I don't really care about sports, but this caught my attention.
It appears that the NFL will only allow the broadcasting of some of the last (and therefore biggest) games of the year on the NFL network that very few cable companies carry.
Fans are going to be very upset, especially if this continues to every game in the next season.
The NFL wants to increase their profits by controlling who has access to watch and charging more. The cable companies don't want to pay for the NFL channel since it does nothing but play old games when the NFL isn't playing, and the cost for the channel is high.
Who should be blamed by the fans for this debacle?
2007-11-20 07:27:48 · 17 answers · asked by Yun 7 in Sports ➔ Football (American)
Fans should be blamed for blind support that gives the NFL such muscle that they are allowed to take advantage of the demand created.
What needs to happen is a lack of support for such moves. One day the NFL will realize that the revenues are the way they are because the NFL was so accessible, and that demanding payment by creating a pseudo-pay-per-view model IN ADDITION to all the money they make on sponsorships advertising TV revenues, etc. will only sour people on the NFL to the tune of reduced interest/exposure/support, and they will have to ... 'punt'... on this idea of reeling in extra dollars for their product.
The greed of professional sports seems unstoppable, and will only grow worse until people decide enough is enough. If that is what the NFL wants, they will get it soon, at this rate. Sad, because I enjoy being a sports fan, but the cost of it in proportion to how much money they are making off us is beginning to be just too much.
2007-11-20 07:37:26 · answer #1 · answered by Noneya Dambiz 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Both sides. This is a classic case of a pissing contest. The NFL charges the cable companies 70 cents per subscriber per month to carry the NFL Network. In pure terms, Last year's Thanksgiving game was worth about $100 million. The NFL is trying to force, the cable companies to put their network on basic cable by showing games.
The cable companies feel that NFL is screwing them by upping the price per subscriber since the network began. And have been moving the channel to Digital Plus or a Digital Sports Package where they can charge $5.00 more a month or so.
It is a high-stakes game of chicken. In which there will be no winner. Who knows maybe congress will get involved and pass a bill that opens the door to regulation that will require cable companies to pay for only the shows they watch rather than a package. This is something that the cable companies don't want.
2007-11-20 08:49:35 · answer #2 · answered by csuhpat2 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's not a debacle. Cable companies have been ripping people off like this for a long time. I went with Direct Tv the first chance I could and haven't looked back at the cable companies since. I get the NFL Network without paying extra. And when I talk to people in my area about what they pay for the channel packages they have with their cable, they are always amazed to hear that what I pay is less than what they do and I get twice the channels they do.
Go with a satelite provider and just be done with the cable junk.
BAGOFSWAG,
It is ridiculous to blame the New England Patriots* for the cable companies greed which has caused this situation where some NFL fans who have stuck with their cable company for some unknown reason can't see some games.
It is also ridiculous to blame the New England Patriots* for something that didn't happen such as fake crowd noise in the RCA Dome.
2007-11-20 07:40:53 · answer #3 · answered by Asterisk 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I suppose the majority of the blame should go to the NFL but the cable companies deserve some of that too.
I'm blaming myself for paying for the NFL channels & Sunday ticket this year. As a Packers fan living in Texas, I thought I would use it a lot more. However, the only game they play this season that doesn't come on local TV or ESPN is in Dallas & I have tickets for that game. What a waste of money.
2007-11-20 07:36:45 · answer #4 · answered by Nina Lee 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Not much Big games are broadcast on cable, except for the Patriots vs the Colts. All it matters is the playoffs and the Superbowl, If you don't have these on a local station then that's a big problem. NFL make tons of money from the 30-second commericals that is shown at the Superbowl.
2007-11-20 07:32:00 · answer #5 · answered by Patriot Fan 4 Life 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Good question. I think it is mostly the NFL networks fault. It seems like they should wait until more cable companies carry the channel until they start showing games. Either that or they are trying to get more cable companies to subscribe on the assumption that NFL fans with cable are going to request their cable company to carry it.
Until then, it really sucks for fans who don't have the network.
2007-11-20 07:32:38 · answer #6 · answered by Growler 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
If you are referring to the Dallas Green Bay game
they made this schedule eons ago and it's no ones fault.
The NFL network was given a bunch of sub-par game this year and it just so happens that the Green Bay Packers who were 8-8 last year turned out to be much better than people thought this year. They had no clue of that when they did the schedule.
Therefore no one is to blame here and the NFL Network simply lucked out on this one.
2007-11-20 07:33:55 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I blame it on the NFL. Why are they airing games on a channel that so few get? There should be a rule that no network with less then 50% coverage can carry the games. Maybe on the next contract VS can carry MNF.
2007-11-20 07:41:04 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Not I because after last season after getting screwed by the NFL network , i decided to get the NFL sunday ticket so i'll be able to see the games. But it's not only the NFL trying to fatten their pockets but the NBA as well with theirr own network as well. It's just another example of a mega-corporation trying to squeeze out more money.
2007-11-20 07:33:01 · answer #9 · answered by Mr. Man 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
the NFL for airing games on a network not everyone has access to. Plain and simple. Shout at the cable carriers all you want, but this is the NFL's short-sightedness that made this happen.
2007-11-20 07:31:33 · answer #10 · answered by mikep426 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋