sports

NFL Says Show Me the Money; Fans Say, Show Us the Game

by Khushroo Ghadiali

A brief primer on the issues involved as titans struggle over your money; meanwhile, a few places to watch the game. You know which one we're talking about. If you don't hint: It's a team from the Dallas area playing a team from a cheese-producing state in a sport featuring an oval projectile.

Posted on November 29, 2007

As some Cowboy fans wrestle with the 100K sticker shock on personal seat licenses at the team’s new billion dollar stadium in Arlington, Texas, El Pasoans mostly just want to know why they won’t be able to see the Cowboys-Packers matchup tonight.

Tonight’s game will not be available in about 74.1 million of the country's 112.8 million homes. In El Paso, besides the few with satellite, most are going to sports bars to watch the game.

The past few weeks have seen plenty of drama on the subject, and even Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has been appearing in television ads, asking people to cancel their Time Warner subscriptions and switch over to Dish Network.

"I am frustrated that we've got literally several million fans that won't get to see that game because Time Warner won't be carrying it," Jones said in the locker room after the Cowboys' 34-3 victory over the New York Jets. "I'm hot about that. I hope those fans will go to AT&T satellite or go over to a competing cable company," Jones was quoted as saying on ESPN.

Time Warner counters saying that they too “are football fans and support the local NFL team. This issue is with the NFL Network and about bringing value to our customers at a fair price. Right now, the NFL is demanding unfair terms that would result in an unfair deal for TWC and you. TWC supports football and wants to reach an agreement with the NFL Network that provides the greatest benefit to you. These regular season games are unavailable because of the move to the NFL Network.”

According to nflbadcall.com the National Football League wants $750 million to let TWC air eight games currently on the NFL network, games that would otherwise have been free. But that’s not all.

“The biggest challenge in ongoing negotiations has been the NFL Network’s unprecedented demand to be included in every TWC customer’s basic cable package. Rather than carry programming on the sports tier, where programming from every other major sports league including the NBA and NHL is located, the NFL Network wants all customers to pay for premium programming regardless of whether customers want it or not,” the site says.

“We are not only trying to protect the interests of our customers, we’re also trying to find a solution for the sports fans that the NFL Network has let down,” says Jon Gary Herrera, vice president of governmental and public affairs for Time Warner Cable San Antonio. “They’re making a bad call here in denying fans the chance to watch the games they want,” in the release.

According to the Dallas Morning News Comcast bid $400 million for the rights to carry the network for a year. The NFL turned them down.

To get some of this money back the NFL decided to hit up cable carriers. The DMN reports that the league hoped to make 70 cents per cable subscriber. If that deal had gone through, the NFL stood to gain more than $300 million every year. And that’s before you figure in commercials.

To recoup the lost rights money, the NFL needed to charge cable providers a fee. The league hoped to get 70 cents per customer per month from the cable carriers for distribution on their popular basic digital tier. If the NFL could sell its network to cable companies across the country, including Comcast and Time Warner's 38 million subscribers, the rate would generate more than $300 million in subscription fees annually. That would be before a single second of commercial time was sold.
The NFL’s made no secret of the fact that they’re doing this for the money and to transform their network into a money making venture, the DMN story says.

But even as all the finger pointing goes on disappointed subscribers are looking for ways to watch their team take on the Green Bay Packers, with most heading out to sports bars.

According to the El Paso Times some of the places showing the game are:

• El Paso Downtown Sports Bar and Grill, 317 E. Mills. 546-4004; www.epsportsbar.com. We recommend this one because it’s owned by El Paso Media Group Publisher Keith Mahar.
• Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino's Franklin Lounge. 505-874-5353.
• Oasis Lanes and Amusement Center, 1660 N. Zaragoza. 855-1183.
• Hiney's Sports Restaurant, 8220 Gateway East. 590-0115.

The game will also be aired on radio at: KROD-AM (600)