Shut out at Simmons: No TV, no streaming for Hogs on Saturday

Arkansas’ Davonte Davis defends a shot during the Razorbacks’ loss to Hofstra at Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock last season. The Hogs return to the arena Saturday to take on Bradley and the game will not be televised or streamed.
(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Stephen Swofford)
Arkansas’ Davonte Davis defends a shot during the Razorbacks’ loss to Hofstra at Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock last season. The Hogs return to the arena Saturday to take on Bradley and the game will not be televised or streamed. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Stephen Swofford)

FAYETTEVILLE -- If you want to watch the No. 10 Arkansas Razorbacks play Bradley at 3 p.m. on Saturday, you need to be in Simmons Bank Arena in North Little Rock.

Only those attending the game -- which has been announced as a sellout for the 18,000-seat venue -- will be able to watch it.

That's because there will be no telecast or streaming of the game in any form.

As continues to be the case since the SEC Network was formed in 2014, the only University of Arkansas basketball game this season that won't be televised or available on the internet or through streaming platforms is the one played in North Little Rock.

The game was not selected to be televised by any of the SEC's network partners, but because it falls within the SEC Network rights classified as an Arkansas home game, it isn't eligible to be broadcast by a third party.

Arkansas' four exhibitions played in August in Spain and Italy were available to be streamed by FloSports because the SEC didn't control the rights to those games.

"Not all of our games in Bud Walton Arena get picked up for television," Arkansas Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek said. "But we have our own production facility built into Bud Walton Arena. We have our own cameras, we have our own crew there."

Arkansas spent $7 million before the SEC Network's launch in August 2014 to provide television capabilities at all of its sports venues to a studio and control room built in Walton Arena, according to an athletics department budget report.

That's why the Razorbacks' first three games this season in Walton Arena against North Dakota State, Fordham and South Dakota State were streamed live on SEC Network-Plus.

Every Arkansas game since then and for the rest of the season -- other than Saturday -- has been or will be televised on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, CBS or the SEC Network.

But Arkansas doesn't have the capability to independently produce a television broadcast from North Little Rock, according to UA officials.

"In order to broadcast or stream a game [from Simmons Bank Arena], there would be a significant expense -- several thousand dollars," Yurachek said. "You'd have to rent a production truck, hire a crew to come in and do the game and then put it on the SEC Network or ESPN-Plus.

"There's not a third party that could come in and do that like Cox or a local television station because the SEC owns those rights."

Yurachek said he knows some fans are upset about Saturday's game not being available to watch on TV or streaming.

"I don't know how many people across the state are going to miss seeing the game who, if it were available, would tune in Saturday at 3 o'clock," he said. "I don't know if that's hundreds, I don't know if that's thousands.

"I do know there are a vocal few that have expressed their disappointment in the game not being on [TV or streamed]. But I think many also are understanding of why that's the case."

Arkansas is playing a game in Simmons Bank Arena for the 23rd time since the 1999-2000 season.

The only seasons in that span when the Razorbacks didn't play in North Little Rock were in 2000-01, when a game wasn't scheduled there, and in the 2020-21 season because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Yurachek said Arkansas plans to continue to play one game each season in North Little Rock for the foreseeable future.

"I understand that with Saturday's game being sold out, access is limited, and then we have our fans here in Northwest Arkansas that might not be able to be there," Yurachek said. "But it's just an unavoidable challenge right now as long as we continue to play there."

Yurachek said he believes the benefit of playing in North Little Rock is more meaningful than one of 31 regular-season games not being available for television or streaming.

"This game is sold out, so there's obviously interest from people in the central part of the state and surrounding areas to come and watch the Razorbacks play in person," Yurachek said. "We are touching a part of our Razorback fanbase that most likely doesn't have an opportunity to come here to Bud Walton Arena -- where every game is sold out -- in person.

"So I think that the positive of allowing another 12,000 to 15,000 people to see the Razorbacks in person, who otherwise couldn't, outweighs the fact there also are fans that want to watch this game on TV, but aren't able to do that in this one instance."


UP NEXT

No. 10 Arkansas men vs. Bradley

WHEN 3 p.m. Saturday

WHERE Simmons Bank Arena, North Little Rock

RECORDS Arkansas 9-1, Bradley 7-3

TV None

RADIO Razorback Sports Network

TICKETS Game announced as a sellout

 



  photo  Coach Eric Musselman reacts during last season’s loss to Hofstra. Saturday’s game in North Little Rock is a sellout, but only fans in the arena will be able to see it. (Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Stephen Swofford)
 
 


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