NFL Network vs. The Cable Industry

[CitizenTino]

Feel free to nuke this if the subject has already been discussed, but has anybody else lost the NFL Network thanks to its running dispute with certain cable companies?

As an Adelphia subscriber, I've had the channel the last two years. Adelphia was bought out by Time Warner, and my cable switched over at midnight. A little while ago, I flipped over to what WAS the NFL Network, only to find THIS message from my new cable provider:

"The NFL Network is no longer available to Time Warner Cable. Basically, they are asking you to pay a premium price for eight out of market games you got for free last year. We are negotiating a better deal for you. For more information and to tell the NFL to Get Real, please visit www.NFLGetReal.com."

I don't quite understand how I was allegedly getting these out-of-market games for "free" last year, considering they were OUT OF MY MARKET, but in TW's defense, they make a more compelling case on that nflgetreal.com site.

The NFL Network, meanwhile, has resorted to taking out full-page ads in the local papers, telling you that you're going to be missing games this year and that you should call your local cable company and demand the NFL Network.

I have a feeling this thing is going to get very ugly before it is settled.

 

[Madhavok]

I suggest you get DirecTV or dish network. Anyway, the big city near me has this sports radio show and all they've done for the last three days has been ***** about this very thing.

It.gets.old.

 

[Cosmo]

Never had it on my cable (Adelphia basic), so I don't know what I'm missing. I'd love to get a dish, but that's a heck of a lot of money to shell out for something I'm never around to watch anyway. So I'll just go to the local watering hole and get drunk on ****ty beer to watch these games, as I always do.

FWIW, I'd rather have the Golf Channel.

 

[Twoback]

The cable companies have no problem raising prices when it benefits them, it seems.

 

[slappy4428]

The cable companies have no problem raising prices when it benefits them, it seems.

See: Comcast

 

[patchs]

Funny, my Adelphia system offered NFLN on ch. 16, so it wasn't on digital cable.
They replaced it with a regional sports channel which is airing ESPNews now.
But I only have Adelphia, err TW, for my locals and hi-speed Net, I have DirecTV for 1 reason, NFL Sunday Ticket.
And DTV isn't that bad price wise, the equipment and installation are basically free.
All they need is to get an arbitrator and they could settle this PDQ.

 

[kingcreole]

Haven't had cable in a year, and I'm a happier person for it. My brother also has DishNetwork and loves it. My dad is pissed with his cable rates and is thinking of getting dish.

The only bad things about dish are you don't get local Weather Channel updates and it does lose signal during bad weather, but I'm sick of cable companies bitching about prices from networks. The cable company around here was ready to put all the ESPN channels on premium packages and not the simple expanded lineup.

 

[Turfburger]

City I live in has Verizon Fios. They just added NFL network from its sports package to regular viewership Tuesday.

 

[Jeff Gluck]

Tino, I was hoping I wasn't affected by what you described, but apparently we have the same problem.

I totally blame Time Warner. ****ing pay for the ****ing channel. It's digital cable...they'd better pay for it. The funny thing is, on the screen it says something like, "Hi, we're Time Warner!" with a little "Hi, my name is..." nametag.

Bull****. I'm going to call Time Warner and tell them they ****ing suck.

 

[CitizenTino]

Since my original post, I've discovered that for now I also no longer get ESPNU. On the other hand, I am now getting NBA TV instead.

I'm still torn on this. Even though they've taken away a couple pretty decent channels, they've also added some other ones that are pretty nice to have.

 

[patchs]

Since my original post, I've discovered that for now I also no longer get ESPNU. On the other hand, I am now getting NBA TV instead.

I'm still torn on this. Even though they've taken away a couple pretty decent channels, they've also added some other ones that are pretty nice to have.

Get DirecTV, they have NFLN, ESPNU, NBA TV and a ton of other sports channels, as well as ESPN and ESPN2 in HD, TNT HD too.
They also offer local channels.

 

[Duane Postum]

Since my original post, I've discovered that for now I also no longer get ESPNU. On the other hand, I am now getting NBA TV instead.

I'm still torn on this. Even though they've taken away a couple pretty decent channels, they've also added some other ones that are pretty nice to have.

I was surfing the new Time Warner (nee Adelphia) lineup and I couldn't find what was new (beyond seeing the addition of NBA TV and deletion of the NFL Network) ... can you tell me what TW has added?

 

[Armchair_QB]

Since my original post, I've discovered that for now I also no longer get ESPNU. On the other hand, I am now getting NBA TV instead.

I'm still torn on this. Even though they've taken away a couple pretty decent channels, they've also added some other ones that are pretty nice to have.

can you tell me what TW has added?

Probably a bunch of suck-ass channels that Time-Warner owns.

 

[CitizenTino]

The other additions were HD channels, most notably TNTHD.

And I can't go with a dish because I also get my Internet service through the cable company. I don't have a phone line, so DSL from the phone company is out of the question.

 

[Oz]

We don't have Time Warner, but it seems like every other town around us does. I consider us lucky to have NFL Network, for sure.

 

[2muchcoffeeman]

The other additions were HD channels, most notably TNTHD.

And I can't go with a dish because I also get my Internet service through the cable company. I don't have a phone line, so DSL from the phone company is out of the question.

I believe it's possible to get just Internet service without the cable TV service. If it's not, you may be able to make a federal case out of it.

Depending on where you live, your phone company may be one of those that offers a DSL+DirecTV package. I know Bellsouth, AT&T (formerly SBC and Pacific Bell, and it's merging with Bellsouth) and Qwest all offer that package; Bellsouth throws in a $125 rebate and the others may as well.

 

[Bubbler]

Other than their Sunday highlight show, which is back-to-basics good, I have no idea why anyone would want NFL Network.

It had a lot of potential when launched, and has massively fallen short of the mark. Somehow, it makes the NFL boring, it's like watching the NFL version of a bunch of Dungeons & Dragons geeks talking about the stupidest minutae.

Not to mention that its given NFL Films free reign to exercise the most flaccid and pretentious of their desires, instead of sticking to what they do best -- highlight films and illustrating NFL history. I don't need some sappy feature about some 100-year-old high school coach who relaying the LIFE LESSONS OF FOOTBALL (in CAPS because it's a hackneyed NFL Films favorite theme). Who gives a ****?

 

[2muchcoffeeman]

Other than their Sunday highlight show, which is back-to-basics good, I have no idea why anyone would want NFL Network.

Well, they'll have actual NFL games in November and December (including a key Broncos-Chiefs game Thanksgiving night and what should be very good Ravens-Bengals and Giants-Redskins games). That's got to count for something.

 

[kingcreole]

Other than their Sunday highlight show, which is back-to-basics good, I have no idea why anyone would want NFL Network.

Well, they'll have actual NFL games in November and December (including a key Broncos-Chiefs game Thanksgiving night and what should be very good Ravens-Bengals and Giants-Redskins games). That's got to count for something.

Yeah, and they have good old highlights on every now and then. A few weeks back, they showed the Chiefs/Broncos game at Arrowhead last year, and watching Derrick Johnson slam into Joke Plummer's blindside is always worth watching.

And I love watching those Super Bowl Highlight shows. It's not a bad channel to watch if it's a slow day for TV viewing.

 

[Duane Postum]

Other than their Sunday highlight show, which is back-to-basics good, I have no idea why anyone would want NFL Network.

It had a lot of potential when launched, and has massively fallen short of the mark. Somehow, it makes the NFL boring, it's like watching the NFL version of a bunch of Dungeons & Dragons geeks talking about the stupidest minutae.

Not to mention that its given NFL Films free reign to exercise the most flaccid and pretentious of their desires, instead of sticking to what they do best -- highlight films and illustrating NFL history. I don't need some sappy feature about some 100-year-old high school coach who relaying the LIFE LESSONS OF FOOTBALL (in CAPS because it's a hackneyed NFL Films favorite theme). Who gives a ****?

I'm with you. I'll miss it not.