NFL Network Seeks Pay Hike

Status
Please reply by conversation.

lee78221

SatelliteGuys Pro
Original poster
Jul 6, 2005
372
0
Armed with a new eight-game Thursday- and Saturday-night National Football League package, NFL Network is looking to score significant increases in affiliate fees and subscribers before the regular season begins in September.

Negotiations are under way with current affiliates of the channel and nonaffiliates on a new rate card that operators said carries a whopping 125% rate increase and a mandate that the network be carried on well-penetrated expanded-basic tiers if operators are to receive the live games.

The 35 million-subscriber network pitched operators the last week of March in an effort to sign up as many distributors as possible before the league’s regular season begins in September, individuals close to the network said.

Most current affiliation deals do not include the $300 million eight-game package, which begins Thanksgiving night.

Operators with knowledge of the deal said the rate card jumps from the current 20 cents to 25 cents per subscriber to 50-75 cents, including the live eight-game package. The fee also includes the channel’s popular on-demand fare.

Sources close to the league said only direct-broadcast satellite provider DirecTV Inc. -- which has exclusive rights to the league’s “NFL Sunday Ticket” out-of-market package -- has officially signed on to carry the live games. The channel is on its “Total Choice” basic package.

NFL officials would not comment on the matter and DirecTV officials could not be reached for comment at press time.

NFL Network vice president of national accounts Brian Decker said operators like Comcast Corp. that are currently carrying the network have a “mechanism” by which they could pay a surcharge for the eight games, but he would not disclose specific costs. He added that the network is offering great value to distributors at a reasonable cost, well below traditional sports networks like ESPN.

NFL Network president Steve Bornstein said he’s confident that the network will reach distribution deals before the games begin airing.

And network spokesman Seth Palansky cautioned operators that waiting too long to reach an agreement could lead even higher fees.


http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6325097.html?display=Breaking+News
 
nuts4scuba said:
I am shocked!!! :eek:

im not, ergen might try to hardball with sinclair or lifetime. the NFL dictates its own terms, take it or leave it. even he isnt crazy enough to get into a stare down with the NFL:devil:
 
Somehow I don't think D* will raise prices over this one channel. They probably expected this to happen cause the NFL's announcement to carry games on the NFL Network came before the price increase. I'm not getting my hopes up but maybe some games will be in HD.
 
How is this going to affect when your local team's game is on NFL Network? In the past a local channel would also broadcast ESPN's Sunday Night games for the people that don't have cable.
 
CRendall

same rules...If its on NFL net, the local teams will have it on OTA (home team if its sold out)
 
And folks wonder why cable/sat prices go up. Oh sure they are not innocent but this is the main reason for price hikes. I know there are arguments against ala carte but its only a matter of time when individual channels keep hijacking and raising base package prices. I say let folks pay if they want it, dont sign on if they dont.

I personally only want 20 channels. If that turns into 50 bucks per month, whats the difference?
 
Status
Please reply by conversation.
***

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Total: 1, Members: 0, Guests: 1)

Who Read This Thread (Total Members: 1)