NFL Sunday Ticket History Question...

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Sep 20, 2007
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I'm listening to an old Howard Stern episode, and they're talking about something where DirecTV/NFL was involved with a class action suit that they settled with customers involving NFL Sunday Ticket.

First off I love how ST used to cost $169.99 (Inelastic Demand at its finest.) Anyways they mentioned that they settled and agreed to some deal where you could order games on a weekly basis, where you can request one Sunday to see all the games for $29.99. Also they had to pay a $7.5 million fine that was to be distributed amongst ST subscribers who had ordered it for at least 2 seasons.

This show was aired on June 4, 2001. Does anyone remember this happening or how long this went on for? Obviously they don't do this single week stuff anymore (That would just be too nice.)
 
I think they still do the single week of Sunday games, but you have to ask for it.
Well if so I don't know why they wouldn't broadcast or advertise that. I don't think I ever saw that on the website, nor do they do that on the television ads. I think that is an untapped market, because you can at least get some added revenue of people who would want this (I think this would be a big winner during the last 2 weeks when people want to see who gets in and who doesn't) and maybe people could see this and think, "Wow, this is a great package, the NFL Sunday thing. I'm just going to order the whole thing now!"
 
no u cant "buy" single weeks during the year....there might be a deal like that for the last 2 weeks of the season but im not even sure about that....but you definately cant for example say just buy week 3 or week 6.
 
I'm listening to an old Howard Stern episode, and they're talking about something where DirecTV/NFL was involved with a class action suit that they settled with customers involving NFL Sunday Ticket.

First off I love how ST used to cost $169.99 (Inelastic Demand at its finest.) Anyways they mentioned that they settled and agreed to some deal where you could order games on a weekly basis, where you can request one Sunday to see all the games for $29.99. Also they had to pay a $7.5 million fine that was to be distributed amongst ST subscribers who had ordered it for at least 2 seasons.

This show was aired on June 4, 2001. Does anyone remember this happening or how long this went on for? Obviously they don't do this single week stuff anymore (That would just be too nice.)

I usually don't post in the D* forum because...well, I'm usually not allowed to say anything...:D

But with all due respect here, this is an interesting article sharing some historical elements of Sunday Ticket. Should clear up a few questions assumeing folks have any...

ESPN Page 2 - TMQ: Ticket, please!
 
I usually don't post in the D* forum because...well, I'm usually not allowed to say anything...:D

But with all due respect here, this is an interesting article sharing some historical elements of Sunday Ticket. Should clear up a few questions assumeing folks have any...

ESPN Page 2 - TMQ: Ticket, please!

I remember that case, for a period of about two years I think, they were supposed to offer weekly viewing and didn't. After the suit they did offer it for a while at an outrageous price. At that time I had Sunday Ticket only with no other programming. I sent in the form that I received and got a check for about $50 as my share of the settlement.
 
I know this past season, if you didn't have the ticket, you could purchase a particular game.

I was at the in-laws and really wanted to see the Chargers game that week. I knew they didn't have the ticket, but I went to the channel listing for that game and it allowed me to purchase that game similar to a PPV. I only watched that game, so I don't know if by purchasing it it also allowed me to watch the other games that week.
 
I know this past season, if you didn't have the ticket, you could purchase a particular game.

I was at the in-laws and really wanted to see the Chargers game that week. I knew they didn't have the ticket, but I went to the channel listing for that game and it allowed me to purchase that game similar to a PPV. I only watched that game, so I don't know if by purchasing it it also allowed me to watch the other games that week.
How much did that cost?
 
I remember that case, for a period of about two years I think, they were supposed to offer weekly viewing and didn't. After the suit they did offer it for a while at an outrageous price. At that time I had Sunday Ticket only with no other programming. I sent in the form that I received and got a check for about $50 as my share of the settlement.

Don't the courts get a little mad when you contravene a direct order by them?
 
I would like it if you could purchase one team's entire season instead of all the games.

Therefore if you followed only 1 or 2 teams you would still get the games you really want to watch and maybe not pay as much money
 
I'm trying to remember, I think it was pretty steep, maybe $40 or so. I remember thinking it was a lot, but I REALLY wanted to watch the game.

For only 10X that you can get Sunday Ticket with Superfan which allows you to watch game from anywhere on your PC. I have to say that I LOOVE that feature. May save me during those VERY few weeks where I am away from my television on Sunday.

I remember this past season my dad got mad at me because he has this 62" DLP television and complained "Why don't you come over to watch the games anymore!? Can't you pull away from that ST?" (I normally stop by like every other weekend but I wasn't doing it once the season started.) So I came over one weekend, and we had the local game on his DLP with the Supercast on his Tablet PC set to Redzone (but we also jumped around to other games when we wanted our own updates.)

Afterwards, he came to me and said, "Ok, I understand now."
 
I would like it if you could purchase one team's entire season instead of all the games.

Therefore if you followed only 1 or 2 teams you would still get the games you really want to watch and maybe not pay as much money

At first I had wished it would be that way. I think if they did something like that for $100 a year per team that would appeal to a lot of customers. After having the full ST for a season, even if they did offer the 1 team deal I would still stay with ST. I mean it just made me love football so much more than I did previously, and being able to just go from game to game whenever I wanted and see all different sorts of action... as I tell people, it was the best $400 I've ever spent in my life (I got SF as well.)
 
I usually don't post in the D* forum because...well, I'm usually not allowed to say anything...:D

But with all due respect here, this is an interesting article sharing some historical elements of Sunday Ticket. Should clear up a few questions assumeing folks have any...

ESPN Page 2 - TMQ: Ticket, please!
Interesting article, but I did not like the tone that the guy had. He seemed to be quite a cable fanboy, basically bashing DirecTV at every change possible, saying that getting a clear view of the southern sky was harder than finding the Lock Ness Monster, and that D* would fold if they lost the exclusive ST. I think it would be a good idea for them to expand to other systems, especially when I read that there were no such restrictions in Canada and other parts of the world.
 
Interesting article, but I did not like the tone that the guy had. He seemed to be quite a cable fanboy, basically bashing DirecTV at every change possible, saying that getting a clear view of the southern sky was harder than finding the Lock Ness Monster, and that D* would fold if they lost the exclusive ST. I think it would be a good idea for them to expand to other systems, especially when I read that there were no such restrictions in Canada and other parts of the world.

Now I really didn't see a slight against D* in so much as I saw a huge slight against the NFL, but now that you mention it, I do see where he's pushing the cable angle a bit, in that his criticisms were mostly on sat-TV in general. The financial dependecy he depicted between D* and ST was exaggerated, but not without a small nugget of truth. I wouldn't let it bother you. Since its written by a sports writer, I doubt the article contains a lot of industry insight. :D
 
Now I really didn't see a slight against D* in so much as I saw a huge slight against the NFL, but now that you mention it, I do see where he's pushing the cable angle a bit, in that his criticisms were mostly on sat-TV in general. The financial dependecy he depicted between D* and ST was exaggerated, but not without a small nugget of truth. I wouldn't let it bother you. Since its written by a sports writer, I doubt the article contains a lot of industry insight. :D
Also they didn't even mention how E* customers may like this. I have to believe that E* wanted in on this as well, since they would likely want it more than anyone else since they would finally have the major advantage that D* had for themselves.

Overall I'm not complaining. I had D* for a year without Sunday Ticket and I still loved it. That's not to say if I were to move into a better cable provider that I may not switch, but if they keep their service and channels the way they are and don't raise ST too much, I don't see that ugly dish going anywhere anytime soon. My cable service is just... ugh so God awful. I go on EngadgetHD.com and I see all these articles about how all these cable markets are getting more HD stuff, and there has NEVER been a mention about Cox in the Northeast. I feel so sorry for them, but then again, shame on them for not being a good consumer and doing their research (satellite availability issues aside.)
 
I vaguely recall the whole suit business and getting some small check as a part of the settlement but that was a few years ago. I do remember looking at the per-game/per-game-day purchase option and, since I watch every game of two out of state teams that I follow, it was quickly apparent buying the whole year's package was cheaper. The annual fee is starting to grind a bit though and now I'm going into semi-retirement at the end of May I might have to revisit the entertainment cost decision.
 
Sorry if this is a bit off topic... Of course there's the old(new?) standby. Get a Slingbox and have a friend in the market of your team hook it up to their setup. I'm in my team's (Bears) market now but do like to keep an eye and those fudgies up north. I had ST the past two years but for the price of one year, I can get the SB Pro and have my parents hook it up to a TV they very rarely use. Voila! Not only a way to get around ST, but also a good way to see the Brewers, Bucks, and Badgers. I am somewhat shocked that they haven't figured out a way to stop people from doing such things.
 
Interesting article, but I did not like the tone that the guy had. He seemed to be quite a cable fanboy, basically bashing DirecTV at every change possible, saying that getting a clear view of the southern sky was harder than finding the Lock Ness Monster, and that D* would fold if they lost the exclusive ST. I think it would be a good idea for them to expand to other systems, especially when I read that there were no such restrictions in Canada and other parts of the world.

and idiotic parts of the article like this gem

In the early 1980s, sports bars and some people who lived in rural areas began buying huge C-band dishes to pirate the network game feeds that then went out unscrambled.

how the hell do you "pirate" the signal if its UNSCRAMBLED!!! Its up there for anyone with a dish and receiver to pick it up. You pirate a scrambled signal moron...

and there is no such restrictions in Canada to carry it. Pretty much every cable company and both satellite companies carry it and for a helluva lot cheaper
 
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