Bottom Of The Barrel

NFL on CBS [and NBC and NFL Network]

Up till yesterday, the NFL had committed to keeping this Saturday's potential epic and historic Patriots/Giants game limited to their own NFL Network and local affiliates. Previously the NFL had stated that onus of making the game widely available fell on the major cable providers. This is an ongoing struggle between the cable providers and the NFL because companies such as Comcast and Time Warner have declined to carry the NFL Network as part of basic packages. The NFL Network is in it's 2nd year of broadcasting live games. So, again, it's all about money.

In an effort to get the game aired across the country, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt. and Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa, members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, sent a co-written letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell suggesting they might want to reconsider the league's antitrust exemption.

In response to this new government pressure, the NFL has reconsidered. "We have taken this extraordinary step because it is in the best interest of our fans," Goodell said in a statement. "What we have seen for the past year is a very strong consumer demand for NFL Network. We appreciate CBS and NBC delivering the NFL Network telecast on Saturday night to the broad audience that deserves to see this potentially historic game. Our commitment to the NFL Network is stronger than ever." The game will now be simulcast on CBS, NBC and the NFL Network. Ironically for history buffs, this will also mark the first three-network simulcast in NFL history and the first simulcast of an NFL game since the inaugural Super Bowl in 1967, when CBS and NBC televised the meeting of the champions of the newly merged National Football League and American Football League.

So it seems that facing congress and reviewing their sweet antitrust exemption [giving them a monopoly not given to any other industries in the US] is not worth the money it cost to bring [to the fans] something that may not happen again for another 35 years.

posted by TheWino @ 8:56 AM