Fans lose, thanks to the NFL Network

Cory Bergman November 27th, 2007

This Thursday is one of the biggest NFL games of the year: the Dallas Cowboys (10-1) take on the Green Bay Packers (10-1), two teams with a national fan base. But… the game is airing on the NFL Network, which is not available in two-thirds of the country. That is, unless you want to pay extra for it. Both teams’ home markets will be able to watch the games on broadcast TV, but that won’t help the millions of football fans (like myself) who live outside the Dallas and Green Bay DMAs. As you might imagine, this all comes down to a pissing match between the NFL Network and Time Warner and Comcast. I’ll let FoxSports.com explain it for you:

The NFL had a near-future vision for itself: its own gravy train TV network. All it had to do was dangle some live games, games that otherwise would have appeared on free, network TV. And now, because the NFL overplayed its hand, preventing two-thirds of the country from seeing NFL Network games, the cable giants are the bad guys?

That’s right, NFL Network is blaming everything on cable. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who also happens to chair the NFL Networks committee, is spouting off so much that the cable companies got a cease-and-desist order for him to stop urging Cowboys fans to switch to satellite. I don’t know about you, but I’ve about had it with the greediness of the NFL. And so have many sports writers. “Since when does the NFL really care about the fans?” writes the Indianapolis Star. True enough.

32 Comments Add your own

1. Don Day | November 27th, 2007 at 10:33 pm

It IS crap. And it’s all to typical. But aren’t we all just used to it by now? And resigned to the fact that there’s nothing we can do about it. But it’s OK, I’ll just dial up my local news website and watch the vide… oh… right now.

By the way, I love the fact that Google Adsense has the following ad on this page:

Packers vs. Cowboys 11/29
Watch the Green Bay
Packers & the Dallas
Cowboys on NFL Network!
NFLNetwork.com
2. dan | November 27th, 2007 at 10:46 pm

I live in michigans upper pennisula, i found out today that according to the NFL NETWORK that we no longer exist. WFRV will be able to show PACKER-DALLAS game and its sister station in escanaba mich WJMN will not because the NFL network states we are not in greenbay area. I am 180 from greenbay and over 500 from detroit.I have question for NFL, is houston getting feed of game from dallas, it shouldn’t because they have there own team!! They say it’s a matter of money well my protest will be i WILL NOT buy any NFL merchandise, i WILL buy NASCAR instead.
3. John Maddening | November 27th, 2007 at 11:52 pm

Well, looks like the peer-to-peer stuff will be the play call on this end. Though the announcers will be Korean, Sopcast or one of those other P2P sites will have the game.

Major League Baseball: can subscribe online and also get a package via cable.

NHL: can do the same. And my local team, located 60 miles away, is available “FREE” on cable. Yeah, I have to pay the cable bill and the the team is on one of those channels, but if they don’t sell out, even with the top teams in the league coming to town, I can still watch the game. No blackouts!

What would the NFL have done if the Redskins were playing this Thursday against the Cowboys? Would they have felt any remorse for not allowing the game to be seen by lots of fans, and one of the teams who just lost a player as a result of a murder. After all, there is supposed to be an honor bestowed by the league with every player wearing a sticker with Taylor’s number on their helmets.

Hey everybody, just remember to shop at Ace Hardware, use tough actin’ Tinactin, and buy my $50 video game. Who else wants to be horse collared, uh, horse trailered?
4. Anonymous | November 28th, 2007 at 2:09 am

I want to know when people are going to stand up and stop letting the NFL set ALL of the rules. I was pissed off with their crazy regulations regarding video usage during games and highlight clips that can’t really show any highlights. Then there was the new requirement making photojournalists on the sidelines wear advertising-laced photo jerseys. What’s it gonna take to get this profit-hungry organization to chill out?
5. Anonymous | November 28th, 2007 at 7:18 am

Cory, you sure about those records on the Cowboys and Packers?
6. laurie | November 28th, 2007 at 7:30 am

all are welcome to my house to watch the game thursday on my directv!

go cowboys!
7. Mitch | November 28th, 2007 at 7:39 am

Cory should have the right to watch every out-of-market game for free.
8. David Johnson | November 28th, 2007 at 7:40 am

@annon: you’re right, both are 10-1, not 8-1. cory, i made the correx in the post. although the packers should really be 11-0, the pack beat themselves in that bears game.

yes, i am chock full of cheesy goodness.
9. David Johnson | November 28th, 2007 at 7:45 am

@dan: i grew up in the lp near ludington, 60 miles due east of manitowoc, so we got wisconsin tv on the antenna.
10. David Johnson | November 28th, 2007 at 7:50 am

not that i am suggesting this, but couldn’t someone could stick a webcam infront of a tv and fly it out on ustream or justin? or even gank the stream through a video capture card. has anyone ever done something like that?

if the streamer isn’t getting any ad revenue themselves, would it infringe on the nfl copyright prohibiting commercial broadcast?

with the chat aspect, could it be argued as a virtual equivalent of inviting friends over to watch the game with you?
11. Brink | November 28th, 2007 at 8:51 am

The NFL is ridiculously picky about copyrights.

An instructor at a college posted to YouTube the NFL’s copyright notice from a game–to make a point about how it claimed rights the NFL can’t enforce…and YouTube was told to take down the copyright notice because it is the property of the NFL!
12. Gorman | November 28th, 2007 at 9:02 am

This is the league that won’t let you even utter the name of its championship game unless you are in bed with them. (How lame are the ads that have to resort to “The Big Game?”

At this point, nothing they do would surprise me.
13. Old Time Hockey | November 28th, 2007 at 9:32 am

We could call this game the Super Bowel of football broadcast.
14. Sarah | November 28th, 2007 at 10:05 am

I live in an adjacent market to Dallas - about an hour away - and won’t be able to see the game. Even the people who have cable here and get KDFI - the local station carrying the game - will be blacked out.

Totally ridiculous. The Cowboys finally have a great year and punish all of their fans!
15. Daniel | November 28th, 2007 at 10:20 am

The only thing the NFL wants from the public is to build them huge and expensive stadiums at taxpayers expense.
16. discreet_chaos | November 28th, 2007 at 10:39 am

Uh… I don’t follow sports, but if you don’t get the channel which is broadcasting the game, how would you see it? Maybe I’m missing something, but what’s the alternative?
17. Hussman | November 28th, 2007 at 11:02 am

This is an incredible disservice to fans, and I hope it ends up biting them in the ass.
18. Tom Planchet | November 28th, 2007 at 12:40 pm

It’s pure greed! I love hearing JJones say that the cable networks are hurting people who want to see the game.

Mark my words, NFL Network plans to do ALL the games, perhaps after one more TV contract.
19. Amanda E. | November 28th, 2007 at 12:51 pm

Not sure who “Amanda E.” is, but I was fascinated that her name came up as the default on this comment form.
20. Mike Jones | November 28th, 2007 at 12:58 pm

it’s simple - as soon as fans stop watching the NFL, they’ll stop acting like the 10,000 pound gorilla that they are.

It’s the fans that give them the power. Mark my words… they will win this battle too, because fans will end up blaming the cable companies. Who doesn’t hate their cable company?
21. Bob N. | November 28th, 2007 at 1:05 pm

Anything the NFL - or anyone else can do, for that matter - to help kill cable TV is OK in my book.

For years, cable was nothing but limited options, increasing prices, and poor picture quality. Sure, now that they’re losing market share to satellite, they’ve worked to increase their quality and options.

But it’s too late for me - they get no sympathy.

I hope the NFL drives cable’s customers away in droves.
22. tdc | November 28th, 2007 at 1:27 pm

of the 20-odd commenters, can we get a show of hands on which of you that work in local tv live stream your content to out-of-market users?

it’s a curious world out here.
23. Tom Planchet | November 28th, 2007 at 2:56 pm

We do, but it’s hardly a big money maker, if it makes anything.

The NFL is about pure greed…cable companies too. I’d have much more respect if Jerry Jones would just say that.

“Look, we want to make as much money as possible and we’re working for the best deal possible that will line our pockets the most.”

Eventually, the NFL Network will be your only source for games. I’m not saying there’s anything wrong with that…it’s just a fact.

It’s curious, the Super Bowl - the most desired game - is free, but 8 random, regular season games are at a premium.
24. Tim | November 28th, 2007 at 6:58 pm

@Daniel Johnson — no need for the signal-degrading webcam-in-front-of-the-TV method. Just get a TV tuner card in a network that receives the game, add appropriate software and voila! Of course, put it on a computer that’s in some abandoned warehouse, and remember to wipe the prints off
25. Tim | November 28th, 2007 at 7:04 pm

On a serious note: even though the NFL is not doing it well, I believe it may be part of an undercurrent in media - the ability for content produces to distribute their work more directly, eliminating the broadcast network middlemen (and the non-Internet-transport portions of cable as well).

There already “television” shows distributed this way or via DVD (see Futurama); I don’t see it being done yet by major producers but once they catch on, and with the increasing uptake of higher-speed networking, the broadcast networks are going to have to adapt, or die.
26. BrokeSpoke | November 28th, 2007 at 9:26 pm

If Dallas and Green Bay are getting OTA broadcast of the game, they should also broadcast it here in Kiln, MS… after all, we have more Packers fans per capita than anywhere else in the world.
27. Hussman | November 29th, 2007 at 7:26 am

@ Mike Jones - I don’t hate my cable company - because I don’t have cable, or satellite. Just regular, OTA free DTV.

And the Internet, of course.

@ Tom Planchet - the year the NFL Network gets all the games, will probably be the year the Vikings win the Super Bowl, thus meanign I will not get to see it.
28. Carl G. | November 29th, 2007 at 3:56 pm

I can watch the game tonight (NFL Network) but somethings got to give. The NFL is using bully tacktics by putting tonights game on their own network vs Fox.
Then theres the cost of subscribing. I don’t know where USA Today figured The NFL Sunday Ticket cost just $5 to $8 per month. I am paying $19 per month.
Screw the NFL. I called Direct TV yesturday and canceled my Sunday ticket. For next year.
29. Scott Clark | November 30th, 2007 at 7:12 am

I wonder how many current players could have afforded the NFL Network when they were kids growing up? This takes a truely American blue collar sport and makes it blue blood hobby fodder. Thanks again NFL Network for ruining one of the most anticipated games of the season.
30. Anonymous | December 11th, 2007 at 1:34 pm

Why does everyone think the FAN is powerless againt the NFL? You hold all the power - they want YOUR money.

Stop watching the games. Don’t pay over $100 a ticket to sit in the stadium. Stop buying their stupid merchandise. Don’t subscribe to any of the Cable/Dish/Direct/Satellite Sports Packages.

It happens all the time with radio announcers when they offend a group. That group threatens to boycot any company that sponsers that radio show. Imus got fired. Let’s get the NFL fired.

When the money stops coming in, they will have to change their view and start realizing the FANS hold all the power.
31. Wild Cleotis | December 22nd, 2007 at 5:13 am

I have just realized you are correct, why is no one protesting the ill-advised money grab by the NFL?

This used to be may favorite time of year to watch pre-playoff NFL matchup and get geeked up for the playoffs. Now without the Thursday and Saturday games I find myself just plainly losing interest.. I will turn my back on this sport should it become more expensive and restrictive.

I thought they were trying to improve their international interest, not snuff it out. Oh well, the the bean counters run them to ruin, I’m out.
32. Christy | December 26th, 2007 at 7:39 pm

Looks like they will play favorites with the Patriots. Thats nice no one gets to see their team s but the Patriots game will be televised. That is complete bull.