Comcast: The NFL Is Trying To "Enrich Themselves" By Taking Games Off Of Free Broadcast
The moment of truth may be coming in the NFL Network/Cable showdown. This Thursday the NFL Network scored what is arguably the most interesting regular season game of the year (at least in the NFC): The 10-1 Packers vs. the 10-1 Cowboys. The trouble is, not a whole lot of people are going to be able to watch it outside of Dallas and Wisconsin.
Comcast, which recently sent a cease and desist letter to the NFL demanding that they stop encouraging customers to switch to their competitors (even though Comcast does offer the channel, albeit on a "sports tier" and not on basic cable like the NFL Network demands), has issued a statement condemning the NFL Network for "enriching themselves" at the expense of their fans.
David L. Cohen, Executive Vice President of Comcast says:
"Comcast offers the NFL Network to all of its interested customers today and they can watch every NFL game the league makes available on cable television. The fact is that the vast majority of our customers have elected not to receive NFL Network. Under our agreement with the NFL, which the league negotiated and signed, we offer the NFL Network as part of our Sports Entertainment Package. This is the best and fairest way to provide the NFL's expensive programming to customers, because viewers who want to watch the channel will be able to see it, while others who prefer not to receive it will not be forced to pay.Those are fighting words. As far as we can tell, most of the public doesn't want their cable rates to go up so a few people can watch a few out-of-market NFL games, but feel free to let us know if we're wrong.While the NFL claims that it wants its games to be seen by the widest possible audiences, it's actually their rules that limit which games fans can watch. It's the NFL that designates which cities can have over-the-air broadcasts of specific games. It is also the NFL that decided to take these eight games off of free broadcast television and to try to enrich themselves at the expense of their fans by creating a multi-billion dollar asset called the NFL Network."
Comcast Statement About NFL Network Carriage [CNNMoney]
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If Comcast doesn't like it, they should make the NFL Network a PPV channel. Then the NFL could charge whatever they want as long as people would pay it. Problem solved, and people who don't want to pay for football wouldn't have to.
I imagine there is some sort of annoying legal problem with doing this, though.
Then the NFL would complain that it's PPV instead of a program line option. The NFL just doesn't have a lot of common sense when it comes to shit like this.
They're both wrong. The solution? A La Carte programming :-) .
Shit, with the NFL this year, I'd have considered a PPV scheme; I'd have considered ponying up a few bucks to watch a few of the interesting games (of which only like 4 teams are involved). Saints vs. Niners? Eh, maybe $4 to watch Pats vs. Redskins would have been worth it.
This is exactly the problem with the Big Ten Network. It's all ridiculous. Everyone is trying to get more money. I just want to watch one game. Why should I have to pay for an entire channel if I only want to watch it for one game? That UofM vs App. State game was only on the BigTen Network and it was the biggest upset of the year. Yet there were very few people able to watch it.
WHo wants to watch games on a network that ain't hi-def?
@cmcd14: Unfortunately, we'll just have to rely on ESPN to see these great plays. But I agree, this is a plain miserly money-grab that will ultimately do more harm than good. The additional cost to broadcast a game to another market is very low (other than opportunity cost).
I'm a huge football fan. But there was a space of three hours where there were no games showing in my market. If it were there, I would have watched it.
I have no interest in football. I watch soccer, and am more than willing to pay the extra $10 for the sports package that gets me Fox Soccer Channel. Would I expect football fans to cover the cost of me watching soccer? No.
I think the $10 sports package actually lets me get the NFL Network!
Watching football on Thanksgiving for many families is a tradition that goes many many years. Last year, many of us went nuts trying to find the 3rd game on our sets. I don't remember who was playing, but I think it was a good match-up. It happened again this year with the Colts vs Atlanta. Luckily, it wasn't a good match-up (at least on paper).
One would think (hope) the NFL channel is a premium pay for fans who want to see their favorite team play instead of the "regional" games and not a nationally televised game on a holiday.
The NFL should be paying us to watch the games. It's hard to even tell whats going on with all of the onscreen ads and crap they throw at you. Comcast finally got one right.
@johnva: This is what Comcast wants to do, the NFL told them they cant it has to be part of basic programing which Comcast then balked at and said screw you.
Yeah, I would totally pay a la carte to avoid a regional game that was scheduled at the same time as another game I'd rather watch (and thus will never be seen on networks -- I've got no cable). In the D.C. area, you're only going to get to watch the Skins. That's nice, but I want to see my Steelers.
My solution so far has been to head to a sports bar and give them a $5 for beer instead of giving it directly to a cable company or the NFL Network. But sometimes that's just not doable (I can't necessarily watch a game with a 8 o'clock kickoff on a Sunday night at the bar and still get enough sleep for work Monday). Ah, the travails of the modern age.
P.S. the Big Ten network does, indeed, suck.
I second the no HD arguement.
Why would I want to pay extra to receive football games in standard definition. WHY!!
Part of the reason for the high cost of basic/extended basic cable is sports programming. A few years ago I had an extended conversation with a local Charter exec who told me that like 50% of his programming budget went to sports channels (ESPN, ESPN2, NESN, etc.) It's almost $60 a month for extended basic (the tier with CNN, FOX, Discovery, History Channel, etc.). Anyhow I choose to keep only the broadcast channels and local public access and pay my $13 a month. I personally cannot stand sports programming especially "mookball" (aka NFL Football), especially since it's costs are being subsidized by non-sports fans.
@Falconfire: OK, thanks. I've seen a lot of BS get thrown out there about this, so I wasn't sure what the actual plans were (partly because I don't trust the press releases from either side). If that's the case then I'm all for Comcast dropping them.
Just give Comcast the sunday-ticket and this will all go away.
Same thing that happened to boxing too. Now all the good fights are PPV. It was not always such.
I could not care less thought as I detest football. A foot ball field is a waste of a good 100 yard shooting range.
@kimsama: The Skins and Baltimore. At least in one-team towns, there's always at least one other non-home-team game to watch.
@dirty foreigner: You couldn't have said it any better. Me being a supporter of Arsenal however, I have to pony up an extra $15/month to get Setanta along with FSC, so I don't miss any of the fixtures.
Same as what the YES network (which airs Yankees games) was trying to pull on Dish Network...put our channel on the basic tier no matter how few people actually want to watch it (or being that it's regional and only available to some--ABLE to watch it) and either eat the costs or make all the customers pay. Dish offered to sell it separate to whoever wanted it but YES wants no part of that. Like any other cable network, it's about potential eyeballs...may only be 1% that actually watch the channel, but those other 99% are potential viewers that the network doesn't want to lose.
Imagine that! This is not a new battle, but most people still support the NFL and it's anti-consumerist methods.
All of this from the league that has a way for you to view almost all of their games, only if you sign up for DirecTV.
The league that allows you to play as Peyton Manning, as long as you buy a game from EA Sports.
The league that demands new stadiums and tax concessions from the local market and then says thanks for nothing and blacks out home games (you've already paid for it, many times over).
The NFL sucks.
In previous years, the NFL had three games on CBS/Fox on Sundays, along with the Sunday and Monday night games. Let's say you lived in New York City (where you can't get the NFL Network on cable) and were a fan of the Indianapolis Colts. Sure, the Colts were on the NFL Network's Thanksgiving night game, but you wouldn't have been able to see them if they were on Sunday instead. CBS blacked out their early game to accommodate the Giants on Fox (local team playing at home means no opposing game on the other network), and the late game on CBS was Denver vs. Chicago, more likely to have been the "national" marquee game over Indy/ATL at 4PM EST anyway.
While I agree that cable systems and the NFL Network should make nice, there's no case to be made that the NFL Net's poaching of one of the Sunday games means that people are getting less football per week than they did in pre-NFL Net days.
@OldSpinDoc: Um, the vast majority of viewers who don't have hi-def equipment yet, and therefore don't care? I have HD and love it; I'm not a sports fan but I love History/PBS/Discovery HD Theater and the like, but I respect the fact that most people don't have HD yet. The "format war" for hi-def DVD isn't helping either.
Um, I get the NFL Network in HD. Even when I had Comcast cable I got it in HD. But this is going to be a game of chicken that results in some fans being screwed. It really sucks for fans who want the network but are stuck in a cable company's territory who doesn't even offer it while at the same time being in a living situation that makes DirecTV impossible to get because of line of sight.
@OldSpinDoc: On Dish , I get the NFL Network in HD.
The real problem with NFL Network is Bryant Gumble doing a play by play.
This is how worng heaeded and dumb these agreements are. I have Dish Netwrok and I get both The NFL Network AND (huh?) the Big ten network which I had for two months before I discovered it. I am what I would consider a big sports fan but have yet to watch the BTNW and may watch a few games on the NFLNW and that's it. I guess in May they think I need football highlights? What's worse, my wife's family who lives outside Columbus, OH and who lives and breathes OSU and the Big 10 can't get the BTNW...makes perefect sense that I get it for free in Houston and could care less.
the nfl network is in HD with direct tv....and despite who is right here I love nfl network and am glad direct tv and them have figured out their differences.
Money, Money, Money.
the NFL, and Jerry Jones specifically, are a bunch of assmooks who are out for the dollar. Jerry has his new stadium and already he is screwing the little guy. His requirement to buy season tickets? $50,000, just to puchase the LICENSE to buy the tickets. So...when are we going to fire all these jackasses and try again?
"This is the best and fairest way to provide the NFL's expensive programming to customers, because viewers who want to watch the channel will be able to see it, while others who prefer not to receive it will not be forced to pay."
The same argument can be made for any channel offered by Comcast. No matter how much the NFL was charging, an additional cost would have to be passed on to the customer, unless another channel was removed.
The over the air networks wouldn't carry the NFL unless there was mass appeal. The NFL ceartainly has a larger audience than other channels like CSPAN.
Comcast is at war with the NFL and the customer has to pay the price.
boo the NFL.
@Frank Grimes: Your wife's family can certainly get BTNW. All they need to do is drop cable and become satellite subscribers. Both providers have the network available for them to see.
As for the NFLN, people have a choice to subscribe, but don't, and then when a game that they actually want to see comes along that's on NFLN, oh the shock and the horror of it all!
This is not going to go away either - if the New England Patriots don't lose the rest of the regular season, their last game is on...you guessed it....NFL Network.
It is?!
If so, my bad. I'm DirecTV and could'a swore it was in the upper - non-HD - channels.
As for those who don't have HD, I will say a short prayer for them that they see the light and move over to where all of Bryant's warts and pimples may be clearly seen...
Right. A la Carte is what I want. That way I won't have to subscribe to the "Sports and Entertainment Pack" for sports I don't want to watch, so that I can get Turner, Fox Movie Channel, IFC, and Sundance, here in Vermont.
We have satellite no xtra charge for NFL net. or the Big10 channel. Life is good
I have Comcast and they just turned up NFL network in HD a week ago (I'm in Denver). Of course, they didn't bother to tell me they turned it on (usually they send one of the cable box messages) so I watched the Thanksgiving game in SD.
Gah, I hate SD.
I'd love to see this whole debacle result in a la carte pricing for all of cable. I'd easily give up QVC and most of the kid's programming in exchange for NESN or something equally unavailable here in Delaware.
We do get the NFL network in HD through Comcast, although we have to pay $2/month (intro price) for the sports package.
i don't give a crap if they never telecast another nfl game....i switched to college football......
@jwissick: "A foot ball field is a waste of a good 100 yard shooting range."
You know, if they combined both (or set Vick's surviving attack dogs on the field every 2nd down), I'd PPV for that...
Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't the Sunday night game always on NBC and the Monday night game always on ESPN? The regional games are always available. I always get every Jets and Giants game along with the Mon and Sun night game. As long as it stays like that, I don't care what's on NFL network. Besides, don't they usually try to schedule the marquee matchups on Sunday night and Monday night football anyway which is available to the entire public?
The fact is that the vast majority of our customers have elected not to receive NFL Network
Elected? Hmmmmm... I don't recall ever getting a ballot from Comcast about the placement of the NFL channel--or any other garbage channel for that matter-- on any tier.
Hey Comcast, here's a nifty business idea: ask your customers what they want, and then give it to us. Rather than have suits and spreadsheets decide for us, and then have to lie and spin to cover your ass when your bean-counters chose poorly.
And then anyone wonders why Comcast stock has hit a 52-week low lately.... [tools.morningstar.com]
Everyone who REALLY wants the NFL network and doesn't want to pony up the $7.95 a month to Comcast should do the following:
Call Comcast, tell them that you are leaving because they are getting TOO expensive, they should send you to a Retention Rep, tell them you are paying too much and you are going to one of the satelitte companies because it is cheaper and you can get the NFL network for free as well.. Guess what they are going to do? I did this last year and got my Internet discounted for one year. I called this morning because the discount promotional period expired. They gave me a BETTER internet price than they did last year, AND they gave me the sports tier as well, no extra charge, good for 1 year, and the retention rep told me to be sure to call next year when this deal expires to see how much they can save me next year...
this is the best news soccer could ever get!
Dear God, Comcast is on the side of angels on this one. What's next- Verizon stops nerfing their phone's features? BofA waiving unreasonable fess? Dogs and Cats living together? Mass Hysteria!
The NFL has been pissing on cableco's for nearly a decade now with the whole monoply granted to Direct TV, forming their own network of mostly repeats, and poorly done ESPN knock-offs. Now their scam is ratcheted up to stealing games from the legit networks. Next- you watch, they will take a playoff game. Ah the joys of a politically well connected monopoly.
There wouldn't be such an uproar if Dallas and Green Bay were playing how the experts predicted them back in April. Back in April when the schedule came out Green Bay was picked by most to be a 9-7 team. Many had Dallas in 11-5 area. If this game were the 6-5 Packers vs. the 8-3 Cowboys I doubt there would be so much whining.
I agree this whole thing sucks. Cable can shove 3 shopping channels down my throat and charge me for them but they can't find room for NFLN and add .75 to my bill for a network I'd actually watch? Cable should set up a basic 40 channel package and charge 29.99 for it....w/i those 40 channels they will shove at us the stations they know nobody would ever order on their own if given the choice. Then,for another 19.95 a person can hand pick another 15 channels that THEY want...NFLN included. And,if you happen to want all 344 channels such as mtv4 or ESPNAsia or The dirt buggy network then you can order the gutbuster package for $80 or whatever they charge.
@savvy999: "Elected? Hmmmmm... I don't recall ever getting a ballot from Comcast about the placement of the NFL channel--or any other garbage channel for that matter-- on any tier."
You "vote" for the NFL channel on Comcast with your dollars-- by paying extra for Comcast's Sports Entertainment Package. Or not paying extra for it; I guess that counts as a "no" vote.
Dems Be Fightin' Words!
@mammalpants: This is a silly line of reasoning. Just because football isn't on, people won't jump to soccer.
People who love soccer and hate football don't become football fans just because most soccer isn't widely televised (as evidenced by a number of posts by soccerr fans on this thread), so I don't see why fewer football games on tv would have the effect of making people watch more soccer. (Which, btw, is not advertiser-friendly like football, and that's the real reason you don't see a lot of it without purchasing a package).
First thing I've ever agreed with Comcast about.