DirecTV and NFL extend "Sunday Ticket" agreement

[tiassa]

4 more years at $1 Billion per year. This is from the "Crawl" on the bottom of SportsCenter, so I don't have any more info.

[aindik]

I assume this is an exclusive agreement, meaning we won't see Sunday Ticket on cable or Dish Network in the next four years.

NFL never wanted Sunday Ticket on cable, anyway. Local CBS and Fox affiliates would raise holy hell. Having it on DirecTV is bad enough (from their perspective).

[JFriday]

It is exclusive, the paper says Comcast will drop the NFL channel May 1st when their contract expires.

[Enrique]

http://www.foxbusiness.com/story/markets/industries/media/nfl-directv-extend-nfl-sunday-tickettm-agreement--season/

[netringer]

On one hand the NFL sues Comcast to be included in Basic, then they re-sign up the exclusive to be only on DirecTV.

Once again, if the NFL doesn't want me to watch, I won't fight them.

[aindik]

Interesting. From that article:

The agreement also significantly broadens the reach of NFL SUNDAY TICKET(TM: 64.42, -0.81, -1.24%) by enabling NFL fans who cannot receive DIRECTV satellite service to get NFL SUNDAY TICKET(TM: 64.42, -0.81, -1.24%) via broadband. This service will begin no later than 2012.

Fans who "cannot" receive DirecTV sounds like people outside the United States only.

In addition, the NFL will offer fans (also no later than 2012) a new "Red Zone Channel" that shows crucial live action cut-ins of all Sunday afternoon games starting at 1 p.m. ET and continuing through the conclusion of the 4 p.m. ET games. The "Red Zone Channel" will be available to cable, telco and satellite systems, wireless devices, and the Internet.

Why do they need the "Red Zone" channel? What is the NFL Network doing on Sunday afternoons?

[SeanC]

Fans who "cannot" receive DirecTV sounds like people outside the United States only.

I live in Massachusetts and I can't receive DTV. I live in a condo with no place to put a dish.

Why do they need the "Red Zone" channel? What is the NFL Network doing on Sunday afternoons?

Do you understand what the Red Zone is? It doesn't show whole games. It shows whatever is the most interesting event currently happening at that moment.

[aindik]

I live in Massachusetts and I can't receive DTV. I live in a condo with no place to put a dish.

I wonder if you qualify under their meaning of "cannot." I can't imagine them going through that level of verification.

Do you understand what the Red Zone is? It doesn't show whole games. It shows whatever is the most interesting event currently happening at that moment.

I know. I'm wondering why they can't show that on the NFL Network (which is not showing live games on Sunday afternoon, right?).

[SeanC]

I wonder if you qualify under their meaning of "cannot." I can't imagine them going through that level of verification.

I do too. Obviously it is technically possible for me to get DTV, I just can't do it on my own. It would require the amendment of the condo docs, and a centralized installation of the equipment. That is never going to happen though.

I know. I'm wondering why they can't show that on the NFL Network (which is not showing live games on Sunday afternoon, right?).

Gotcha. I dunno either. As long as these products have existed though I've known that I would much rather have Red Zone than Sunday Ticket.

[GadgetFreak]

Has anyone made regular use of torrents for NFL games? How quickly do they appear?

[mtnagel]

Has anyone made regular use of torrents for NFL games? How quickly do they appear?Wow, first I've ever thought of this. I'd love to know the answer. I'm usually watching delayed. I'm sure I could avoid spoilers.

Paying so much for football (one crappy team no less) is becoming a tough pill to swallow. Especially the ridiculousness of paying $100 for HD.

[SeanC]

The only games I've ever noticed are the Superbowl and the occasional playoff game, other than that, not so much.

[ewolfr]

http://forums.tenyardtorrents.com/index.php for all your football torrent needs.

[That Don Guy]

Fans who "cannot" receive DirecTV sounds like people outside the United States only.
Pretty much anybody who lives on the north side of a steep enough hill can't get any satellite TV - you need an unobstructed line from the satellite hovering somewhere over the equator to the dish.

Why do they need the "Red Zone" channel? What is the NFL Network doing on Sunday afternoons?
During the early games, NFL Network shows scores/statistics on the screen while playing the Sirius NFL radio channel's audio. I think they start showing highlights of the early games while the late games are in progress, but I'm not sure.

NFL never wanted Sunday Ticket on cable, anyway. Local CBS and Fox affiliates would raise holy hell. Having it on DirecTV is bad enough (from their perspective).
If the local affiliates want people to watch, they should get the NFL to get rid of the "no doubleheader in a team's home market if that team is playing a home game on the other network, even if it is blacked out" rule. (Why, yes, I do live in one of the two areas (San Francisco/Oakland - the other being New York) that is seriously affected by this rule as there are twice as many home games - in fact, near the end of last season, there was no 4:00 Eastern game on either Fox or CBS one week, as the Raiders were playing a CBS game at home (which meant Fox couldn't show a game at the same time) that was blacked out, and it was the only 4:00 CBS game that day for some reason.)

I am surprised the NFL wants to put Red Zone on cable, since it would be almost impossible to prevent a blacked-out game from airing in the home market in question when they switched to it.

-- Don

[ronsch]

I know. I'm wondering why they can't show that on the NFL Network (which is not showing live games on Sunday afternoon, right?).

The Red Zone Channel is an additional charge above and beyond NFLST and so they will probably also charge extra above and beyond the NFL Network.

[bigpuma]

Fans who "cannot" receive DirecTV sounds like people outside the United States only.


But people outside of the country who cannot receive DirecTV can get Sunday Ticket through other providers. I know there is a Canadian version of ST available. I assume it is available in other countries as well.


Why do they need the "Red Zone" channel? What is the NFL Network doing on Sunday afternoons?

I assume it is so they can charge a premium for it. Right now to get Red Zone on DirecTV you have to get ST and pay for Superfan which is another $99 for the season. That said if I could just get the RZC I probably would since that is what I watch most of the time.

[ronsch]

I assume it is so they can charge a premium for it. Right now to get Red Zone on DirecTV you have to get ST and pay for Superfan which is another $99 for the season. That said if I could just get the RZC I probably would since that is what I watch most of the time.

That's what I watch most of the time on the first weekend when it's free.:)

[Bob Coxner]

Wow, first I've ever thought of this. I'd love to know the answer. I'm usually watching delayed. I'm sure I could avoid spoilers.

Paying so much for football (one crappy team no less) is becoming a tough pill to swallow. Especially the ridiculousness of paying $100 for HD.

If you argue enough you can almost always end up with Superfan for free. I get it for free each year and it usually doesn't take too much work. Do a search for "superfan" on dbstalk.com and you'll find many discussions.

[marksman]

I wonder if you qualify under their meaning of "cannot." I can't imagine them going through that level of verification.



I know. I'm wondering why they can't show that on the NFL Network (which is not showing live games on Sunday afternoon, right?).

Because their network partners would kick their arse if they did.

[aindik]

Because their network partners would kick their arse if they did.

The article says they're making Red Zone available on cable. A assume the level of arse-kicking about that would be about the same as if they put it on the NFL Network.

[BriGuy20]

That home crap affects me too, Washington DC and Baltimore are both considered "home teams" here so we usually get no NFC game when Baltimore is on. :mad:

[GadgetFreak]

http://forums.tenyardtorrents.com/index.php for all your football torrent needs.

Since it is the offseason, I can't test for myself. Do the torrents appear right after the game ends? Are there a lot of seeders? I looked at that forum but did not see the games -- do you have to register first?

[ewolfr]

Yes, you need to register first to see the torrents. I grabbed a few games last season and I would guess there were a few dozen seeds and leeches for most torrents. Easily enough to grab a game in 1-2 hours depending on the size of the file.

[toddvj]

It is exclusive, the paper says Comcast will drop the NFL channel May 1st when their contract expires.

On one hand the NFL sues Comcast to be included in Basic, then they re-sign up the exclusive to be only on DirecTV.

Once again, if the NFL doesn't want me to watch, I won't fight them.

NFL ticket and NFL network are two different things.

[mtnagel]

If you argue enough you can almost always end up with Superfan for free. I get it for free each year and it usually doesn't take too much work. Do a search for "superfan" on dbstalk.com and you'll find many discussions.Yeah I know, but I don't like having to do that. Last year I got it for free by paying the full amount for ST up front. I would gladly do that again to get it free. I just think it's ridiculous that they make you pay extra for the HD. If they want to charge you extra for extra real features, fine, but not for HD.

[VegasVic]

One of the reasons I switched to DirecTV a few years ago was Sunday Ticket. I loved it. But they've priced me out of it and I dropped it before last season. It's ridiculous to charge the extra $100 for HD. And yeah you can often negotiate that charge but why should I have to do that? I can understand getting ST if your favorite team isn't in your local market but I don't have that issue. And I had to draw the line somewhere. I can only imagine what the costs will be when the new deal kicks in.

[Talon]

Same here, dropped it due to cost.

[kaszeta]

Pretty much anybody who lives on the north side of a steep enough hill can't get any satellite TV - you need an unobstructed line from the satellite hovering somewhere over the equator to the dish.

Another one we run into around here in the heavily forested areas is trees. If the trees are on your property, you can cut them down (I got half a year's worth of maple for my woodstove getting my LOS fixed). But if the trees are on a neighbor's property? SOL.

[DevdogAZ]

If they make the Red Zone Channel available to anyone, and the cost is reasonable, it's going to kill the viewership on CBS and Fox. I imagine that anyone who is not following a specific team would simply watch the RZC rather than some random out of market game that the local affiliate puts on.

[Anubys]

Another one we run into around here in the heavily forested areas is trees. If the trees are on your property, you can cut them down (I got half a year's worth of maple for my woodstove getting my LOS fixed). But if the trees are on a neighbor's property? SOL.

nah...it just means you have to do your cutting at night :D

[JLucPicard]

I'm sorry, I know the Red Zone channel has it's use, but there's no way in heck that a "whipping around the league" clips channel would hold my attention. I would ALWAYS opt for a game broadcast and occaisionally check RZC. No way that's a 'sit and watch' channel. I don't think the CBS and FOX affiliates would have much to fear from the Red Zone Channel.

And I AM a Fantasy Football player, but I'm a FF player second and an NFL fan first.

[Anubys]

I'm sorry, I know the Red Zone channel has it's use, but there's no way in heck that a "whipping around the league" clips channel would hold my attention. I would ALWAYS opt for a game broadcast and occaisionally check RZC. No way that's a 'sit and watch' channel. I don't think the CBS and FOX affiliates would have much to fear from the Red Zone Channel.

And I AM a Fantasy Football player, but I'm a FF player second and an NFL fan first.

I solved that problem by having a second TV next to the main one that is always tuned to the red zone channel ;)

[bigpuma]

I solved that problem by having a second TV next to the main one that is always tuned to the red zone channel ;)

+1, although I only did that once. I have it set up now but I need to get another HD receiver just for the football season. It's too much of a hassle to move my HD DVR from upstairs and there really is no need for a DVR in this case. :D

[DevdogAZ]

I'm sorry, I know the Red Zone channel has it's use, but there's no way in heck that a "whipping around the league" clips channel would hold my attention. I would ALWAYS opt for a game broadcast and occaisionally check RZC. No way that's a 'sit and watch' channel. I don't think the CBS and FOX affiliates would have much to fear from the Red Zone Channel.

And I AM a Fantasy Football player, but I'm a FF player second and an NFL fan first.
I guess it depends on how many people are simply fans of the NFL regardless of the team, or who are fans of certain teams, and beyond that just want to see everything that happens.

For me, and perhaps I'm not typical, but I'll watch any game my team is in, and perhaps another team or two that I'm interested in, but other than that, I don't really care about watching a full game and am much more interested in just seeing the action and results.

[JFriday]

For me, and perhaps I'm not typical, but I'll watch any game my team is in, and perhaps another team or two that I'm interested in, but other than that, I don't really care about watching a full game and am much more interested in just seeing the action and results.

I'll watch the game my team is in and any other good games that are on that weekend. No need to have the red zone, I think that's for fantasy players.

[bigpuma]

For me, and perhaps I'm not typical, but I'll watch any game my team is in, and perhaps another team or two that I'm interested in, but other than that, I don't really care about watching a full game and am much more interested in just seeing the action and results.

I agree, when I am not watching a specific game I just sit back and enjoy the RZC HD. Plus Siciliano has some funny remarks occasionally. :D

[Knives of Ice]

I'll watch the game my team is in and any other good games that are on that weekend. No need to have the red zone, I think that's for fantasy players.

and gamblers

without gambling, sunday ticket wouldn't be nearly as popular

[BriGuy20]

and gamblers

without gambling, sunday ticket wouldn't be nearly as popular

I would think fantasy players greatly outnumber gamblers.