hno: cant watch that one.i dont see how that network is making any $$$. The rating for their games have been awful. Last week's snoozefest between the Vikings and Pack was only watched by 3million.If that game had been televised by a network it would have recieved at least 10M viewers.I dont see how its worth it for them when they could be generating so much more revenue with network sponsors.
RDC-3 said:
Thats a great number of people for the amount of subsciptions.
Its a longterm plan with the NFL NETWORK and they are working it brillantly.
Remember back in the day when ESPN2 first came out? The cable companies back then were very reluctant to put ESPN2 in there rotation, so what does ESPN do? They put all the DUKE/ NORTH CARALINA games etc.... on ESPN2, even though it would have gotten much better ratings on ESPN1. It forced the hand of the cable companies to put ESPN2 in there lineup because of all the outcry from subscribers.
Now the NFL Network has even more leverage than ESPN had back then.
Cable did not have to deal with the threat of DIRECTV/DISHNETWORK back then. Now you have subscibers to the cable channels threatening the cable providers by telling them they will switch to DIRECTV.
By the start of next football season, every cable company in the America will be forced to offer the NFL Network on there system.
NFL NETWORK also has real long range plans to air the SUPER BOWL on this network. I heard this from a very reliable sorce.
If the NFL NETWORK plays the Super Bowl on there channel, they will recieve 100% of the comercial revenue instead of FOX,CBS and ABC.
WildBill said:
I thought the same thing when the yankees started the YES network to only carry the yankee games. Over time they expanded their programming a little, but they rake in the profits instead of sharing it with a local channel.
The NFL would be NUTS not to do the same for the SuperBowl. It will force everyone to carry the NFL network and it will allow them to rake in all the profits.
Hadn't thought about it until reading this post, but it does make sense.
Anyone know where to get live feed of the insight bowl tonight??
Every cable company in America carrying the NFL network by next year? Are you out of your mind? The cable companies have a lot of leverage and they do NOT want to pay any more than they already are for sports programming.
And according to ESPN commentators as well as media industry writers, the oft-cited "outcry" from the public to cable companies to get NFL Network simply isn't existent. It's a slow trickle of complaints, nothing like what people talk about as being reasons for the cable companies to be forced to add NFL network for fear of subscribers leaving for satellite.
The real reason the NFL has this network in their long-term plans is for one word: LEVERAGE. 10, 20 years ago the NFL had a network that didn't have any football coverage, and could always threaten to jump ship to that network. If ABC didn't want to cough up the dough for MNF, the NFL could threaten to give it to NBC or ESPN. But now that all the networks are in on the game, they had to create their own network to provide that leverage. NBC, you don't want to pay extra for "TNF" or "SatNF?" Well, we'll put it on our own network and give you less games...
And according to ESPN commentators as well as media industry writers, the oft-cited "outcry" from the public to cable companies to get NFL Network simply isn't existent. It's a slow trickle of complaints, nothing like what people talk about as being reasons for the cable companies to be forced to add NFL network for fear of subscribers leaving for satellite.
The real reason the NFL has this network in their long-term plans is for one word: LEVERAGE. 10, 20 years ago the NFL had a network that didn't have any football coverage, and could always threaten to jump ship to that network. If ABC didn't want to cough up the dough for MNF, the NFL could threaten to give it to NBC or ESPN. But now that all the networks are in on the game, they had to create their own network to provide that leverage. NBC, you don't want to pay extra for "TNF" or "SatNF?" Well, we'll put it on our own network and give you less games...
cklennon said:
Im sorry, but the NFL Network has all the leverage in the world. If they dont add the NFL Network to there lineup, every hardcore football fan in America will have Directv.
Every last cable provider will have the NFL Network by week #1 next year. Thats a 100% fact.
CHOPTALK said:
I agree with your point about leverage ...
... BUT ...
The Duke-UNC games were on ESPN2 because under ACC rules, the same network wasn't allowed to carry BOTH games - so ESPN got around it by putting one of the games on ESPN2 and the other on ESPN.
Believe me, if they could have put both game on ESPN, they would have.
