You still have to have Sunday Ticket, but someone's got to hack their way past that....
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070826-nfl-to-stream-live-games-over-the-internet.html
NFL to stream live games over the Internet
By Eric Bangeman | Published: August 26, 2007 - 07:45PM CT
If you're a die-hard Indianapolis Colts fan living in Boston, there's no better way to catch Peyton Manning gesticulating wildly before each snap of the ball than with DIRECTV's NFL Sunday Ticket. Some subscribers to DIRECTV's popular package will get an additional bonus this year, as the NFL and DIRECTV have announced that those signing up for the satellite TV provider's SuperFan package will be able to watch the games streamed live to their PC. This is the first time the NFL has experimented with streaming live football games in the US, and it could be a prelude to expanded offerings similar to those offered by Major League Baseball.
This season, the NFL and DIRECTV will be streaming every game in the Sunday Ticket package, along with the stats-heavy Red Zone Channel. There are a couple of caveats, of course. SuperFan costs $99 on top of the $269 price tag for Sunday Ticket. And if you're a Mac or Linux user, take note: streaming requires Windows XP or Vista along with Internet Explorer 6 or 7.
The platform requirements and the $368 price tag provide a steep barrier to entry for the NFL's streaming package, but that may be exactly what the NFL wants. The NFL has taken a very protective approach to online video, more so than just about any other sports league. That's why you'll be hard pressed to find any recent game footage online anywhere other than NFL.com.
Case in point: in May, the NFL issued a new set of rules governing online video footage. Practice and press conference footage is restricted to 45 seconds per day and must link back to NFL.com. That 45 seconds of footage won't be around for long, either: all video and audio clips have to be removed within 24 hours of being posted. Game footage for web sites other than NFL.com? Forget about it.
Contrast the NFL's position to that of the NBA, which has its own channel on YouTube; Major League Baseball, which streams every regular season game to MLB.TV subscribers; and the NHL, which began streaming to Comcast subscribers a couple of seasons ago and will let Slingbox users share video clips online.
Given its history, the NFL's decision to allow streaming via DIRECTV's SuperFan package is noteworthy. Although the league partnered with Yahoo last year to stream games to fans outside of North America for $24.99 per week, this is the league's first offering within US borders. With the high price tag, there likely won't be a whole host of subscribers. That, in turn, will allow the NFL to treat the 2007 season as in experiment in streaming. If the league becomes convinced that it can allow streaming without relaxing its iron grip on its content, it may expand beyond DIRECTV.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070826-nfl-to-stream-live-games-over-the-internet.html
NFL to stream live games over the Internet
By Eric Bangeman | Published: August 26, 2007 - 07:45PM CT
If you're a die-hard Indianapolis Colts fan living in Boston, there's no better way to catch Peyton Manning gesticulating wildly before each snap of the ball than with DIRECTV's NFL Sunday Ticket. Some subscribers to DIRECTV's popular package will get an additional bonus this year, as the NFL and DIRECTV have announced that those signing up for the satellite TV provider's SuperFan package will be able to watch the games streamed live to their PC. This is the first time the NFL has experimented with streaming live football games in the US, and it could be a prelude to expanded offerings similar to those offered by Major League Baseball.
This season, the NFL and DIRECTV will be streaming every game in the Sunday Ticket package, along with the stats-heavy Red Zone Channel. There are a couple of caveats, of course. SuperFan costs $99 on top of the $269 price tag for Sunday Ticket. And if you're a Mac or Linux user, take note: streaming requires Windows XP or Vista along with Internet Explorer 6 or 7.
The platform requirements and the $368 price tag provide a steep barrier to entry for the NFL's streaming package, but that may be exactly what the NFL wants. The NFL has taken a very protective approach to online video, more so than just about any other sports league. That's why you'll be hard pressed to find any recent game footage online anywhere other than NFL.com.
Case in point: in May, the NFL issued a new set of rules governing online video footage. Practice and press conference footage is restricted to 45 seconds per day and must link back to NFL.com. That 45 seconds of footage won't be around for long, either: all video and audio clips have to be removed within 24 hours of being posted. Game footage for web sites other than NFL.com? Forget about it.
Contrast the NFL's position to that of the NBA, which has its own channel on YouTube; Major League Baseball, which streams every regular season game to MLB.TV subscribers; and the NHL, which began streaming to Comcast subscribers a couple of seasons ago and will let Slingbox users share video clips online.
Given its history, the NFL's decision to allow streaming via DIRECTV's SuperFan package is noteworthy. Although the league partnered with Yahoo last year to stream games to fans outside of North America for $24.99 per week, this is the league's first offering within US borders. With the high price tag, there likely won't be a whole host of subscribers. That, in turn, will allow the NFL to treat the 2007 season as in experiment in streaming. If the league becomes convinced that it can allow streaming without relaxing its iron grip on its content, it may expand beyond DIRECTV.
