NFL Network to Broadcast Late-Season Thurs/Sat Games

[ADeadSmitty]

The NFL announced today that it will broadcast late-season Thursday and Saturday night games on its own NFL Network after talks with Comcast fell through.

This sucks, I'm not sure we get NFL network in our apartment.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB113841007855058877.html?mod=home_whats_news_us

[Thundergod]

crap...   

[Philly Fin Fan]

Wow, the even more amazing part is that they will broadcast the Thanksgiving Day Cowboys/ Redskins game.

It will be an evening game, as opposed to the normal day game, and it will also be broadcast on local TV in the two markets. So unless you live in Dallas or DC, you will need the NFL Network to watch that game.

Those of us with Direct TV need not worry, since NFL Network comes with the programming, but if your cable company doesn't have it, you might want to call them and beg them to get NFL Network.

[Phishfan]

How about copying the article so we don't have to register? This news sucks. Why would the NFL cut out half of its market? NFL network is not available on most cable operators to my knowledge, only satellite.

[ADeadSmitty]

The National Football League has decided to televise a package of games on Thursday and Saturday nights starting next season on its own cable channel, rather than selling the package to another network.

The decision Friday came after talks ended with Comcast Corp. on a joint venture that would have placed the eight late-season games on the company's OLN network or created a new sports network, people familiar with the talks said.

The games mark the first time the league has ventured outside of its traditional Sunday and Monday nights for a regular television package. Industry executives had estimated the value of the Thursday-Saturday games at about $400 million.

By keeping the games in-house, the NFL foregoes that income. But it also instantly increases the value of its NFL Network, which debuted two years ago and shows old games, highlights and other original nongame programming. An NFL spokesman declined to comment.

"Live games changes the value of the NFL Network to the cable companies because their subscribers are going to insist on it," says Marc Ganis, a sports consultant who has worked with the NFL. "You've moved it from a highlights channel to one that has must-have programming."

The NFL Network is available in about 30 million homes, mostly on a premium digital programming tier. The league now is expected to ask cable operators to make the channel part of their basic services. That could triple the number of homes in which the channel is seen. In addition to appearing on the NFL Network, the eight Thursday and Saturday games also are expected to air on broadcast television in the participating team's markets.

Instead of reaping the traditional rights fee for the games, the NFL would instead generate revenue from cable subscriber fees and advertising. The addition of the live games would enhance the value of the network for a possible sale. But the NFL also could choose to sell the games in a more traditional format down the road.

The decision on the Thursday and Saturday games completes a new round of television deals for the NFL. The league will receive more than $3.7 billion annually from 2006 through 2011 in contracts with Walt Disney Co.'s ESPN, General Electric Co.'s NBC, CBS Corp.'s CBS, and News Corp.'s Fox and DirecTV.

Comcast has been attempting to rebrand OLN from a predominantly outdoors network to one that features more traditional sports. It began televising the National Hockey League last fall, but adding the NFL would have lent a big credibility boost. A person familiar with the discussions said the NFL and Comcast had discussed giving OLN a new, more "sportsy" name.

One sticking point in the talks with Comcast, the people familiar with the negotiations said, was the NFL's desire to add games and boost the price at its discretion. But they said the NFL was torn over whether to keep the games for its own network or sell them to an outside network, so talks did not reach a final stage. The league also had discussed the Thursday-Saturday package with Fox and Time Warner Inc.'s Turner cable networks.

[Philly Fin Fan]

There's also a story on NFL.com...

http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/story/9193472

[Philly Fin Fan]

Wow, I just re-read the NFL.com story, and they changed it from yesterday! It now says there will be a triple header on Thanksgiving Day, meaning they will add another game.
So I wonder who will now get a Thanksgiving Day game? It'll probably be an AFC team, since Detroit and Dallas are NFC. And since the NFL has a habit of @$$ kissing in the name of ratings, it'll probably be Indy or NEw England.

[CF DolFan]

Wow, I just re-read the NFL.com story, and they changed it from yesterday! It now says there will be a triple header on Thanksgiving Day, meaning they will add another game.
So I wonder who will now get a Thanksgiving Day game? It'll probably be an AFC team, since Detroit and Dallas are NFC. And since the NFL has a habit of @$$ kissing in the name of ratings, it'll probably be Indy or NEw England.

As I understand it ... the only reason it is Detroit and Dallas is because they were the only two teams to want it. Prior to that it was rotated every year.

[TonyB0D]

COUGH COUGH.....who argued with me when I said there WILL be thursday nite games next year or the year after?    apologies please...

[Spider-Dan]

COUGH COUGH.....who argued with me when I said there WILL be thursday nite games next year or the year after?    apologies please...

Assuming you're referring to the whole college/anti-trust thing, I think the operative word in the title is late-season.

[Phishfan]

Assuming you're referring to the whole college/anti-trust thing, I think the operative word in the title is late-season.

Exactly. The initial statement put ut there made it sound as if they were going to do an entire season.

[Brian Fein]

Comcast better get on the stick and bring me the NFL network NOW.  I've been ok with not having it up until now, cause I got all I need from the net.  But, now they're broadcasting games - get your ass moving, Comcast, you have 7 months to clear space for the NFL network!

[AZ Fins Fan 55]

Boy for once I am happy I have DirecTV.....

[mcduff81]

I have Comcast and the NFL network..

[crazy_scar_man]

You know... this is a HUGE issue that really didn't get any play by the media. It really demonstrates the power the NFL has achieved and their willingness to use it. To strip their games from more than half I would venture to guess of their current viewer base is pretty mighty.

For some reason though, I haven't heard much about it. There really hasn't been a stink. Everyone's just worried if their cable company will have it, not if they have to pay more.

I wonder if this will become more of an issue next year when a whole lot of people sit down to watch football and there is none.