Some cable operators balk at NFL Network - New England Patriots Forums

***pats1*** · 11-21-2006, 05:45 PM

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/200...ml?eref=si_nfl

Quote:

Cable operators balk at NFL Network

Posted: Tuesday November 21, 2006 6:00PM; Updated: Tuesday November 21, 2006 6:00PM

NEW YORK (AP) -- The NFL will air the first of eight live pro football games on its own network on Thanksgiving. But they won't be available to many viewers across the country because the league hasn't reached carriage agreements with several major cable operators.

The eight games -- beginning with Thursday's matchup of the Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs -- will be available on local broadcasters, satellite TV and a number of other cable systems that do carry the NFL Network. But that totals only about 40 million of the nation's 111.4 million households with TVs.

Most notable among the cable companies that haven't reached deals with the National Football League are No. 2 operator Time Warner Cable, which is a unit of the media conglomerate Time Warner Inc.; Cablevision Systems Corp., a New York-area provider; and Charter Communications Inc. Time Warner, for its part, says it's highly unlikely a deal will be reached in time for the first game.

Comcast Corp., the largest cable company in the country, has carried the network for two years, but as part of a premium-tier sports package ordered by only about 7 million of its 24 million subscribers. Time Warner says it's balking at a demand from NFL that the network be carried on the most widely available basic service lineup.

In case you haven't heard yet, my cable operator is Charter, which dropped the NFLN last December. The NFL Network just continues to piss more people off, and I don't think having the Thanksgiving games is going to change anything.

CrazyDave · 11-21-2006, 06:24 PM

I'm on time-warner in western mass, and they pulled it in sept or so.
They suck.

Murphys95 · 11-21-2006, 06:57 PM

I have Comcast down here and had the NFL Network all Winter as part of a sports teir. Frankly it wasn't worth the price, so I dumped it in the offseason. No regrets.

brady2brown · 11-21-2006, 07:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Murphys95

I have Comcast down here and had the NFL Network all Winter as part of a sports teir. Frankly it wasn't worth the price, so I dumped it in the offseason. No regrets.

High Def humongous TV = $2200

Comcast digital service and box + cable internet = about $100 a month

Cost of adding NFL Network (and other channels) to cable lineup = $5 a month

Ability to listen to pre-and post-game analysis without even having to hear Michael Irvin's voice = priceless

***T-ShirtDynasty*** · 11-21-2006, 07:11 PM

And mine is Time Warner.

Just a few weeks ago I was called by Time Warner to sell me their LD Phone service. I asked the guy if I could ask him TV questions, or was he just a 'phone guy' ... he said hang on and he'd transfer me to a manager.

Ahhh, it was time for my bi-monthly NFL Network rant at Time Warner.

This time, half way through my rant, the manager I was speaking to interupted me and said, "Look, here's the deal with NFL Network. They don't want us to charge for their network, they want us to add it as a regular digital channel with no extra premium. We want to at least bundle it as part of an extra-charge sports package to offset the cost. They won't go for it. We can bundle it, be we also have to have it in our regular line-up, and we won't do that."

I thought I smelled bulls#*t on what he was saying, but I guess I was wrong.

(FYI: I told him to put down that I would gladly pay for the NFL Network, but no way in hell I'm buying a whole premium sports package for it. I'd switch to the dish first.)

fitch · 11-21-2006, 07:26 PM

Screw Charter.....I switched to Directv after having Charter and have been very happy. I even took down a tree to get the signal. Believe me it has been worth it.

lobster · 11-21-2006, 08:01 PM

The NFL Network seems to be a formula for making a lot of fans very angry. It's a sign of how greedy the NFL owners have become.

***T-ShirtDynasty*** · 11-21-2006, 08:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lobster

It's a sign of how greedy the NFL owners have become.

Why, because they want me to have it as part of my basic line-up, along with ESPN etc and not have to pay a premium for it?

BradfordPatsFan · 11-21-2006, 08:46 PM

Cable companies are now fighting this same battle with ESPN over ESPNU. College Sports Television (CSTV) is available through cable, so, ESPN argues, why isn't our college station?

Some of the BCS conferences are having games aired on ESPNU in both football and hoops and the games are only available through various dish providers and a scant few cable companies. ESPN will allow the games on ESPN and ESPN2 to be aired on their online packages but the ESPNU games are not available in that medium. The thought is to frustrate the customers to the point where they pressure cable companies to add the station.

tkayo · 11-21-2006, 10:05 PM

I subscribe to the NFL network as part of a digital cable sports package. It really is a premium network because you have to have digital cable, and subscribe to the sports package. I saw that some operators said the veiwership was not enough to justify the cost of the network. I watch it all the time, and DVR the daily show, include the point after and regularly watch nfl-replay. I will probably watch every thursday night game as well, so I can't believe that the veiwership is low, especially now, that live nfl games are being broadcast. It's sort of a rediculous argument, with all the nonsense and nitch channels that are on cable now. I mean, most cable operators show fuse's 'pants off dance off', but can't possibly fit the NFL network in?