need to open an IE browser and click on the "Tools" menu near the top left. From that menu, select "Internet Options" and then click on the "Security" tab of the window that pops open. On the "Security" tab is a sliding bar that affects the level of security your browser provides from the Internet. This setting should be set at "medium-low." This will allow your login cookie to be placed on your computer.
Once you have done this, login using the "Help" menu in your RealPlayer and then click your desired College Sports Pass link. If you still encounter trouble, please call RealNetworks technical support.
