Senate Gets Judicial On Nfl Network

[minford]

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-s...p&type=lgns

[JonM229]

Sweet, maybe I'll get to watch the NFL Network on cable by next season.

[Raven07]

oh gosh....now we have the senate getting into this whole deal.......now we're getting all Political here..JUST PLAY THE DANG GAME! for the love of god....i personally think its them crying because "we dont have it!...we WANT it now!" aka childish.

[JonM229]

i personally think its them crying because "we dont have it!...we WANT it now!" aka childish.

Well, I'm no senator and I don't have it...and I want it now!

[Raven07]

i mean come on!...this is the dang Senate! we're talking about and they are sending a letter damanding something football related so they can watch???? oh my what is the world coming to!?! lol

[minford]

i mean come on!...this is the dang Senate! we're talking about and they are sending a letter damanding something football related so they can watch???? oh my what is the world coming to!?! lol

Have you heard of something called the Mitchell Report? That was instigated by the Senate....

So yeah, I'm freakin stoked! Screw monopolies & trusts. The NFL can suck it, they're screwing over countless fans and its about time something gets done about it. If the NFL went unchecked, just imagine a world where you can only watch your games on channels the NFL owns and the games become Pay-per-View.

[Raven07]

lol i see your point....but if you want the NFL network and what ever else....you have to pay for it in order to get it..money gets you where you need to be, these days.....My Dad had to order NFL network for us to have it and now we do...

[j_h_smith]

Have you heard of something called the Mitchell Report? That was instigated by the Senate....

So yeah, I'm freakin stoked! Screw monopolies & trusts. The NFL can suck it, they're screwing over countless fans and its about time something gets done about it. If the NFL went unchecked, just imagine a world where you can only watch your games on channels the NFL owns and the games become Pay-per-View.

If I were the NFL, I'd cancel all contracts with the networks and run all of their game on the NFL Network ONLY. After all, they are the property of the NFL and they should be able to do with their property what they want.

[FellsPointRaven]

If I were the NFL, I'd cancel all contracts with the networks and run all of their game on the NFL Network ONLY. After all, they are the property of the NFL and they should be able to do with their property what they want.

Agreed. Plus, NFL Network is free on DirectTV.

I'd advise people either get satellite, or complain to the cable companies who in my view are more culpable in this instance for trying to bend people over a barrel to receive NFLN.

[minford]

TMQ (Gregg Easterbrook) frequently addresses the NFLN/ Sunday Ticket/ Cable/ Satellite debacle. I recommend keeping an eye out for his stuff on Page 2 of espn.com. Its great reading and he does a great job summarizing all the camp's stances and flaws.

[JonM229]

I'd advise people either get satellite, or complain to the cable companies who in my view are more culpable in this instance for trying to bend people over a barrel to receive NFLN.

As much as I wouldn't like to, I'm going to have to side with the cable providers on this one.

[theFRANCHISE]

I miss having NFL Network on Comcast Digital Cable...

Look, it's already more than reasonable to have to pay premium amounts for the premium movie channels since there are MULTIPLE channels that come with ordering just the one channel (HBO has, like, ten HBO channels, Showtime has five, etc.)

But for me to expect to pay an additional (I believe) $10 a month for ONE NFL Network, as opposed to being FORCED to get Comcast's sports channels Versus and the Outdoor Life Network included automatically with basic cable, I'd rather just not have those two channels and have NFL Network included for no additional fee, at least with the Digital Cable package.

I mean, Comcast doesn't force customers to pay additional fees to get ESPN, ESPN2, AND ESPNNEWS in this area. So why should Comcast force customers to pay for NFL Network as part of their "sports tier"?

I WANT MY NFL NETWORK!...

[nevermore621]

Have you heard of something called the Mitchell Report? That was instigated by the Senate....

So yeah, I'm freakin stoked! Screw monopolies & trusts. The NFL can suck it, they're screwing over countless fans and its about time something gets done about it. If the NFL went unchecked, just imagine a world where you can only watch your games on channels the NFL owns and the games become Pay-per-View.

I agree with everything you say here. (watch the innuendo though LOL)

I think the NFL has spent many years becoming the most popular sport in the nation, earning the loyal following of many sports fans. If they don't watch their public image here, and avoid getting greedy over telvision rights and revenues they may fall from their lofty place in American culture.

The NFL is not just a business, it is a part of of American cultural history, and has a public trust to remain accessible to all. Gentlemen like Art Modell, Art Rooney, and former commissione Pete Rozelle worked very hard to get the game televised in the first place, and negotiated valuable and lucrative television contracts, which they wisely decided to share equally among the teams. As a result the NFL prospered and gained ever increasing popularity over the years. For the NFL to begin to turn its back on the fans and reverse the policies that has made it the game it is today would be very unfortunate.

I wonder at some of the policies the present commissioner Roger Goodell has presided over in his short career, and whether he realizes the public relations impact these policies and decisions are making as the game moves forward. (see my post on Roger Goodell) The game will only continue to grow as it exercises restraint and patience,

accross the board, and does its best to preserve its existing fan base as it moves forward.

Or is it possible that our culture of corporate greed, political correctness, and disregard to the right of free speach has infected the NFL as well.

[ReED jucate]

If I were the NFL, I'd cancel all contracts with the networks and run all of their game on the NFL Network ONLY. After all, they are the property of the NFL and they should be able to do with their property what they want.

It is not in the NFL's best interest to do somthing like that. Football is a regional sport and is teleivised on local channels accordingly. The Thursday games are just to bring additional revenue boost and the awareness of their network. It is up to cable companies to provide its subscribers with access just like Direct TV, Comcast is a stubborn monopoly and hates being pushed. If the senate wants to attack someone they should go after companies like Verizon and Comcast who gobble up all telecommunications and media outlets and then jack up the bill because they are the only provider left. I think the Government needs to keep focused on poverty and disease in America and the never ending war because I personally don't give a frying pan about steroids in basball and it makes me grind my teeth knowing they are wasting my tax dollars on somthing that should be regulated by sports leagues themselves.

[j_h_smith]

I miss having NFL Network on Comcast Digital Cable...

Look, it's already more than reasonable to have to pay premium amounts for the premium movie channels since there are MULTIPLE channels that come with ordering just the one channel (HBO has, like, ten HBO channels, Showtime has five, etc.)

But for me to expect to pay an additional (I believe) $10 a month for ONE NFL Network, as opposed to being FORCED to get Comcast's sports channels Versus and the Outdoor Life Network included automatically with basic cable, I'd rather just not have those two channels and have NFL Network included for no additional fee, at least with the Digital Cable package.

I mean, Comcast doesn't force customers to pay additional fees to get ESPN, ESPN2, AND ESPNNEWS in this area. So why should Comcast force customers to pay for NFL Network as part of their "sports tier"?

I WANT MY NFL NETWORK!...

You may want to call Comcast NOW. I pay $1.99 per month for the NFL Network. No lie, that's wasn't a special or bundled program discount. NFL Network is only $1.99 a month.

[JonM229]

It's a shame Brighthouse doesn't offer NFL Network at all.

[Jamal]

I'm glad I have DISH.

[minford]

I miss having NFL Network on Comcast Digital Cable...

Look, it's already more than reasonable to have to pay premium amounts for the premium movie channels since there are MULTIPLE channels that come with ordering just the one channel (HBO has, like, ten HBO channels, Showtime has five, etc.)

But for me to expect to pay an additional (I believe) $10 a month for ONE NFL Network, as opposed to being FORCED to get Comcast's sports channels Versus and the Outdoor Life Network included automatically with basic cable, I'd rather just not have those two channels and have NFL Network included for no additional fee, at least with the Digital Cable package.

I mean, Comcast doesn't force customers to pay additional fees to get ESPN, ESPN2, AND ESPNNEWS in this area. So why should Comcast force customers to pay for NFL Network as part of their "sports tier"?

I WANT MY NFL NETWORK!...

The flaw in your argument is that you're already paying ~$5/month for ESPN, so believe me, ESPN isn't free. I think cable companies should go down the path where we choose what channels we get. All of us here are paying money per month for crap channels like Lifetime and Oxygen and I don't think anyone here is watching them (maybe except Raven07 ). Thats money we're all wasting.

Another poster said they pay $2/mo for NFL Network. Thats cool and all, but you're only really gonna watch it for two months out of the year (maybe three if youre hard up for some spring training), so really youre wasting $18ish a year. Granted, thats chump change in the big scheme of life, but it still sucks.

[Drkraven]

Except for last year when I was boycotting anything NFL, I watch NFLN year round. I think they should do it like a Chinese food menu. You have your basic and you can pick and chose what sports/movie/shopping/kiddie programming you want. NASCAR, GOLF and the same never get watched in my house, yet I have to get them on my sports tier.

[smashmouth82]

bottomline is, we have all been watching football on basic T.V since the beginning. it is just down-right unfair for the NFL to create their own network and charge extra for it!!! if they want their own network, FINE! i'm not against that. it should be a part of basic cable, plain and simple! the pats-giants season finale in which the pats could finish 16-0 is on this channel. think of all the people who will not get to possibly witness history! history that could very well not be touched again for another 35 years. we pay for numerous other things that contribute to the bankroll of the NFL without complaining. tix, jerseys, parking, condiments, and other paraphenalia are purchased ALL YEAR long. why? because we have a love for this wonderful sport! seriously.....atleast give us the games on T.V.!!!

[j_h_smith]

bottomline is, we have all been watching football on basic T.V since the beginning. it is just down-right unfair for the NFL to create their own network and charge extra for it!!! if they want their own network, FINE! i'm not against that. it should be a part of basic cable, plain and simple! the pats-giants season finale in which the pats could finish 16-0 is on this channel. think of all the people who will not get to possibly witness history! history that could very well not be touched again for another 35 years. we pay for numerous other things that contribute to the bankroll of the NFL without complaining. tix, jerseys, parking, condiments, and other paraphenalia are purchased ALL YEAR long. why? because we have a love for this wonderful sport! seriously.....atleast give us the games on T.V.!!!

Nothing is free. Why do you think your BASIC cable rate has risen over the years? Your basic cable is a charge for the channels you're getting. So as some have said, they wish they could only pay for what they wanted, you couldn't afford that. Once you have a system where it's a more customized choice, you're going to pay big money for that.

I don't fault the NFL from having their own games on their own network. So you can't get it, or don't want to pay for it. That's the free enterprise system. If I've got something you want, you're going to pay me for it. I'm not going to give it away.

What right do you have to demand to see any game the NFL has on TV? None. What would happen if there was a breaking national event and all the networks covered that event instead of the game? What can you do about it? Nothing.

The NFL is a business and insomuch will try their best to make money. That's why they developed the NFL Network.

I blame the local cable companies. Why would they not add the NFL Network to their programming, basic or premium channel, doesn't matter. But to not have the option is where the problem lies. Call you cable company and complain. That's what happened to Comcast. When I signed up for it, the agent told me they tried to get $10 per month and they had too many complaints so they dropped the price to $2. So how can you beat that. Compared to the rest of the crap Comcast makes me buy with their basic plan, I think the NFL Network is a real steal.

[theFRANCHISE]

You may want to call Comcast NOW. I pay $1.99 per month for the NFL Network. No lie, that's wasn't a special or bundled program discount. NFL Network is only $1.99 a month.

Pricing for my area is different. They're still doing the $10 per month thing, for some reason.

Or so my brother told me...and he works for Comcast...

(Don't ask me why he didn't bother hooking his own flesh-and-blood up...LOL)

CORRECTION: I checked again, actually, it's $5 regularly...it's $2 for 6 months, promotionally...but, dunno if my dad will be up for it...he's cheap like that...LOL

[nevermore621]

bottomline is, we have all been watching football on basic T.V since the beginning. it is just down-right unfair for the NFL to create their own network and charge extra for it!!! if they want their own network, FINE! i'm not against that. it should be a part of basic cable, plain and simple! the pats-giants season finale in which the pats could finish 16-0 is on this channel. think of all the people who will not get to possibly witness history! history that could very well not be touched again for another 35 years. we pay for numerous other things that contribute to the bankroll of the NFL without complaining. tix, jerseys, parking, condiments, and other paraphenalia are purchased ALL YEAR long. why? because we have a love for this wonderful sport! seriously.....atleast give us the games on T.V.!!!

Preach on Brother!!!

There are millions of dollars in the contracts that the NFL has with the networks. There is no need for them to get greedy now.

The Patriots/Giants game being on NFL Network, when that network is not universally available -- that is a public relations faux pas of epic proportions!!! The Patriots/Ravens game was suposedly the most watched program in the history of cable television. Correct me if I'm wrong. So what in the NFL thinking here??? Obviously they would rather put the advertising dollars in their own pockets, and who cares about the unfortunate fans who won't see the game. Not a good move, but not the first, I think, under Roger Goodell.

[72Marshall]

Have you heard of something called the Mitchell Report? That was instigated by the Senate....

So yeah, I'm freakin stoked! Screw monopolies & trusts. The NFL can suck it, they're screwing over countless fans and its about time something gets done about it. If the NFL went unchecked, just imagine a world where you can only watch your games on channels the NFL owns and the games become Pay-per-View.

It's called a free market, the government needs to keep it's nose out of the publics business. If the NFL wants to charge $800 a month for their network it has the right to do so, and you or CONcast aka rip-off cable company, has the right to not pay it. I want a 5 bedroom house with a detached garage that has a music studio on top, but those dang developers are asking $500,000+ for one. Maybe the senate can get involved so I can get one for $65,000.

[72Marshall]

It is not in the NFL's best interest to do somthing like that. Football is a regional sport and is teleivised on local channels accordingly. The Thursday games are just to bring additional revenue boost and the awareness of their network. It is up to cable companies to provide its subscribers with access just like Direct TV, Comcast is a stubborn monopoly and hates being pushed. If the senate wants to attack someone they should go after companies like Verizon and Comcast who gobble up all telecommunications and media outlets and then jack up the bill because they are the only provider left. I think the Government needs to keep focused on poverty and disease in America and the never ending war because I personally don't give a frying pan about steroids in basball and it makes me grind my teeth knowing they are wasting my tax dollars on somthing that should be regulated by sports leagues themselves.

Amen Brother!

[Drkraven]

It is not in the NFL's best interest to do somthing like that. Football is a regional sport and is teleivised on local channels accordingly. The Thursday games are just to bring additional revenue boost and the awareness of their network. It is up to cable companies to provide its subscribers with access just like Direct TV, Comcast is a stubborn monopoly and hates being pushed. If the senate wants to attack someone they should go after companies like Verizon and Comcast who gobble up all telecommunications and media outlets and then jack up the bill because they are the only provider left. I think the Government needs to keep focused on poverty and disease in America and the never ending war because I personally don't give a frying pan about steroids in basball and it makes me grind my teeth knowing they are wasting my tax dollars on somthing that should be regulated by sports leagues themselves.

Comcrap is the WORST. We now just have them for high speed internet and they are always slow or going out. It actually locked me up and I deleted someones post by mistake yesterday. I can't wait to get FIOS, but we are keeping Direct TV in the living room for Sunday ticket.

[#1 D]

Comcrap is the WORST. We now just have them for high speed internet and they are always slow or going out. It actually locked me up and I deleted someones post by mistake yesterday. I can't wait to get FIOS, but we are keeping Direct TV in the living room for Sunday ticket.

IDK, I have comcast, and its high speed thing is great...but yeah it has those glitches sometimes...but Doesnt Directv have a satelite? wont that interfere in snowy days? Shouldnt this be in the off-topic forum?

[bigmacattack2123]

Comcrap is the WORST. We now just have them for high speed internet and they are always slow or going out. It actually locked me up and I deleted someones post by mistake yesterday. I can't wait to get FIOS, but we are keeping Direct TV in the living room for Sunday ticket.

Comcast runs over fiber optics...and verizon will be broadcasting over the same network p.s. verizon's layout is crap compared to on-demand

[Drkraven]

Actually Direct TV has on demand now--we just got a new box that is connected to the internet and its sooo cool.

[bigmacattack2123]

bottomline is, we have all been watching football on basic T.V since the beginning. it is just down-right unfair for the NFL to create their own network and charge extra for it!!! if they want their own network, FINE! i'm not against that. it should be a part of basic cable, plain and simple! the pats-giants season finale in which the pats could finish 16-0 is on this channel. think of all the people who will not get to possibly witness history! history that could very well not be touched again for another 35 years. we pay for numerous other things that contribute to the bankroll of the NFL without complaining. tix, jerseys, parking, condiments, and other paraphenalia are purchased ALL YEAR long. why? because we have a love for this wonderful sport! seriously.....atleast give us the games on T.V.!!!

Haha, your economics teacher/professor must not be your biggest fan. This is supply and demand at its finest. Supply couldn't be lower and demand couldn't be higher. Whatever price they want they'll get. I think it's pretty unfair my grandfather drives a Maserati and I drive a Nissan but ya know what? If I rolled up to the Mas dealership n told them it was unfair and I should be able to trade in my Xterra with no out-of-pocket expenses. They'd either laugh, call the police, or punch me. The issue the FTC found here is the anticompetitive acts exercised by the NFL's monopolistic power. It is far deeper than that though. Price discrimination against cable companies would be too blatant I don't believe they'd go about that but an issue of tying contracts could most definately stir up some antitrust issues over time. I see this ending up with many cable companies getting receiving some sort of compensation if this were in fact the case. There is no entrance barrier that would make it harder on cable companies like comcast to get in on the NFL network channel provided that no anticompetitive action has taken place. And the nfl network isn't "free"...THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A FREE LUNCH its accounted for in the price as with all other channels comcast has on demand that are "free" that Directv and others don't necessarily have on their "basic" package. As for the idea of it being "our right" to see the game on basic cable...anything on cable period is a privaledge not a right...moreso a luxury as opposed to it being a normal good. I believe there's an anticompetitive tying contract somewhere that's kickin' a little somethin' back to the NFL network (maaaaaaaybe the NFL[as a whole]) but more importantly Directv and its sub-divided firms.