Like people really need another reason to cancel Comcast.

Ok, Jerry, I'll get right on that! Hey, which cell company should I use? Got any movie picks for this weekend? Thanks again, Jerry, you've been a big help!

Of course he does, he wants a stipend from every one of the Comcast and Time Warner customers whether or not they partake of the NFL.

I normally do not applaud cable companies, but in this case, Time Warner and Comcast have mine for standing up to the NFL. Customers should not have to pay for channels unless they want them. And just because it's added to basic cable doesn't mean the customer isn't paying for it. One way or another, the customer will pay.

Dear Jerry,

Bite me. The NFL channel belongs on the sports tier. As much as it pains me to admit it, Time Warner cable is in the right here.

Signed,

Someone who does not eat, sleep, and breathe football (but does think Jerry is a jackass)

If I want the sports tier, I'll pay for it.

Since I don't, no thanks.

Until they pay me to watch grown men play with games for outrageous sums, they can take their requests straight to hell.

My package with Comcast includes the NFL Network, and the only time I ever watch it is when they have Thursday night football. I like football as much as the next guy, but that channel is just not on my radar.

I'll cancel for the horrible service-techs, out-dated DVRs, Rude CSRs who don't know what they're talking about, and outrageous prices thank you very much.

Not because you want me to.

It is ridiculous. I am sure that every network thinks they belong on a better tier so why do they believe that the NFL network deserves special treatment. If they give in to the NFL network, the other major sports will expect the same.

I'm not going without cable for you, Jerry, or for anyone. Do you hear me?

As someone who does eat, sleep, and breathe football (and also happens to think Jerry and anyone else involved in the Cowboys franchise is a jackass), I still say that the NFL can go to hell with these demands. Rather than incur the exhorbitant price for the NFL network to be carried in basic cable (and as I have said before, ESPN is $10 a month, no exaggeration, so I can only imagine how much NFLN is), if I really want to see the game, I'll go to a bar and spend that money on drinks and food.

And am I the only one who thinks this channel carrying regular season games is ridiculous in the first place? With so much of our local governments paying part of the football fees (for things like stadiums), why didn't anyone step in and tell them to go eff themselves??

@suckonthat: I did. Still lost the vote. Got a 0.25% sales tax increase in Arlington to pay for his damn stadium.

That little margin is actually the difference between me shopping at a store locally or the same store four miles away outside Arlington city limits.

Unfortunately it's been said that football is supposedly migrating to the NFL network exclusively. If that is the case then I am in total agreement with Jerry because why the f*ck should I pay more for that? If not, then they can all suck it.

@suckonthat:

ESPN is NOT $10/month. It's the priciest channel, certainly, but it's about $2.25-3/month/sub, depending on the operator. If your operator is paying $10/month/sub, then ESPN's affiliate fee negotiator has pictures of your operator's CEO in flagrante with a goat.

thats why i have cable, to avoid sports channels. As if local ones arent enough

:) i canceled directv months ago. i bitorrent the 3 shows i want to watch and spend the rest of the time with my new little girl.

BTW watching anything other than high school football is a waste in my opinion.

How is forcing people to pay an extra couple of dollars for the NFL network any different than forcing them to pay an extra couple of dollars for the likes of LMN, Lifetime, Oxygen, or any other number of channels that are foisted upon us already? As it is now, the basic cable package caters to all types of special interest groups, why, as a sports fan should my special interest group be relegated to a higher priced package when I'm helping to subsidize many others? I'm not saying the NFL is in the right, but there is a hell of a double standard floating around right now. Every person that is claiming "I wont miss it" should think about what niche channels they go home to watch, and how many people have no interest in those channels, but get stuck paying for them anyways.

I applaud Comcast for standing up the the NFL network as well. They are doing the same thing for the Big 10 network as well, saying that they don't want to make everyone pay for a channel that few people want. Comcast wants to put the big 10 network on the sports tier too. All I know is that my cable bill is already big enough without adding all these specialized sports channels I don't care about.

If the NFL decides to ONLY televise games on the NFL network (or Sunday Ticket), then I say we boycot the NFL instead of our cable carrier.

Keeping in mind that the NFL has created this big monster of a monopoly and is, in effect, choosing the telecommunications options for its fans (not a good thing obviously)...

I had a real problem with Comcast's decision to make those of us who were enjoying the NFL Network as part of our basic programming package all-of-a-sudden pay extra for something that we were enjoying at the normal rates. To me, it felt like a bait and switch, and is one of the reasons why I changed to DirecTV.

I understand their position, but it would be like paying for a basic phone line where you could call any area code that is "local," and then being told a year later that you couldn't call certain local area codes unless you wanted to pay $5 more a month.

Hi Jerry.
Thank you very much for telling me what to do. I think you should sell your team and take up competitive cake sculpting because it's more enjoyable to watch than football.
Thanks again for your interest in my tv viewing.

Did I mention I (heart) Cowboys?

This is coming about because the huge packers vs. cowboys game will only be on the NFL Network. They're both gunning for the top spot in the NFC right now.

Anyway, I'm sure Jerry just has the interests of football watchers in mind.

@jesdynf: I hope you tell those stores exactly why they lost your business -- because they take your money and give it to these assholes who can afford their own damn stadium.

@suckonthat: According to this post on ESPN.com (paragraph 8), ESPN charges $30-$35 per YEAR for their suite of channels. NFLN is looking to charge $7-$9 per annum. For comparison NBATV charges ~$4/year and CNN ~$5/year.

I agree that everyone in the NFL should keep their mouths shut until they open up Sunday Ticket to all providers.

All we need is another channel with fucking sports. NFL can go suck it.

Ha. If the Big Ten Network is any indication, this special-channel business for sports doesn't have much life in it -- everybody hates it and nobody wants to switch services or pay more to get it. Helps that the Big Ten is having a record-breaking craptacular season, too.

@JustAGuy2:
I was going to point the same thing out. I doubt there is an operator in the United States that pays more then $3/sub for ESPN.

@JustAGuy2, @johnperkins21: My numbers may be for a smaller market, but they still hold. I go to a moderately sized university that does not offer ESPN within its cable for that reason. They did a poll asking if students were willing to pay $10 a month for just ESPN, ESPN2, and a third ESPN station(?) and got an overwhelming helllll-no response. Oh and I am very confident that it isn't the university trying to gouge the students, seeing as how it was a student board to control this.

@Saboth: this comment certainly puts your other comments in context.

@suckonthat: Most local governments don't pay for football stadiums unless they are through a sports authority and then the team doesn't own the stadium. This isn't baseball. For example, Robert Kraft built the Patriot's stadium out of his own pocket as did Jack Kent Cook did with the Redskin's stadium.

@lowlight69: your loss

@jesdynf: If Arlington is paying Jerry Jones for a football stadium for him to own, then all I can say is dumb Texans. Some how I doubt that is the actual situation.

Bottom line, if the NFL had not locked the cable out of the NFL Game Day package, then they would be carrying the NFL channel on the basic tier. So Jerry can chew on that one for awhile.

@mconfoy:

The new stadium will cost over $1 billion; Arlington pays $325 million, the NFL pays $120 and the rest is financed by Jerry.

[en.wikipedia.org]

Oh yeah, jesdynf, I'm sorry you live in Arlington ;)

I HATE football, so I'm GLAD the cable cos refuse to bend over for the NFL teams.

NFL & Jerry Jones -- suck it!

@b-real: Why should the city contribute anything to the stadium?

Yeah, right. It's bad enough I am stuck paying for ESPN, ESPN-2, The Golf Channel, Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (thanks to douchebag Peter Angelos), etc., etc. Comcast needs to put all that sports crap on it's own tier.

There are so many other reasons to hate Comcast and the cable companies, heck, this decision isn't one of them. However, in the spirit of giving, I'll offer plenty of reasons:
1) High cost (bundling useless channels together)
2) Lots of fees, but no corresponding value
3) Bad customer service
4) Unreliable internet service
5) Did I mention expensive?

this is one of those situations where people get to see very publicly the kind of negotiations that go on for carriage of channels on tv, and its a good example of when time warner and comcast are not backing down, and sticking to their guns with the interest of their customers in mind.

the entire reason the nfl doesn't want the channel a la carte is because they are greedy, if it is offered as a $5 a month add-on, most people will cancel after the season is over, but the nfl wants all cable subscriber's hard earned monies in their pockets all year long, its shameful, and jerry jones is a schmuck for opening his mouth.

one more reason for me to hate the cowboys (buffalo bills fan), blow me jerry

This is probably the only time I will ever say this, but I am proud to be a Comcast customer in this situation.

@mconfoy: The only reason why Kraft paid out of his pocket is because the Massachusetts Legislators told him "No, we will not cough-up 380,000,000 bucks for your football team".

Kraft then threatened to take the Patriots and move to Hartford Connectitcut if the state did not cave-in

Guess what ? The people of Massachusetts and the State Government called his bluff.

Oh yeah, remember when NESN was a pay-premium channel like the NFL is doing now? Not anymore.

To me, professional sports teams can all go to hell.

@FLConsumer:
Because that stadium brings in a helluva lot of money to that city.

This is complete bull. People who really want the NFL network are more than willing to pony up the extra $5/month for the extra package. Why should everyone have to pay for the channel?

I gladly pay $7 for the sports package, and I don't think that my sisters, who don't watch sports, should be forced to subsidize my enjoyment.

When are we going to get cable a la carte, the way it should be?

@PaulMorel: Easy answer: When it becomes more profitable for cable cos to charge it a la carte than package. Right now they make a great deal on selling you a bunch of channels you probably don't want (Home Shopping anyone?)

So Jerry Jones is going to offer his craptastic programming for free, since basic cable subscribers that haven't opted for the "premium" package clearly don't want it? Otherwise, shut the Hell up, Jerry.

If we get the NFL Network forced on our basic tier, due to the rabid, widespread desire for what, 6 games and a playoff game late in the season, does that mean you'll reward this rabid fandom with the ability to get Sunday Ticket through our cable subscribers?

No? Oh, then fuck you Jerry.

(This coming from a person who gladly upgraded to the sports tier just to get the NFL network and thinks that it's ridiculous that they're trying to put it on the basic tier)

@b-real: Very interesting, if not for the cost overruns. Poor planning by someone because building something like that sure does look to be in the $1 billion range.

@Front_Towards_Enemy: In correct, that was for the land rights and infrastructure. There was no way a private individual could pull that off in Boston without the city and state's intervention. Look at no new Fenway, instead they still play in that toilet. As far as infrastructure improvements, Kraft asked no more than any other business asks and typically gets.

I would like to tell everyone to cancel Jerry Jones. Seriously, no one likes him so why would we listen to him. One of these days his plastic surgery will go wrong and he will die.

That isn't a good reason to cancel Comcast and Time Warner.

I do think that Jerry needs a freaking clue. That, and his head pulled out of his butt. I do not want to pay for anything that I do not want. And I do not want. Quite frankly, as far as I'm concerned, that's extortion. Not just out of the cable companies but me and the customers as well.

The best picture for this article would have been the NFL logo with a LOLCat "DO NOT WANT!" across the thing.