Network TV and the NFL - fuck you assmonkeys

The BBQ Pit
1

So the NFL has signed on for another 5 years with DirecTV for Sunday Ticket. Yippee-fucking-kaiyay. So those of us unable to get satellite access at all are now effectively blocked from this package. Instead, I get another half-decade of watching whatever game my “local” station deigns to broadcast. Which, for me, means the NY Giants and nothing else.

I live in Connecticut. Not New York. I have no affiliation with the Giants, and the Giants are one of the most godawfully boring teams to watch in the universe. This Sunday, I get to watch the out-of-the-playoffs Giants battle the almost-completely-inept Cowboys in a totally meaningless game, while the 49ers go against the Packers in a battle with home-field advantage ramifications. Not to mention both teams are far more exciting to watch.

The cable companies (remember, there are FAR more people on cable than satellite) wanted this package. The Networks, in essence, blocked it from happening. The NFL decided it didn’t want to fight that, so it took the easy way out and accepted the DirecTV proposal.* So now the NFL is happy, the networks are happy, and DirecTV is happy. Of course, the millions of people who would buy this on cable aren’t. But screw them. If they can’t get satellite, they should move. Or just shut and be happy they get their weekly serving of their lame-ass local team.

Mr. Tagliabue says "“Our partnership with DirecTV will continue to complement and support our broadcast television packages that allow us to put all of our games on free, over-the-air television.” Well, semantically that’s right, you asswipe, but explain again how I’m supposed to see those? Explain again how my local station will gladly switch to the best game, even though in my long set of email exchanges with the sports programmer there he said they never would.

It’s the 21st century, Mr. Network executive. Get your fucking head out of you ass. People move. Often. As do sports teams, I might add. Team affiliations change. People have access to all kinds of instant information. So stop sitting their on your rear and just serving up what you think we want. You own cable channels, show a second game there. Switch between games more often. Do something, except live in your 1950’s world.

Bah…this rant sucks. I used it all up when I was talking (more politely) to the local station manager. I’m just fed up with the way the NFL and the networks handle the games, with all the antiquated regional games, no switching of games, have to be off by 4:15 etc bullshit.
*I am aware it’s a tad more complicated than that, but the sentiment is true

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Oh, and one more thing, Mr. Tagliabue. Why the fuck do Canada and Mexico get Sunday Ticket on their cable stations, but not your own homegrown customers???

Fuckhead.

3

Greg Estabrook had a good take on this on the ESPN page 2 site (sorry, link not handy). I have Direct TV (local cable sucks) but why the hell can’t I just order ONE TEAM? How many goddamn games can I watch at once? I’d like to be able to order the NFC North package or the West coast teams package, for example. How hard could that be to set up?

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And why should the networks care? Can’t they just show ads during the games?

Easterbrooks column

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Dude it could be way worse. You could live in Ohio. Bengals and Browns every Sunday.

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Bengals, Browns what the hell are those :stuck_out_tongue:

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Program director of a FOX affiliate here…

Firstly, the fundamental rule is this: if you are in a market with a team (or in that market’s Area of Dominant Influence - about a 50 mile radius), your team’s home games MUST be aired, unless they don’t sell out. No other game can air opposite it. This rule also applies when said team has an afternoon game scheduled. If you are in a doubleheader, the network MUST switch away from whatever game you were airing to join the home team game at 4:15 PM ET. These markets are designated as “Mandatory Kick-Off Markets”. This is why last weekend in San Diego CBS had the doubleheader, including the home game for the charger. The FOX station must have an early game only. This is why this weekend (FOX doubleheader) the FOX station will only have a morning game, since the Broncos are playing at home starting at 415 PM ET.

One game a week is designated a “national” game. This game will be seen at 415PM ET on all stations except in those markets with their teams playing elsewhere at that time. This week the national game is SF @ Green Bay which will be seen in all markets, EXCEPT in Kansas City, Denver, Dallas and New York, since those teams are also playing in “regional games” at the same time.

We receive our assignments about 2 weeks before air date. We can petition the network to reassign our game, but requests are granted very infrequently. Final game assignments are given 6 days before air.

So please don’t yell at the TV stations - they get their marching orders from the network, who get their marching orders from the NFL. Obviously the NFL has these rules to keep local stadiums full, but they do sometimes bite viewers in the butt.

Phouchg
Lovable Rogue

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Phouchg, thanks for the insight. Do you know why (or if) the networks would object to Sunday Ticket being on cable and not on Satellite? Is it simply because there are more people with cable?

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Phouchg, my rant isn’t aimed (directly) at the local affiliates, though I should mention that my affiliate is 120 miles from New York City. It’s the fact that the NFL decided it just didn’t really give a shit about this whole situation, and that the networks don’t want to deal with it either. Both parties just throw their hands up in the air as long as the status quo is in effect (the NFL gets enormous sums of money from the networks and DirecTV, and the networks get to keep their precious NFL games so they can broadcast the “local” teams).

Then the NFL has the nerve to talk about how everyone gets to see all the games (on their website they mention the great tradition of everyone being able to see their home team). You know, my ‘home team’ is NOT the New York Giants.

The affiliates only come into play when they will not try and put on a better game occassionally. I especially feel sorry for people living in, say, Charlotte.

It’s mostly that this is an antiquated system, and now we’re stuck with it for another goddamn five years. Stuck with the NFL thumbing its nose at a large fan base, and stuck with the assbackwards networks still living in the mid-20th century.

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phouchg, thank you for one of the most valuable and informative posts I have ever seen on this or any other message board, ever.

That is something I have been wondering about forfuckingever.
except that its GB @ SF, but other than that, go you.[/nitpick]

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The worst is when your cable system has two of the same network (e.g. Mine has two CBSs and two ABCs for some reason) and both channels play the same game. Of course, this would be a lot more annoying if I had two Fox affiliates, since my Eagles rarely play on CBS.

I understand the reasoning for this shit, but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t a total pain in the ass. Getting a satellite dish isn’t much of a better proposition, either. No local channels means no Simpsons. It also means paying something like $200 for the NFL Sunday ticket. Apparently there’s no difference between “SEE EVERY FUCKING GAME IN THE WORLD” and “only watch the team you like.” No deals here. It’s all or nothing. That’s a lot of fucking money if you’re only watching one game a week.

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Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t the “NFL Sunday Ticket” used to be free to anyone with a dish? I could swear there was a minor outcry when the NFL created this because you used to be able to get all the games on your dish anyway. Their response was something like “most of the people who did this were sports bars that can afford the $100+ each season for the package”. Bullshiat, if I’m remembering correctly.

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I’ll see your Bengals and Browns and raise with our Lions.

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Man, and my dish, with all the local channels, was sooo freaking expensive. 15 dollars. Almost broke me. Here in the city and everything. Sorry that I’m one of the elite that can get it.

BUt I do agree with the affliate rant, and I’m glad I move away from Cincinnati.

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Regardless of expense, there are some people who cannot get a dish (whether it’s tenant laws, or obstructions, or whatever). I’m one of 'em. I have a forest between me and any satellite that’s not almost directly overhead.

So I’m screwed. If the “local” affiliate actually deigned to occassionally show interesting games I wouldn’t be quite so upset, but seeing as how it’s all Giants (or all Bengals/all Lions/all Panthers for others), all the time, I need a place to rant. Thus, the thread.

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rexnervous, at least you get the J-E-T-S!! Right? :smiley: (Hey he’s green too)

Your point is one that is well taken though. In sports it seems that the decision that makes the most sense doesn’t make the most money. And money is the bottom line. Is that the case here? I don’t know but my guess would be yes.

I feel “Free” television should stay with the local team(s) until the last second of the last game of the season. However, I do believe that cable should be able to offer other games.

How about those Yankee fans (Lets go Mets!) that couldn’t get their team on cable television last season. There were literally people who lived blocks away from Yankee Stadium that couldn’t watch the games on cable. I could have watched them though because I have a different cable provider here in Queens.

FYI, there is a on going fight between Steinbrenner and Dolan (Cablevision owner) over whether the new Yankee channel should be a free or a premium channel. Now that is a fight over money, no questuion about it.

Sorry for the slight hijack.

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Vic,

The networks care because when people watch a game on their network, they see the network’s ads and the networks (and the affiliates) get the ad revenue. And a network can only show, at maximum, 2 games/day, and the more other games that are available to watch on other channels, the fewer people are going to be watching the ones on the network. Heck, most of the time with Sunday Ticket I’ll watch the game on the ST channel even if it’s on the network channel. This all boils down to less ad revenue for the networks, which means that they have less to pay the NFL.

Which way is a better money deal for the NFL? Depends on whether the increase in Sunday Ticket revenue can offset the decrease in network revenue. I’d guess no on the scale of ST on cable, but yes on the scale of ST on DirecTV, since that seems to be what everybody’s preferring (except for the fans).

The only way the Sunday Ticket moving to cable is ever going to happen is if there’s a substantial kickback to the networks for each Sunday Ticket subscription. Don’t hold your breath.

-lv

18

IMHO they can move all of the games to the dish, or at least the sports chanels on cable. If they don’t want to do that, they could at least go to regularly schedualed programing at the appropriate time. When the game is schedualed to end at 6pm and Futurama starts at 7pm, I would like to see Futurama and not a bunch of guys running around in tight pants with 10 minutes left in the 3rd quarter.

There are some people who do not like, or care about football, except the superbowl comercials.

so be happy that you can get what you get.