"ESPN Minus"

I signed up for ESPN+ because I loved NFL Primetime when it was on ESPN and because my Kansas State Wildcats were going to open Big 12 play this year against Oklahoma State and it was going to be 'televised' only on the +. So, I shelled out my $4.95 for the first month.

Verdict after 1.5 quarters of the game? It should be called ESPN- . 

The production values are terrible: no line to gain projected on the field, no pylon cam, no first down cam, no referee cap cam, no field goal live statistics. There are very few cameras being used which results in missed plays and few angles for replay. It is chintzy.

And, for your money, you get just as many commercials as you do with free television broadcasts. The ESPN- streaming is poor quality. Even though the game is in a second quarter lightning delay there have been at least a half-dozen times when the screen has frozen or broken up. And, they tried to sell me a one-year subscription when I logged in and there as no "No Thanks" button. I had to futz around to get out of that page.

The Big 12 Conference never should have stood for this. But, I have low expectations for them and they rarely disappoint. ESPN must think we are a bunch of rubes to have pulled this. If it were me, since they are asking people to pay plus watch commercials, I'd have made it a sparkling production.

So, I'll be cancelling ESPN- as soon as the game is over.

P.S. The lightning delay is one hour long. No audio announcement of when the game might resume. No character generator message. Cheap...cheap...cheap.

P.P.S. This is about 2 min. after the lightning delay ended. ESPN- should be refunding everyone's money. We missed a score during the "technical difficulties."

That's all, folks!