NFL Sunday Ticket Re-Ups with Direct TV

[MasterBevo]

I meant to mention this last week... there was a good article in the WSJ regarding the on-going battle between Comcast Cable, the NFL, and Direct TV.

In the article, it says that Direct TV and the NFL just extended their exclusive arrangement for another FOUR years!!! :mad:

Honestly, I just don't understand this. Direct TV has 17 Million subscribers... total. Comcast alone has 70 Million!!!

Clearly Direct TV NEEDS the Sunday Ticket... probably, for survival. But, the NFL does NOT need Direct TV. They could greatly expand their market reach, and revenue, by making The Ticket available on cable.

The only argument presented by the NFL that made any sense to me was: They don't want to dilute the value of their TV Network contracts... (Fox and NBC??) But seriously, if you're concerned about that, jack up the price a little higher. It's $300 per season now. I think, that seriously limits the number of people who'll want it. Raise it to $500, or more... if you need to protect the Network viewership. But, why limit your potential market base by sticking with a minority telecast delivery system??

On the good side, The NFL said they are considering offering a Red Zone channel.... this would be a channel that just jumps from game to game to cover scoring opportunities... or, to show big scores just after they happened.

Yup... they're embracing the desires of the fantasy owners now! 10 years ago, they looked at us with disdain... Now, they seem to understand that the Fantasy boom was a God-send for their business.


http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123975228661518757.html

[GatorGrad]

Thanks for sharing. I've always resisted the urge to switch to DirecTV just for the Sunday Ticket. Mainly because my Buccaneers get shown more often than not on the local FOX here in the Jacksonville area since the Jaguars are AFC (CBS.) The games that are not shown, I just grab some wings at the local sports bar and watch the game there.

I keep sticking with Comcast. It just seems like a pain to have to have a box on every TV in the house that we want to get a signal whereas cable just plugs right into the TV from the wall if you don't need HD or DVR (we just have HD/DVR in the living room and all other TV's in the house are normal cable.) Not to mention DirecTV wants an extra $5 per box (per TV.)

But I suppose if I lived out of state and the Bucs games were never on local FOX, I would be much more tempted to make the jump.

[MasterBevo]

Yea.... We have Insight BB cable... and, I'm sticking with it. I like the DVR's and the On-Demand shows/movies... it's pretty awesome.

For the past 2 years, I split the cost of the Sunday Ticket ($120 each for us). They had season tickets to the Colts.. so, on weeks when they went to the game, they let me come over to keep the dog company, and watch any NFL game I wanted. Unfortunately, they got divorced, and moved... :(

Back in the mid-90's, when the Sunday Ticket was FIRST offered, we had a 10' satellite dish, and signed up. The first year, I paid $89! No kidding....as one of the very first customers. That was a period when I was really dominating some Fantasy Football leagues.. ;)

Not saying that was the entire reason, but... it sure didn't hurt to be able to watch any game I wanted. You could see injuries that never got mentioned in reports... and, sometimes talent just doesn't show up in stats... Some 3 yrd runs are awful, and some are outstanding. Hard to see that on a stat line.

So... I miss it. But, not enough to switch to Direct TV.

[billy]

Just go to sites like channelsurfing.net or justin.tv


You will see all the NFL you ever need.

Quality is pretty good too and it's absolutely free.

[MasterBevo]

Last time I tried to go to channelsurfing, my MacAfee virus checker said it was "not safe" and that potential mal-ware was being blocked...

You had any trouble?

[ZOOMBAG]

I buy the ticket and I love it. Wife follows the Colts and I follow the Texans. Able to watch almost all of both teams' games.