Spring Break
NFL Network is creation of league greed
Anthony Cesarini
Issue date: 11/30/07 Section: Ed-Op
- Page 1 of 1
If you're a football fan, chances are you wanted to watch the Packers-Cowboys game on Thursday night. However, if you're like most Americans, you weren't able to watch it.
No, there wasn't a rainout, and there wasn't a massive power outage in Dallas. The problem is that the game was televised on the NFL Network, the National Football League's new in-house premium sports channel. It's unfortunate that the greed of the NFL is preventing Americans from enjoying one of this country's favorite pastimes.
The NFL has created this channel so that they can cut out the middle man. Typically, NFL games are shown on CBS, NBC or ESPN. The NFL sells the rights to broadcast these games to these channels, and the channels in turn make money to pay for the broadcast through advertising. Someone got smart at the NFL and realized that if the NFL could broadcast the shows themselves, they could put the advertising revenue right into their own pocket.
Now, the NFL and big cable companies like Comcast and Time Warner are fighting about how the NFL Network should be offered to cable customers. The NFL asserts that people like to watch football games, and so the cable companies should pay the NFL 70 cents per month per customer so that all cable subscribers can have the channel. The cable companies argue that they shouldn't have to raise rates for all their customers while some people don't want the NFL Network. They want to offer NFL Network as part of an add-on package. So, who's right here?
While I certainly enjoy watching football games, I know a lot of people who would rather watch three hours of reality television than watch a football game. I agree with Comcast and Time Warner because even though I question these people's taste in television, they shouldn't have to pay extra so I can watch football. I wouldn't want to pay extra so that they could watch the American Idol channel.
I think most people today will agree that the NFL puts out a great product. Professional football has long been the model of a successful sports league. However, the NFL is turning to the dark side and force-feeding us a channel that, besides a few games each season, only shows reruns and draft analysis.
The old NFL model, where games were shown on broadcast channels that most people could get with an antenna, worked fine. People were happy, and I'm certain the NFL was raking in tons of money. It's unfortunate that the NFL has succumbed to corporate greed.
Until the NFL comes to its senses and gets rid of NFL Network, or the cable companies join the satellite companies and just give into the NFL's demands, I guess we'll have to call our cable company to order the NFL Network each November. Just don't forget to cancel it in February because it will just be a waste of your money if you don't.
No, there wasn't a rainout, and there wasn't a massive power outage in Dallas. The problem is that the game was televised on the NFL Network, the National Football League's new in-house premium sports channel. It's unfortunate that the greed of the NFL is preventing Americans from enjoying one of this country's favorite pastimes.
The NFL has created this channel so that they can cut out the middle man. Typically, NFL games are shown on CBS, NBC or ESPN. The NFL sells the rights to broadcast these games to these channels, and the channels in turn make money to pay for the broadcast through advertising. Someone got smart at the NFL and realized that if the NFL could broadcast the shows themselves, they could put the advertising revenue right into their own pocket.
Now, the NFL and big cable companies like Comcast and Time Warner are fighting about how the NFL Network should be offered to cable customers. The NFL asserts that people like to watch football games, and so the cable companies should pay the NFL 70 cents per month per customer so that all cable subscribers can have the channel. The cable companies argue that they shouldn't have to raise rates for all their customers while some people don't want the NFL Network. They want to offer NFL Network as part of an add-on package. So, who's right here?
While I certainly enjoy watching football games, I know a lot of people who would rather watch three hours of reality television than watch a football game. I agree with Comcast and Time Warner because even though I question these people's taste in television, they shouldn't have to pay extra so I can watch football. I wouldn't want to pay extra so that they could watch the American Idol channel.
I think most people today will agree that the NFL puts out a great product. Professional football has long been the model of a successful sports league. However, the NFL is turning to the dark side and force-feeding us a channel that, besides a few games each season, only shows reruns and draft analysis.
The old NFL model, where games were shown on broadcast channels that most people could get with an antenna, worked fine. People were happy, and I'm certain the NFL was raking in tons of money. It's unfortunate that the NFL has succumbed to corporate greed.
Until the NFL comes to its senses and gets rid of NFL Network, or the cable companies join the satellite companies and just give into the NFL's demands, I guess we'll have to call our cable company to order the NFL Network each November. Just don't forget to cancel it in February because it will just be a waste of your money if you don't.
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