Re: ESPN and NFLN considering partnership...BFF?
This may be over-simplifying, but more competition is a good thing for consumers. If you can buy your lumber and hardware from a choice of two or more different local places, then those stores will be forced to keep prices low or service high in order to survive. If there is only one place within forty miles for you to shop, there's not much to keep them from providing both mediocre service and high prices.
As a consumer I don't want espn5 or espn6 or whatever the nfln will become should this plan go in to effect. I want completely different content with a completely different outlook. I wish Fox Sports Network would provide more original content, for example. Best Damn Sports Show may not be very good, but at least it's a choice - and it's no worse than much of what espn offers us. I want a choice; another espn channel is not a choice.
Same goes with a cable provider. If Comcast had more competition in more of the areas that it provided service, this might not be an issue. Put three or four cable companies in any given area, and it doesn't matter if Comcast refuses to incude NFLN. One of the competitors will include it in their basic tier, and consumers have the choice of paying more for Comcast or switching to another service provider.
Choice is a good thing, whether it be for lumber, sports information, or cable service. Mergers and business agreements that limit choice are rarely a good thing for us, the consumer.