Have not. Want not.
Read blooded American Male, into all major sports, so I will go to a bar or a friend’s house.
I’m also shut out with Time Warner. I’ll get to see the Cowboys/Packers since I’m in the Dallas area.
I’d like to have the network. I’d find it most useful in August when they have their coverage of all the teams’ training camps. I doubt I’d pay extra for it, I have more sports programming than I can watch on my other stations.
When did they repeal the ban on Cowboys’ fans living in VA? Why was I not informed?
I have NFL Network and have watched only on occasion. I’d much rather have the Big Ten Network and in the spring will leave Comcast for that very reason. I think this is the wave of the future, there already is NBA TV, look for the MLB Channel, the SEC Network, etc. to set up shop and start demanding their piece of the action.
So if you were a Texas Rangers fan, would it be MLB’s fault that you couldn’t watch most of their games?
The NFL Network isn’t taking anything away. They are selling extra out of market games to those who will pay. The Green Bay/Dallas markets will have the game broadcast over the air.
I’m about as hardcore an NFL fan as there is, and since I have Cablevision I don’t get NFL Network. My general reaction to that is “meh.” For this big game tonight? My reaction is also “meh.”
As a Giants (and Jets) fan, I am guaranteed to see every single one of the 32+ games played this season, since not selling out a game with 7 million potential ticket-buyers just ain’t gonna happen.
Just like last year’s Giants NFL Network game, this year’s season ender will be available to me on UPN, so I’m good to go. Packers-Cowboys? Meh. I watched the Patriots-Colts game with anticipation, but that was at 4:00pm on a Sunday.
I’m just not feeling football on Thursday nights. If this game were on Sunday at 4:00, but on NFL Network, I’d be pissed. On a Thursday, I just don’t care.
I also wanted to point out that I think comparing NFL Network to CNN is about as retarded as it gets. Compare it to ESPN, much of whose value is directly attributable to carrying NFL games. Unsurprisingly, NFL Network is basically asking for the same deal ESPN gets. Less even, considering cable companies don’t have to carry a four-channel package containing NFL2, NFLClassic and NFLNews just to be able to carry the primary channel.
I disagree. The only original programming NFLN really has to offer is its games, which amounts to what 18 hours over year’s worth of time, as compared to CNN which I’m guestimating programs probably 12 hours a day 365 days a year, taking into account stuff like Larry King that gets replayed.
Sure NFLN offers filler: talk shows like Rich Eisen’s and NFL films library and a game of the week replay, but even so that pales in comparison to what CNN offers.
I also think its apt to say that the NFL has taken the games away. They used to sell the games for broadcast over free TV, remember? Then they sold some to cable, and now they want to sell some directly to cable themselves. They used to all be free to receive broadcasts. We viewers paid by watching the ads. Now we have to pay by watching the ads, by paying our cable providers, and now if the NFL has its way by paying the NFL too.
Only the games in your broadcast area, which they still are. ESPN games are carried over the air by your local channel, and so are the NFL network games.
In other words, the NFLN is not taking anything away.
As for the CNN/NFLN debate, Ellis Dee is right. It’s not about the amount of original programming, it’s about the value of what they have. What generates more revenue for the network–CNN’s highest rated program or Monday night football? The comparision to ESPN might not be exactly right, but it makes much more sense than comparing to CNN.
I see what you’re saying, but I disagree. The games in the broadcast area is a limit the NFL imposed originally too. In olden times (ie 1970s and 1980s) the most interesting national matchup was always broadcast on national free tv. For example, here in Cleveland, typically the Browns’ game would be on Sunday at 1 on NBC, and the national marquee game, as this week’s Packers/Cowboys would have been, would have been on the CBS affiliate at 4.
I have it as a part of my Dish Network package, and over the past couple of years have really watched a lot of the NFLN. Being a huge Cowboys fan, I’m glad I have it, and their newsdesk programs are pretty good. The NFL replay games are sometimes lifesavers, because I work weekends and often don’t get to watch the games (which, granted, I could DVR, but if you just wait for the replay, they cut out all the BS, too.)
Would I pay extra for it? Hmm. I suppose I wouldn’t mind an extra 5 bucks a month during the season, but I sure wouldn’t carry it in the offseason. NFL Films are great and all, but no.
If a game I want to watch is not on the channels I get I try to watch them on the internet.
This site has all of the games on radio and most of them on TV.
The streaming quality is good. I don’t know yet if I will be able to pick up the GB Dallas game yet. I will have to wait till Thursday. I can sopcast it as well and there are a few other internet option. I love watching sport in the internet. If the NFL offered a paid service for good quality interactive streaming games I would pay. As of now they just have audio that you have to pay for.
Disagree.
They didn’t carry NFL for a while and were still a valuable commodity.
ESPN carries NFL as well as MLB, NBA, college hoops, college baseball, college football. As well as sportscenter, ATH, PTI, Sports Reporters, Outside the Lines, and other original programming.
ESPN is a beast, with or without NFL games.
The comparison to CNN is just that people “value” CNN. It carries programming that is interesting 24 hours per day. Tons of content.
NFL network has 8 games. Essentially 24 hours of programming PER YEAR that people are interested in.
And, they want like twice as much money for it.
It’s more like “Versus” carrying the Tour De France, or back when all Discovery had was “Shark Week”. NFLN
This is still (somewhat) the case. Using this week as an example, you should get the Jacksonville at Indianapolis game at 1, the Browns at Arizona at 4:15, and over on NBC you’ll get Cincinnati at Pittsburgh at 8:15. You’ll probably have a Fox game available to you at 1:00 too. I see what you are saying, but the way it’s set up now you get more games for “free” than ever. If you have ESPN, you’ll get a Monday Nighter too.
I don’t even have cable/dish
I find it odd that the podunk Telphone / Cable companies around here (some with less than 1000 customers - possibly below 500) seem to carry the NFL Network (and the Big Ten Network) while the bigopolies don’t.
For one game, most people around here seem to just go to a bar or something(the 2nd run movie theatre is also showing it). I’ll probably just listen on the radio.
Green Bay (and Milwaukee still) are considered the “home market” for the Packers, but not the rest of Wisconsin (or the U.P.) I could pick it up over the air if I was willing to drive 150 miles or so.
Brian
If the existence of an “NFL Network” means that all football games would be exclusively available on that network, then I’m all for it, get football (and other team sports) off Network TV, and stop interrupting/postponing good shows like The Simpsons, Family Guy, American Dad, etc…
I hate it when football interrupts good shows, if it could be quarrantined to it’s own network, than that’d be great
oh and could we also move ECW Wrestling there too, get it OFF the Sci-Fi channel, yes it’s clearly fiction, but where’s the science
No, not really. According to wikipedia, ESPN’s first NFL game was broadcast in 1987. You’ll have to bring the hard sell to convince me that ESPN was a valuable property in 1986. I’ve seen Chris Berman say that he couldn’t believe it when he first saw live NFL feed coming out of Bristol; it was as if they were instantly transformed from backwoods novelty to legitimate network.
They have always shifted the marquee matchups around during the season, moving them from 1:00pm to 4:00pm and broadcasting it nationally. They still do this. It just so happens that this not-great-though-not-terrible-looking matchup was given to NFLN way back in April or whenever the schedule actually came out. Chalk it up to dumb luck that it turned into the first contest between 10-1 teams in 20 years.
As a cconsolation prize, the running joke of terrible matchups for the entire second half of the MNF schedule has been replaced by quality matchups on SNF due to flex scheduling. Given that, I’d say the free-tv audience is getting a better deal now than they ever have before.
I could be wrong, but I believe this thread is directed to football fans. And I’d point out that the 4:00pm FOX NFL game generally draws a bigger rating than all of your cartoons combined.
I think you are being overly generous when you say this didn’t look like a terrible match up. I’m a Packer’s fan, and all I hoped for at the start of the season was that this wouldn’t be an embarrassing send off for #4. I picked 5 or maybe 6 wins at the outside, and this gaem was one of the “not sure I am gonna watch because seeing the Cowboys ass whup the Pack is not high on my list of priorities.”
I still have a bad feeling about the game, but I think the Pack has a legitimate shot at it.
I switched from Comcast to Verizon FiOS, and get NFL network in HD. Love it. Happy to watch the game tonight.