NFL Network Still Seeking Cable Love

The NFL network, which currently reaches 30+ million homes, begins its second season of eight primetime contests with the Indianapolis Colts-Atlanta Falcons game on Thanksgiving night. Customers of major cable tv will still be in the dark though, as the NFL network is currently only on Dish Network, DirecTV, and some smaller cable television players.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on a conference call with reporters Tuesday afternoon opened the door for further negotiations with leading cable operators Comcast and Time Warner Cable. Goodell did not have any news of a pending deal between the NFL Network and the larger cable companies.

He further applied pressure to the cable tv industry with a not too disguised accusation.   Goodell said that customer service representatives at cable companies without NFL Network contracts are telling subscribers that deals are on the horizon. He said it wasn’t right for customers to “be lulled to think that a deal will be reached on the eve of games.”

Translation: Get yourself a satellite dish if you want to see the NFL network this year.

The NFL Network seems to be putting faith in the FCC. On November 27 the FCC could include binding arbitration on its agenda. FCC commissioner Kevin Martin is endorsing rules that would permit the NFL Network to invoke compulsory arbitration under which an arbitrator would decide between the final offers tendered by the service and operators.

So while hope for cable tv customers to see the NFL network’s games may be slipping away this year, arbitration may resolve this ongoing dispute by the 2008 season.

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