The current trend (which sucks) seems to be leading the NFL toward pricing themselves out of the market. I enjoy watching football as much as the next guy, but there is a limit to how much I can/will spend directly out of pocket, over and above enduring the commercial interruptions, only to further enrich millionaires...
I think the NFL strategy will eventually be pay-per-view...buying direct from the NFL and not via CBS or ESPN or ABC....basically cutting out the middle-man. It will take ten years and they are comfortable in waiting this out. This episode now...is simply a stepping stone.
As for the idea of me paying $39 a month during the NFL season....to get various games on my TV...nope. You can forget about that kind of deal. The most I can see a reasonable guy paying...is $10 a month...which won’t work in terms of profitability.
The amusing thing...the NFL is the only one that might try this and get away with it. No one would dare attempt this with Major League Baseball or the NBA.
They simulcast the NFL network games in the home markets, so I don’t see what the issue is.