Posted on 11/06/2007 9:02:23 AM PST by Snickering Hound
AUSTIN — Cable companies and the NFL Network are competing for Texas lawmakers' support in their national fight over whether cable customers should be charged extra for the football channel.
While some cable companies have agreed to carry the network's eight regular-season games, Time Warner Cable, the largest in Texas, has not come to terms with the network.
Pressure has been mounting on all parties as the Dallas Cowboys' Nov. 29 matchup with the Green Bay Packers approaches. The game will only be shown on the NFL Network.
"I've had a lot more people contact me about NFL football the last two months instead of child protective services, windstorm insurance or worker's compensation, which are frankly more important issues," said Rep. Corbin Van Arsdale, R-Tomball. "I don't control what constituents call me about."
The NFL Network wants to be placed on digital basic cable with all customers paying about 60 to 70 cents a month for it. Time Warner wants to offer the network on a surcharged sports tier available to subscribers who pay extra for it.
The network has rejected Time Warner's offer to let the network charge a fee for the games that would be passed on to customers.
Van Arsdale and Sen. Kim Brimer, R-Fort Worth, said last week that they would consider introducing consumer-oriented legislation in the 2009 session if the two sides don't reach an agreement.
"Cable companies need to focus on giving their customers what they want, which is football," Brimer said.
Both sides have deployed lobbyists to make their case to legislators.
The network distributed an informational packet to lawmakers last month. Cable companies responded by blitzing legislators with their side.
Gov. Rick Perry, Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst and House Speaker Tom Craddick, all Republicans, have expressed hopes that the businesses can settle the dispute without government involvement.
Five Democratic members of the Texas House from Bexar County have sent letters to the Federal Communication Commission asking it to intercede in the argument.
Rep. Phil King, R-Weatherford, carried telecommunications deregulation into law in 2005. He said he would consider proposals to address the issue if it hasn't been resolved by the time the Legislature meets again in 2009.
"This could be a very, very big issue, not so much because it's the NFL Network (but) because it deals with what role the government plays in the content of telecommunications," King said.
Ha! Good points.
Sorry for the off-topic. I think Buss is finding out that Kobe has the talent of Michael Jordan, but the ego of Rickey Henderson.
Great quote, you should add "and the likability of Barry Bonds."
I agree with some of that, but here’s a question.
I don’t subscribe to any sports packages — what do they do during timeouts and such where the networks place commercials? I mean, I would be highly pissed to have to pay to watch whatever games and ALSO be forced to watch commercials.
“I mean, I would be highly pissed to have to pay to watch whatever games and ALSO be forced to watch commercials.”
Agreed. But, it is still your option. Don’t like it, don’t buy it. They show commercials at movies now, and put commercials on DVDs. These are not essential items, so it’s either take it as they sell it, or don’t buy.
Thanks. But you didn’t answer my question. What do they show?
Even here in the Houston area, where we've had PLENTY rainstorms and thunderstorms over the past year, I can only remember a couple times in the past year when my DirecTV feed lost signal. Even then it was only for 10-20 minutes.
Now if they would be so kind as to start using TiVo software again on their DVRs...SIGH.
MM (in TX)
“Thanks. But you didn’t answer my question. What do they show?”
Oh, sorry. :)
I have no clue, I’m too cheap to buy that junk.
Sorry if I misled you. I don’t buy cable premiums. If the Buckeyes or Browns are on TV, I watch, if not, I go do something else.
Every Tuesday/Wednesday the NFLNetwork will show 5 of the prior weekends games with all the breaks cut out entirely. I.e. you’ll see a game in an hour or so.
They also show a lot of old games and historical games. They run in-deapth shows on teams from the past and recent past. They’ll cover team X’s entire last season. They’ll do a show on Superbowl 35s winner and it’s season leading up to the win.
They also do cheerleader tryouts in the off season. They cover the draft entirely. They also have a lot of offseason shows pertaining to the upcoming draft.
They also do fantasy NFl shows to. I’m not sure what channel I saw it on, but I watched a show on the Madden08 USA tourneyment where the best gamers get teamed with a pro player from the team they represent; and then the gamers face off in elimination type games of Madden08.
They do shows like ESPN-like shows dealing strictly with the NFL. Some shows will cover college ball too, I think. They have a lot of commentary and post game type shows.
By and large they show commercials. Basically when you get one of the “ticket” packages you’re just getting access to the “local” broadcasts of the rest of the league. With something like the NFL where those broadcasts are controlled by national networks you’ll get all the national commercials plus the “local” for whatever cities broadcast your watching. For everybody else you’re feeding from pure local feeds so you’ll get pure local commercials. It’s a lot like the old days of “super channels” on cable, living in Tucson I’d turn on WGN and get Chicago commercials. Of course NFL’s Sunday Ticket also includes other additional broadcasts like hilights on demand, given that they have a small number of games happening in small windows broadcast by few providers they have a lot more control over the situation.
Nice. Believe it or not, Barry did come to mind but I didn't think of the "likability" part of it. Thanks.
Our Charter Communications Cable is having the same fight with the NFL network....so we don’t get the NFL network anymore....we would gladly pay 60 to 70 cents per month to get the NFL network.....we have to see the Green Bay Packers play Dallas.....Go Packers. So it will be a sports bar for us too.
I have DISH and get the NFL channel, but I don’t get the NY Yankee channel YES network, maybe I should sue.
SOLUTION: offer ALL channels ala cart
Never gonna happen, and this conflict is why. The NFL, like most other cable networks, wants to be able to make money even if people aren’t watching, even on people that will never watch their channel. As long as the majority of networks charge based on subscribers in the tier cable companies will never offer ala cart, and as long as there’s an ESPN there will be networks charging by subscriber count.
That's a great argument, except Comcast has best beware that they don't stir up that exact same sentiment about every single channel they carry. They are just asking for it.
I would love to get a Comcast exec on and ask him why the same philosophy shouldn't apply to people who don't want MTV or A&E.
A few years ago there was a battle between the big cable companies and ESPN over ESPN’s latest rate hike. Same kind of thing you’re seeing, the cable company was sending out form letter e-mails you could forward to ESPN, ESPN had a chunk of their webpage you could use to send a message to your cable provider, I sent mine the message “don’t mess with the mouse” which was the first rule of the entertainment industry in the 80s and it’s even more true now. ESPN won, in fact I think they even spiked their rates higher as a lesson. I think it spawned some of these battles, the cable companies really got embarrassed by a sports channel and now they’re just trying to win against any sports channel just to prove sports doesn’t rule cable. Of course they’re wrong, sports does rule cable, and has for a long time.
yep...he taught his son Vinny testaverde everything he knows...
The NFL network also has two college bowls on its schedule:
Texas Bowl
Dec. 28 / 8 p.m. NFL Network
Tie-Ins: Houston, Texas
Big 12 vs. C-USA
Projection: Houston vs. New Mexico (7-win Lobos will knock out a 6-win Big 12)
Insight Bowl
Dec. 31 / TBA Tempe, Ariz. NFL Network
Tie-Ins: Big Ten No. 6 vs. Big 12 No. 6
Projection: Indiana vs. Oklahoma State*
The NFL network games are run over the air in the teams’ home markets. The game will be on in the Dallas area, Green Bay and Milwaukee.
One commentator said the Dallas/Green Bay game will be the best game ever televised to 20 people.
Nope, not gonna happen, not the goal, and it’s all obvious. There is simply no way the NFL network could haul in the 1 billion dollars a year they get from the contracts. And there’s nobody there stupid enough to think they might.
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