Link between Easterbrook, Spector, Comcast re: NFLNetwork?

[PonyExpress]

How about this PFT entry from November 2006:

POSTED 12:01 a.m. EST; UPDATED 12:21 a.m. EST, November 15, 2006
CONGRESS "INTRIGUED" BY NFLN

The Associated Press reports that Congress is taking a look at the plans of the NFL's in-house television network to air regular-season games.

"We're intrigued, to put it mildly," Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) said during hearings held on Tuesday.

The Senate Judiciary Committee is analyzing whether the NFL's plan to air its own games on its own network raises antitrust issues. In our view, the hearings suggest that perhaps Time Warner -- the league's primary adversary in a high-stakes game of cable chicken which soon will boil over when the best game on Thanksgiving isn't available in many markets -- has enough juice in D.C. to make trouble for the NFL.

The hearings first were mentioned earlier in the day by Gregg Easterbook in his TMQ column on ESPN.com's Page 2.

Testifying at the hearing were NFL executive V.P. and general counsel Jeffrey Pash, DirecTV executive V.P. Daniel Fawcett, and Time Warner C.O.O. Landel Hobbs. Easterbrook suggests (and we agree) that the NFL should move quickly to make the Sunday Ticket package available via cable. We also think that the league should bury the hatchet with Time Warner pronto, working out a deal that makes NFLN available to millions of consumers who don't presently get it.

http://archive.profootballtalk.com/11-1-06through11-15-06.htm

Easterbrook was maybe the first "reporter" to urge the NFL to make "Sunday Ticket" avaliable on Cable, one of Comcast's talking points. He seems very in tune with Spector's comments. Interesting that Easterbrook was so dialed in on this arcane league issue at such an early date. These same characters converged again around another issue, a year later: LIEgate.

Easterbrook was the driving force behind ESPN's coverage of "LIEgate". He was the one who constantly hinted at Walsh's existence. He was the one who ranted about the "walkthrough tape" the day before the SB. Almost in tandem, Spector then had his face on every TV screen mimicking Easterbrook's fake outrage. The NFL commissioner laughed during the Q & A portion of his pre SB "state of the NFL" speech, after a planted comment from the peanut gallery about Spector's link to Comcast's campaign cash.

Connecting the dots...

It certainly seems possible that Easterbrook was acting as the public mouthpiece for Comcast and Spector. The motive may have been to use the threat of public scandal as a way to pressure Mr. Kraft, head of the NFL television committee, into agreeing to sell a stake in NFLNetwork or forking over the Sunday Ticket rights to Comcast.

Not a big deal. Just high stakes blackmail, with billions of dollars at stake. Good vs Evil, right Mr. Easterbrook?

 

[jmt57]

The plot thickens. I know plenty of folks will have comments about black helicopters and tin foil hats, but in my opinion this whole spygate controversy has been the tip of the iceberg in a huge corporate power play.

 

[Wildo7]

I wouldn't say it's an "arcane league issue." From a consumer standpoint, which is what Easterbrook has been complaining about, it's ridiculous that DirecTV has a complete monopoly on the NFL like that. I hate Easterbrook as much as anyone, but I don't think he was pushing "spygate" for Comcast, he's just a hater.

 

[JoeSixPat]

How about this PFT entry from November 2006:

http://archive.profootballtalk.com/11-1-06through11-15-06.htm

Easterbrook was maybe the first "reporter" to urge the NFL to make "Sunday Ticket" avaliable on Cable, one of Comcast's talking points. He seems very in tune with Spector's comments. Interesting that Easterbrook was so dialed in on this arcane league issue at such an early date. These same characters converged again around another issue, a year later: LIEgate.

Easterbrook was the driving force behind ESPN's coverage of "LIEgate". He was the one who constantly hinted at Walsh's existence. He was the one who ranted about the "walkthrough tape" the day before the SB. Almost in tandem, Spector then had his face on every TV screen mimicking Easterbrook's fake outrage. The NFL commissioner laughed during the Q & A portion of his pre SB "state of the NFL" speech, after a planted comment from the peanut gallery about Spector's link to Comcast's campaign cash.

Connecting the dots...

It certainly seems possible that Easterbrook was acting as the public mouthpiece for Comcast and Spector, being fed secrets behind the scenes, as a way to pressure Mr. Kraft, head of the NFL television committee, into agreeing to sell a stake in NFLNetwork or forking over the Sunday Ticket rights to Comcast.

Not a big deal. Only billions of dollars at stake. Good vs Evil, right Mr. Easterbrook?

... and Matt Walsh's lawyer, Levy has ties back to Comcast and therefore Specter as well.

Levy's former lawfirm has a direct link to Comcast.

Is there something more to be found there? Is Levy just a nice guy who happens to be a DC lawyer with ties back to Comcast who's willing to take a break from his $500 per hour practice to represent Walsh out of the goodness of his heart - or is there something else at play here?

 

[SoonerPatriot]

Holy crap. I think I just found something I agree with Easterbrook on. The NFL Ticket SHOULD be on cable. It's a joke that it's not seeing as how, oh I don't know, IT's ABOUT A 20 to FRICKIN 1 difference in households who have it.

 

[Zeke_Mowatt]

Holy crap. I think I just found something I agree with Easterbrook on. The NFL Ticket SHOULD be on cable. It's a joke that it's not seeing as how, oh I don't know, IT's ABOUT A 20 to FRICKIN 1 difference in households who have it.

I agree, why can't I watch the Pats at home without having to buy DirecTV and put a stupid dish on my roof? I get stuck going to a buddy's house, and hoping we don't have rain because the dish FahQin sucks? While I hate all things Specter, and ESPN, I still really wish I could get Sunday Ticket with my Comcast and I think it's bullsh!t that I can't. There are a huge number of DirecTV members who are only members because of Sunday Ticket...if that isn't monopolization of a medium I don't know what is.

 

[SpiderFox53]

Holy crap. I think I just found something I agree with Easterbrook on. The NFL Ticket SHOULD be on cable. It's a joke that it's not seeing as how, oh I don't know, IT's ABOUT A 20 to FRICKIN 1 difference in households who have it.

But that's not the NFL's fault. They put the rights to Sunday Ticket up for auction, DirecTV bid the most. If you want to complain, complain to the cable company that they didn't bid enough.

On a related note. DirecTV wouldn't exist if they lost the exclusive rights to the Ticket. That's the only thing that keeps them in the black.