Now that the Dallas Cowboy-Green Bay Packer game is over, columnists, bloggers and sports reporters all continue to bemoan the fact that the game was on the NFL network. At At the center of the controversy is Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who in recent days has placed most of the blame squarely on big cable for running interference with the owners new network.
Cable providers Comcast and Time Warner, for their part have certainly taken their shots back at the NFL network and Jones, sending a cease and desist letter to the league, and its main mouthpiece, Jerry Jones.
Jones for his part isn’t shutting up, advising consumers to consider the satellite TV alternatives, Dish Network and Direct TV. While it’s hard to have sympathy for a group of millionaire owners fighting with cable companies that rake in billions annually, Jerry Jones and the NFL certainly have the right to market and distribute their product as they see fit. Let’s look at five reasons why the NFL Network holds a strong bargaining position and why they will ultimately win out in this battle.
- Content is King: The NFL continues to rule the sports landscape. It consistently draws the best ratings, and has the most passionate fan base. Ratings for Major League Baseball and the NBA continue to lag far behind the NFL. CBS drew a 22.5 large-market Nielsen rating for the Indianapolis Colts-New England Patriots game on November 4th, which was the highest rating for a regular-season Sunday afternoon NFL game since 1986. That is an amazing fact with all of the alternative content available across cable and satellite networks. With a high demand product like this, NFL owners have little motivation to sell out at a low price to cable providers.
- The Free Market: While some complain about cable monopolies, the free market has given the NFL network some leverage that would not have been possible in the past. Satellite TV options including DirecTV and Dish Network allow most consumers a choice in the pay television industry. The NFL Network reached early agreements with both satellite TV companies, and now can continue to pound on Comcast and Time Warner by encouraging customers to consider the alternatives.
- Scheduling: While a quick look at the NFL Network’s slate of games this year doesn’t look great, two huge games have fallen into the lap of the NFL owners. As mentioned previously, this weeks NFC tilt features two 10-1 teams, Dallas and Green Bay. With the Cowboys back in force this year, Jerry Jones won the propaganda jackpot, as he can continue to blame the cable companies for keeping his Cowboys and his network off the airwaves. A second potential jackpot for the NFL Network is the December 29th game between New England and the New York Giants. Should New England keep winning, Comcast and Time Warner may be forced to buckle, or else miss out on televising a potential perfect season.
- Spoiled Fans: Hey I’m one of them. Thirty years ago we were happy with two NFL games a week, one on Sunday and one Monday night. Now, we have a minimum of four games on free and cable television. For about $10 bucks a week, we can get all of the NFL games through DirecTV. Yet, we still complain when we don’t get the NFL network games. Again, content is king, and the American sports fan has an insatiable appetite for the NFL. Jerry and the rest of the NFL owners know their fan base, and they know they will continue to demand their product, whether by making the switch to satellite, or by demanding it from their cable operator. When the pain becomes too great, cable providers will cave.
- Roger Goodell: The NFL commissioner has been on the job just over a year, yet has already made his mark on the league. His player conduct policy has already resulted in the suspension of four NFL players including Michael Vick. Last week Goodell took the offensive in remarks made regarding the status of negotiations with cable providers. While leaving the door open to a deal, he reiterated the leagues hard line toward the holdout cable operatives. Goodell’s legacy, along with the owner’s backing will insure a deal favorable toward the NFL Network.
The NFL Network has put its plan in place, and is not going to deviate from the plan. And while this certainly won’t appease Joe Sixpack as he missed out on this week’s game, they might just motivate him to check out satellite tv, or lob a telephone call to his cable company to find out when he’s going to get his NFL fix.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
It’s an outrage that Jerry, Roger and the NFL have chosen to make their problem with the cable companies into the fan’s problem. And, what about a little loyalty to the TV Networks who helped make the NFL what it is. Don’t forget the NFL was convicted of, if not punished for, monopolistic behavior when they destroyed their flegling World Football League (WFL) competition. Jerry, Roger & Co. clearly think that just because they are the NFL, everyone should do as they say. Personally I think the justice department should be looking into this.
BTW – tens of thousands of sports bar owners are the ancillary winners in this. Millions of under age fans
are the losers
I have to agree.I only wish we could pull together and boycott the NFL. enough is enough for me . C U @ the Stars games !!!
mark, you couldnt be more wrong.
its not the nfl’s problem or the fans…
all that the cable companies have to do is provide the nfl network free of charge, its that simple…
why is it that the satellite companies can provide me with this service yet the cable companies cant?
its simple….the cable companies want to put this NETWORK into a sports package and charge you for it,and the nfl does NOT want that. they want all the fans to be able to watch the games at no extra cost…
i suggest you invest in a company that will not try to nickle and dime you like many of the cable companies, being comcast and time warner.
i also suggest that you invest in direct tv or dish network..
I’m 100% in agreement with fisher’s views. The cable companies do have some overhead of managing a nationwide cable network, but they could manage it with the advertising.