Cable providers balk at NFL Network fees

[Ray]

BY SETH SUTEL | THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ ... 20382/1001

Here's an interesting article. More on the current status of televised sports on cable TV. Millions of people aren't able to view football games scheduled for today because their cable provider has chosen either not to carry ANY sports or because they added it to a premium service that consumers will have to pay extra for. The insatiable, bloated sports industry has finally grown so expensive that they've priced themselves out of the market! I know it has more to do with business than with cable providers recognizing that few people care to watch (and much less to pay to watch) sports. But even so, this is our chance. Several cable companies have already made the decision not to carry sports programming on basic cable but several others are still on the fence. Time Warner, Cablevision, and Charter Communications have yet to make a final decision. If any of these cable providers provide YOUR service, your e-mail telling them you don't want sports programming on basic cable might make the difference in your community! Do it now!


NEW YORK - The NFL will air the first of eight live pro football games on its own network on Thanksgiving. But they won't be available to many viewers, because the league hasn't reached carriage agreements with several major cable operators.

The eight games - beginning with Thursday's matchup of the Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs - will be available on local broadcasters, satellite TV and a number of cable systems that carry the NFL Network. But that totals only about 40 million of the nation's 111.4 million households with TVs.

Most notable among the cable companies that haven't reached deals with the National Football League are No. 2 operator Time Warner Cable, which is a unit of the media conglomerate Time Warner Inc.; Cablevision Systems Corp., a New York-area provider; and Charter Communications Inc. Time Warner, for its part, says it's highly unlikely a deal will be reached in time for the first game.


Comcast Corp., the largest cable company in the country, has carried the network for two years, but as part of a premium-tier sports package ordered by only about 7 million of its 24 million subscribers. Time Warner says it's balking at a demand from NFL that the network be carried on the most widely available basic service lineup.

The issue is cost. Spokesman Mark Harrad says Time Warner would have to pay $140 million a year to provide the channel to all 13.5 million of its subscribers in 33 states, placing it in the top five most expensive cable networks. He said the company would prefer to carry the network as part of a premium service - not at the rate of 70 cents per customer per month the network is reportedly seeking.