55" is ok but 60" isn’t? What the fuck is up with that? The NFL says showing the Superbowl[sup]TM[/sup] on TV’s bigger than 55" violates their copyrights. How the hell do they figure that? What difference does the size of the screen make? Charlotte had planned several parties using large screen tv’s but the NFL said no. I wondered why their was not a viewing party in the now named.** Bank of America** stadium. Now I know.
Does anyone have any ideas??
Probably has to do with bars showing the game.
Under 55" is fine. It’s the size that matters. I just don’t understand why.
Got link, anyone?
Hey Reeder, is there any way we can blame Bush? 
It’s a question of how many people can watch the game on a given TV. They have made the determination that any larger than 55" can accomodate a few hundred people, therefore it’s a violation of their copyright, trademark, whatever.
I don’t think it’s unreasonable. If I were a bar, I’d show the game on multiple TVs to circumvent that rule. All it does is prevent massive private Super Bowl parties that might be using that as a draw for other purposes the NFL may not condone.
So what’s the problem? If you made a show and someone used it without your permission to make a lot of money and you saw none of the proceeds, wouldn’t you be pissed? I would be.
Well except, It’s all those people watching the game, be it on 60 inch TVs or 12 inch TVs, in home or bars, which persuades NBC to spend billions to get the right to show the games in the first place. That’s how the NFL gets their proceeds. It just seems stupid to start being a pain in the ass about people watching your game, when the point of your game is to be watched by as many people as possible.
Hee! Maybe the NFL figured that 55" was the minimum size required to get a good view of Janet Jackson’s tit? 
Never underestimate corporate greed.
The viewership is going to be massive no matter what, NBC knows they’re going to get their money, and the NFL already got paid.
The NFL simply doesn’t want people making substantial amounts of money off their product wthout getting their cut. Fine with me.
OK, a little more seriously this time. The network gets its money based on ratings, so the NFL by extension lives off ratings. For a very long time, NFL telecast partners have been complaining that Nielson ratings understate the audience for their games by failing to count the traffic in bars, restaurants and other “communal viewing” venues. There’s an estimation process, IIRC, but the complaint is that this process is completely inadequate for sports events, and in particular large sports events.
I suspect this whole thing is a PR thing more directed at Nielsen (or the purchasers who make decisions based on ratings) than it is an actual enforcement action aimed at the actual trangressors.
The game is on CBS.
Just fyi ya know.
CBS, NBC, FOX, CBN, Playboy…whatever. 
I am curious though… I’m not sure if they would actually be successful. The venues are recieving an over the air signal broadcast on a public medium. How do you prove intent?
I mean, I have a bar with seven 70 inch screens and they coincidentally happen to be recieving a broadcast on a federally mandated and publicly owned channel, not a pay per view (private broadcast) or tape recorded event. And I happen to be open for normal operations (as I happen to be on every super bowl sunday and every news year eve to boot).
How does the NFL prove that A) I infringed a copyright on a public broadcast which every reciever in the US is eligible to recive and B) that it cost the NFL money? Where’s the financial loss?
Regards,
-Bouncer-
ps: If any of this ever actually goes to court, would someone point me to it so I can follow this case?
I seem to recall ASCAP has gone after businesses that just had a radio on a music station. Urban legend?
What I haven’t heard is: did the casinos even try to make an agreement with the NFL?
Why is there a stink this year? Sounds a bit like the power-plays between network affiliates and cable companies of the last few years.
Bouncer, I think you’ll lose that suit. I recall back in the day, the Buffalo Bills rarely sold out the stadium, resulting in a blackout in Buffalo and “neighboring” Rochester, but not in Syracuse, which is about an hour from Rochester. A bar on the far edge of Rochester, roughly a 2hr drive from Rich Stadium, pointed some high-powered antenna at Syracuse and showed the games.
Found an article dealing with the general issue. No Fun League.
Shit I knew they were lying, size does matter.
I have this mental image of Airman Doors, USAF watching the “Queer Eye” marathon on NBC and wondering when the heck the game was going to start …
I can honestly say that I have never seen “Queer Eye” the whole way through (at most about 5 minutes until I get annoyed) and frankly I find the whole concept of that show utterly loathesome, but that’s another story altogether.