​The Mountain West Conference rolled out its new direct-to-consumer platform, MW+, this week. The days of free access to conference-hosted games and events on the Mountain West website are behind us, as the app-based subscription brings higher production standards for all member schools and creates revenue opportunities for the universities themselves. For the University of New Mexico, that could translate into extra funds if past streaming numbers for Lobo games and events are any indication of future subscriptions.
“We are excited about the launch of MW+ and our fan base should be as well,” UNM Athletic Director Ryan Berryman told The Journal in a text about the new subscription format and app. “Lobo fans have historically demonstrated outstanding viewership on the former Mountain West Network, and now they can look forward to new content, improved broadcast quality, and greater functionality on MW+.” He added that our broadcast team, led by the creativity and expertise of Chase Christiansen, is already hard at work exploring ways to generate fresh content for the fan base.
Some fans have been confused by references to a Mountain West app or channel on Amazon Prime, but there will be no new content available outside the subscription app, which limits usage to two devices. Subscriptions cost $79.99 per year or $10.99 per month, with an introductory three-month discount of $67.99 (15% off) for annual plans if purchased by September. The Journal reviewed the process and noted a larger early-bird discount of 20% for those who joined MW+ via the league’s early newsletter before the July 1 launch, bringing the total one-year cost to $75.76 ($63.99 subscription, $5.37 in taxes, and $6.40 in “service fees”).
Game content on MW+ will include Mountain West-hosted events not already televised by the league’s primary media partners, CBS Sports and Fox Sports. The new platform could also feature coaches’ shows, player-hosted podcasts, and possibly weekly or post-game news conferences streamed on MW+ instead of UNM’s GoLobos.com and YouTube pages in the past (postgame press conferences for men’s basketball will still be available through The Journal, though not for other sports). UNM has already released social media teasers for a podcast called “Two PGs in a Pod,” hosted by Lobo women’s basketball point guard Laila Abdurraqib and men’s basketball point guard Uriah Tenette—an episode that will be available on the app.
The Mountain West launched MW+ on Wednesday, the same day it introduced a revised roster of full and sport-specific members, following the departure of five schools—Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State, and Utah State—to form a new conference.