NFL Network goes up against Big Cable -- again
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
Sports seasons have familiar grooves -- say, the joy that some fans feel when the call goes out for pitchers and catchers to report for spring training.
And so it is with the NFL. Discerning fans know that we’re in the heart of the regular season when the NFL Network and Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) issue dueling press releases.
The publicity mill began churning out statements last week when Specter joined a bipartisan baker’s dozen of senators in chastising the NFL for restricting the broadcast of eight late-season games to its wholly owned NFL Network. The NFL responded a day later with its spin.
Last year’s NFL Network schedule generated unprecedented fan anger because the league-owned 24/7 football network had exclusive rights to the then-undefeated New England Patriots, who finished the regular season with a 16-0 record by defeating the New York Giants, 38-35.
The NFL Network carried the game but the league bowed to intense fan and political pressure and made the game available on two broadcast networks. The senators applauded that decision -- but complained anew about this season’s eight games that (starting with Thursday’s Browns/Broncos match-up) will be aired only on NFL Network.
That’s a problem for such NFL fans as Garden Grove resident Robert Eakins, a Time Warner cable customer who can’t get NFL Network programming and once again won’t be seeing the exclusive broadcasts.
The NFL has been unable to persuade most Big Cable companies to add its programming on an acceptable tier. As a result, the NFL Network is available in 40 million homes, noticeably less than, say, ESPN, which is available in 96 million homes.
Senators pointed out in their letter that the NFL’s substantial television revenue stems from a Congressionally approved antitrust exemption. The senators allege that the league ‘is now leveraging the success of its over-the-air broadcasts to move games to pay television, to the detriment of NFL fans across the country.”
The NFL responded with a press release that compares games broadcast on the NFL Network to games broadcast on ESPN for the last 20 years. The league also asked the senators to ‘encourage’ Comcast, Time Warner and several other major cable operators to agree to carry NFL Network programming.’
Eakins, meanwhile, says this year’s NFL Network schedule is a ho-hum affair. ‘There aren’t a lot of games I’m interested in, other than Dallas-Baltimore,’ Eakins said. ‘And that’s not because it’s going to be a good game, but because I know Cowboys defensive coordinator Brian Stewart.’
Sam Farmer, The Times’ NFL beat reporter, picked these three games as the best of the match-ups that the NFL Network will broadcast between now and the end of the regular season:
- Jets at Patriots in Week 11 -- The bad blood still flows freely between these franchises, so this game is always interesting. The Patriots won at the Meadowlands in Week 2, and now Brett Favre gets a chance to even the score.
- Cardinals at Eagles in Week 13 -- Is this the year the Arizona Cardinals truly become contenders? They’ve been surprisingly good so far, and will be looking for a strong push in the ‘fourth quarter’ of the regular season.
- Raiders at Chargers in Week 14 -- No team has taken a firm grip on the AFC West, and things could easily still be up for grabs at this point. Will the Chargers finally have their act together? Will the Raiders finally be relevant?
-- Greg Johnson
Top photo: New York Giants defensive end Michael Strahan pressures New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady during a Dec. 29, 2007 game at Giants stadium. The Patriots beat the Giants, 38-35, to go undefeated during the regular season. Credit: Rich Kane / US Presswire
Inset: Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Arlen Specter during a September hearing in Washington. Credit: Mandel Ngan / AFP / Getty Images