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http://money.cnn.com/2006/08/08/commentary/sportsbiz/index.htm?source=yahoo_quote
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- This August is the most brutal month for the National Football League.
While the games seem like they mean nothing, they will in fact determine who gets to be in the lineup when the season starts and who will be left out. Veterans face challenges from upstarts. And all of it is played out in unbearable heat.
Bryant Gumbel and Cris Collinsworth, seen here with NFL Network anchor Rich Eisen, will be the broadcast team for most of the regular season games the network will now show.
I'm not talking about the NFL training camps, which are inhuman enough. I'm referring to the clash between the NFL Network and the nation's leading cable operators.
In January, the NFL decided that rather than pocket hundreds of millions more in rights fees for a package of eight late-season Thursday and Saturday games, it would give the games to its two-year old NFL Network. In the past, the league's own network has shown only pre-season and NFL Europe games live.
"The NFL has all the cash it needs," said sports television consultant Neil Pilson, a former president of CBS Sports, of the NFL's decision to pass up offers from Comcast's (Charts) OLN Network and others to broadcast the games. He thinks it's a smarter long-term decision for the NFL to boost the attractiveness of its own network.
The NFL Network won't get its first regular season game until Thanksgiving night, when it shows the Denver Broncos play the Kansas City Chiefs. Its broadcast team of Bryant Gumbel and Cris Collinsworth will call the game.
The network will also show some second-tier college bowl games this year, along with 90-minute condensed versions of Sunday games throughout the week. But it's the live regular season games that are at the heart of the NFL's battle with cable operators.
The decision to put regular season games on the network has already spurred some operators to offer it to more of their subscribers. That's increased the number of homes the NFL Network reaches from about 30 million in January to 41 million today.
Top cable companies not yet on board
But the nation's largest cable operators have yet to put the network on its basic lineup offered to all its customers. Some, such as Comcast and Cox, offer it only to digital customers. That cuts into the ad revenue the NFL can get for the games.
The nation's No. 2 cable operator, Time Warner Cable, has thus far refused to carry the network at all, insisting that it only be included in a premium sports package of channels such as NBA TV and networks that carry college sports, soccer and racing. Not even all digital customers would get that package. (Time Warner Cable, like CNNMoney.com, is owned by Time Warner (Charts).)
And when Time Warner Cable purchased 3.3 million cable households that were formerly owned by either Adelphia or Comcast last week, it tried to drop the network from the nearly one-third of those homes that had it. The NFL got the Federal Communications Commission to order Time Warner to keep the NFL Network on those systems, though.
Now, Time Warner and the NFL are both trying to enlist members of the general public to support their cause.
The NFL is advertising a phone number that directs fans to their local cable company's call centers so they can ask their provider to add the network to their system.
Time Warner is asking its customers to sign an online petition to the league to let the cable company carry it as a package of sports networks.
"We would like to carry the NFL Network and I assume they would like to be carried. It hinges on two factors -- the price and the placement," said Time Warner Cable spokesman Mark Harrad.
Time Warner claims the NFL Network is trying to jack up the per-subscriber fee by 250 percent -- to the neighborhood of 70 cents to 90 cents a month per customer -- due to the addition of the eight games.
"It's hard for us to understand how they can justify the price they want for an untested rookie," said Harrad.
Seth Palansky, spokesman for the NFL Network, wouldn't comment on the issue other than to say, "We're comfortable our pricing makes the NFL Network one of the best values in the industry."
Palansky said the network believes pressure from fans will be important in negotiations with the cable operators.
But Harrad said the number of calls that Time Warner has gotten so far -- less than 8,000 from former Adelphia and Comcast customers who lost the channel, and only 88 cancellations, show the demand for the network is limited.
Still, the NFL is actively courting cable competitors with its outreach program to fans. The network is already available in all 27 million satellite television homes covered by DirecTV (Charts) and EchoStar (Charts), and it also has deals to be carried on the new television offerings from phone companies Verizon (Charts) and AT&T (Charts).
Sports TV consultant Pilson said the history of these types of battles between cable operators and regional sports networks shows that public and even political pressure generally causes the cable operators to give in, even if it increases their costs. And the NFL is more powerful than a regional sports network.
"The NFL is the largest single entertainment property in the U.S. today, by a huge margin," Pilson said, adding that the NFL Network will probably be available in 50 million to 60 million homes within the next couple of years.
"Most of the pressure will be on the cable operators," he said. "The force is with the NFL."
NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- This August is the most brutal month for the National Football League.
While the games seem like they mean nothing, they will in fact determine who gets to be in the lineup when the season starts and who will be left out. Veterans face challenges from upstarts. And all of it is played out in unbearable heat.
Bryant Gumbel and Cris Collinsworth, seen here with NFL Network anchor Rich Eisen, will be the broadcast team for most of the regular season games the network will now show.
I'm not talking about the NFL training camps, which are inhuman enough. I'm referring to the clash between the NFL Network and the nation's leading cable operators.
In January, the NFL decided that rather than pocket hundreds of millions more in rights fees for a package of eight late-season Thursday and Saturday games, it would give the games to its two-year old NFL Network. In the past, the league's own network has shown only pre-season and NFL Europe games live.
"The NFL has all the cash it needs," said sports television consultant Neil Pilson, a former president of CBS Sports, of the NFL's decision to pass up offers from Comcast's (Charts) OLN Network and others to broadcast the games. He thinks it's a smarter long-term decision for the NFL to boost the attractiveness of its own network.
The NFL Network won't get its first regular season game until Thanksgiving night, when it shows the Denver Broncos play the Kansas City Chiefs. Its broadcast team of Bryant Gumbel and Cris Collinsworth will call the game.
The network will also show some second-tier college bowl games this year, along with 90-minute condensed versions of Sunday games throughout the week. But it's the live regular season games that are at the heart of the NFL's battle with cable operators.
The decision to put regular season games on the network has already spurred some operators to offer it to more of their subscribers. That's increased the number of homes the NFL Network reaches from about 30 million in January to 41 million today.
Top cable companies not yet on board
But the nation's largest cable operators have yet to put the network on its basic lineup offered to all its customers. Some, such as Comcast and Cox, offer it only to digital customers. That cuts into the ad revenue the NFL can get for the games.
The nation's No. 2 cable operator, Time Warner Cable, has thus far refused to carry the network at all, insisting that it only be included in a premium sports package of channels such as NBA TV and networks that carry college sports, soccer and racing. Not even all digital customers would get that package. (Time Warner Cable, like CNNMoney.com, is owned by Time Warner (Charts).)
And when Time Warner Cable purchased 3.3 million cable households that were formerly owned by either Adelphia or Comcast last week, it tried to drop the network from the nearly one-third of those homes that had it. The NFL got the Federal Communications Commission to order Time Warner to keep the NFL Network on those systems, though.
Now, Time Warner and the NFL are both trying to enlist members of the general public to support their cause.
The NFL is advertising a phone number that directs fans to their local cable company's call centers so they can ask their provider to add the network to their system.
Time Warner is asking its customers to sign an online petition to the league to let the cable company carry it as a package of sports networks.
"We would like to carry the NFL Network and I assume they would like to be carried. It hinges on two factors -- the price and the placement," said Time Warner Cable spokesman Mark Harrad.
Time Warner claims the NFL Network is trying to jack up the per-subscriber fee by 250 percent -- to the neighborhood of 70 cents to 90 cents a month per customer -- due to the addition of the eight games.
"It's hard for us to understand how they can justify the price they want for an untested rookie," said Harrad.
Seth Palansky, spokesman for the NFL Network, wouldn't comment on the issue other than to say, "We're comfortable our pricing makes the NFL Network one of the best values in the industry."
Palansky said the network believes pressure from fans will be important in negotiations with the cable operators.
But Harrad said the number of calls that Time Warner has gotten so far -- less than 8,000 from former Adelphia and Comcast customers who lost the channel, and only 88 cancellations, show the demand for the network is limited.
Still, the NFL is actively courting cable competitors with its outreach program to fans. The network is already available in all 27 million satellite television homes covered by DirecTV (Charts) and EchoStar (Charts), and it also has deals to be carried on the new television offerings from phone companies Verizon (Charts) and AT&T (Charts).
Sports TV consultant Pilson said the history of these types of battles between cable operators and regional sports networks shows that public and even political pressure generally causes the cable operators to give in, even if it increases their costs. And the NFL is more powerful than a regional sports network.
"The NFL is the largest single entertainment property in the U.S. today, by a huge margin," Pilson said, adding that the NFL Network will probably be available in 50 million to 60 million homes within the next couple of years.
"Most of the pressure will be on the cable operators," he said. "The force is with the NFL."
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2490 views
Supporting Founder
Really excited for this season with Kentucky having a new coach and some really exciting recruits. Probably won't last long, but here's hoping this season is great.
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3783 views
Supporting Founder
Lifetime Supporter
Comcast is the first to report, with a massive 274,000 loss in video subscribers.
In the 3Q of 2016, Comcast had 21.42 million video subscribers and was the #1 provider, now at 10.39 million and is the #3 Provider, YTTV is #2 ( who also surpassed DirecTV-8 Million and Dish-under 5 Million), Charter/Spectrum is #1.
cordcuttersnews.com
In the 3Q of 2016, Comcast had 21.42 million video subscribers and was the #1 provider, now at 10.39 million and is the #3 Provider, YTTV is #2 ( who also surpassed DirecTV-8 Million and Dish-under 5 Million), Charter/Spectrum is #1.
Comcast Just Lost 274,000 TV Customers & 144,000 Internet Customers In Just Three Months | Cord Cutters News
Comcast Corporation reported its third-quarter 2026 results on October 22, showing continued erosion in its domestic residential broadband internet and video customer bases as competitive pressures intensified across the connectivity market. The company recorded a net loss of 144,000 domestic...
cordcuttersnews.com
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1324 views
Thats good, the neighborhood generally look better with buried plant ... until someone puts a shovel into the line planting the Spring Garden.
In my local area all underground utilities are under the sidewalk. Of course from there, when entering your property, They are at least 18" in your dirt.Thats good, the neighborhood generally look better with buried plant ... until someone puts a shovel into the line planting the Spring Garden.
B
My fiber isp put everything in conduit, except for the drop line to the NID and it it buried 10 inchesThats good, the neighborhood generally look better with buried plant ... until someone puts a shovel into the line planting the Spring Garden.
R
My area is very rocky, so there will be no shovels into the lines. Most of the lines were bored and the one's not bored where dug at least 18" deep. Cox had flagged my yard for them to dig up. But the foreman of the crew said he was not going to tear up my grass. He ended up installing the cable across the street at a vacant lot instead and bored the street for my pedestal. The line from the pedestal to my house could be damaged being it is fairly shallow.Thats good, the neighborhood generally look better with buried plant ... until someone puts a shovel into the line planting the Spring Garden.
Lon.TV
Time for another AWESOME video from Lon Seidman of LON.TV!
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dViecB76yco
Direct YouTube Link - Broadcasters To Encrypt Emergency Messages with DRM..
The Official LON.TV Website
Lon on Facebook
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dViecB76yco
Direct YouTube Link - Broadcasters To Encrypt Emergency Messages with DRM..
The Official LON.TV Website
Lon on Facebook
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10 views
Lifetime Supporter
Looks like dish is Bankrupt. Filling tomorrow Tuesday June 30th
466 Replies
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16592 views
SpaceX boldly goes into 'huge' 5G network rollout with Qualcomm
After trying satellites and small cells, Elon Musk's SpaceX is to build a terrestrial mobile network across tens of thousands of sites with Qualcomm.
www.lightreading.com
Mr. Morris is no journalist. That article reads like a political hit job.SpaceX boldly goes into 'huge' 5G network rollout with Qualcomm
After trying satellites and small cells, Elon Musk's SpaceX is to build a terrestrial mobile network across tens of thousands of sites with Qualcomm.www.lightreading.com
Supporting Founder
Lifetime Supporter
This thread is a place to discuss the 4K events that appear on channel 540. We are getting, at this point, one college football game a week. Let's hope there is more coming.
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302070 views
Staff member
HERE TO HELP YOU!
Cutting Edge
Sometimes a thread gets so many posts in it that is can cause issues for the server so that why today we introduce The Song Name Game Part 3!
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
So let the game continue!
The last song was added by Bobby who posted...
One Meat Ball - Andrews Sisters
CONTINUE ON AND HAVE FUN! WELCOME HOME TO SATELLITEGUYS.US!
Here are the original rules for the game as posted by WebbyDude back in 2006. http://www.satelliteguys.us/threads/68645-Song-Name-Game
Just name a song title and the band who performed it. The next person does the same thing, but needs to list a song title or band name which includes a word from the previous entry. Pick songs from any genre.
Example:
Long Live Rock and Roll -- Rainbow
Rainbow in the Dark -- Dio
Another example:
Ride the Lightning -- Metallica
Lightning Strikes -- Ozzy Osbourne
Get it?
An additional note: we all know that song titles, sometimes, use profane words. Because this is a family friendly website it is advised that you clean up that title up a bit. This is accomplished by using something like sh!t instead of the real word. Thanks....
68793 Replies
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2688944 views
Supporting Founder
Lifetime Supporter
I was reading this article
thehill.com
That said this-
Last summer, for the first time, streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime claimed the largest share of the television viewing audience, surpassing both cable and broadcast TV. Streaming captured 34.8 percent of July viewers, according to Nielsen data, compared to 34.4 percent for cable and 21.6 percent for broadcast.
And then, sometime in the second half of 2022, cord-cutters became the majority. The share of cable and satellite television subscribers dipped to 48 percent, according to a report from Samba TV, a television technology company.
Now I do not consider those with YTTV and the likes, Cord Cutters, but they still do not have Traditional Cable/Satellite delivered Live TV, so I decided to do the math.
There are, now, 129 Million Households in the United States.
In 2015, there were 100 Million Cable/Sat Subscribers , no streaming Live TV Service.
Today, there are 66 Million Live TV subscribers, including Cable, Satellite and Streaming.
Roughly, Streaming Live TV has 14 Million subs including all of them.
So that means, Cable/Satellite now has, roughly, 51 Million Households
So in just 8 years, lost 49% of their subscribers and by the end of this year, expected sub count to be, roughly, 45 million households.
That means a total loss of 55% since 2015 at the end of 2023.
But out of 129 Million households, 45 million will mean only 35% will get Cable/Satellite Delivered Live TV by the end of 2023.
Imagine what 2024 will be like.
Cable TV ‘cord-cutters’ became the majority in 2022
The steady decline of cable and broadcast television, and the rise of streaming services, reached a sort of inflection point over the past year. Last summer, for the first time, streaming ser…
thehill.com
That said this-
Last summer, for the first time, streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime claimed the largest share of the television viewing audience, surpassing both cable and broadcast TV. Streaming captured 34.8 percent of July viewers, according to Nielsen data, compared to 34.4 percent for cable and 21.6 percent for broadcast.
And then, sometime in the second half of 2022, cord-cutters became the majority. The share of cable and satellite television subscribers dipped to 48 percent, according to a report from Samba TV, a television technology company.
Now I do not consider those with YTTV and the likes, Cord Cutters, but they still do not have Traditional Cable/Satellite delivered Live TV, so I decided to do the math.
There are, now, 129 Million Households in the United States.
In 2015, there were 100 Million Cable/Sat Subscribers , no streaming Live TV Service.
Today, there are 66 Million Live TV subscribers, including Cable, Satellite and Streaming.
Roughly, Streaming Live TV has 14 Million subs including all of them.
So that means, Cable/Satellite now has, roughly, 51 Million Households
So in just 8 years, lost 49% of their subscribers and by the end of this year, expected sub count to be, roughly, 45 million households.
That means a total loss of 55% since 2015 at the end of 2023.
But out of 129 Million households, 45 million will mean only 35% will get Cable/Satellite Delivered Live TV by the end of 2023.
Imagine what 2024 will be like.
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73256 views
Not Me, I rather enjoy it ...People are tired of watching the World Series without the Yankees.
I thought you might like that.
Pub Member / Supporter
Lifetime Supporter
Wireless Joey 4. Yesterday, I noticed a little green dot on a small black field in the upper right hand corner of the screen, regardless of channel, recordings, etc. A restart got rid of it, but I am curious as to what It meant and what I did to get it there.
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154 views
Lifetime Supporter
Schedule drops tomorrow. Mandatory mini camps in June. Hall of Fame game August 6th.
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3053 views
Mahomes is the biggest cry baby I have ever seen. He thinks he's privileged or something.
Y
Well you see him more because he is incredibly talented. And yes, typically players try to spin things being in their favor. This isn't cricket where sportsmanship (except in Australia) is expected.Mahomes is the biggest cry baby I have ever seen. He thinks he's privileged or something.
He wants to be BradyMahomes is the biggest cry baby I have ever seen. He thinks he's privileged or something.
Pub Member / Supporter
Cutting Edge
HBO Max and Paramount+ to Combine Into One Streaming Platform, Paramount Says HBO Brand Will 'Operate With Independence'
Paramount+ right now is at $13.99 for the ad-free with Showtime content and HBO MAX is now $22.99 for the 4K ad-free plan so together they are $36.98. By the time this goes through the approval process which I am sure will fly right through you would probably looking at $50 per month for the ad-free 4K plan combined.
Paramount+ right now is at $13.99 for the ad-free with Showtime content and HBO MAX is now $22.99 for the 4K ad-free plan so together they are $36.98. By the time this goes through the approval process which I am sure will fly right through you would probably looking at $50 per month for the ad-free 4K plan combined.
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1677 views
There on no ad blockers on my TV. Some people prefer watching content on a TV.use an adblocker
There are ways to block ads for your TV and other devices on your home network if you are willing to put in the effort.There on no ad blockers on my TV. Some people prefer watching content on a TV.
DC Studios Shocker: James Gunn, Peter Safran Stepping Down with Marvel Alum Jeremy Latcham to Take Over
The duo were believed to be safe amid the Skydance takeover of Warner Bros., but now have a former Kevin Feige protege taking over their division.
www.hollywoodreporter.com
DC Shocker: James Gunn, Peter Safran Out as Co-Chairmen, Marvel Veteran Jeremy Latcham to Lead Comic Book Studio
James Gunn and Peter Safran are stepping down as co-presidents of DC Studios, and they will be replaced by Jeremy Latcham.
variety.com
And it begins. Looking to trim $2 billion there will be a lot of people out of jobs.