by: Shane McGlaun
NFL claims Comcast is bottlenecking its NFL Network
Sports are among some of the most watched programs on TV and during the fall and winter months, the NFL is one of the biggest things going on TV over the weekends and on Monday night. The NFL runs its own cable network called the NFL Network that is relatively unknown to many sports fans depending on TV programming service provider.
The NFL is fighting a battle in Washington against Comcast, the nation's largest cable TV provider. Comcast is also known for its internet access filtering programs that have landed it in hot water with the FCC and its customers.
The NFL Network currently has about 42 million viewers and has been on the air for five years. According to the NFL, the network needs 50 million viewers to attract the attention of national advertisers.
The NFL claims that the reason it only has the 42 million of the 50 million watchers it needs due to discrimination by Comcast, which allegedly promotes its own sports networks over the NFL Network. The NFL is asking the FCC to force Comcast to provide its network to more of its viewers. Comcast moved the NFL Network from a tier that has 8.6 million viewers to a sports bundle seen by only 1.4 million subscribers.
Comcast says that the reason for moving the NFL Network to the sports bundle is that the network has very limited appeal. The NFL points out that Comcast's own sports channels Versus and Golf Channel, both with presumably even more limited appeal than the most popular sport in America, are provided to more subscribers. The league says, "Comcast exploited its bottleneck power."
The case between the NFL and Comcast is set to be heard by an administrative law judge at the FCC, but the case will ultimately be decided by the five-member FCC panel. Comcast also says that the NFL Network is overpriced with the league demanding 70 cents per subscriber and that considering the network offers only eight live season games it provides minimal value to subscribers.
Comcast said, "The NFL is trying to force an overpriced network (on cable providers)." The NFL is employing a lobbying firm to help it persuade the FCC and lawmakers to streamline the process that is used by networks to complain about cable providers mistreating them.
The NFL also lobbies on other topics that could affect its viewership reports Bloomberg. Among its other lobbying efforts are digital TV and taxes. The NFL is also pleading its case to members of the House and Senate. League representative Joe Browne said, "We’ve gone out of our way to explain to members in both the House and the Senate why we had to take this step." Browne also claims that the league has faced discrimination by cable providers who favor their own programming to that of the NFL Network.
Comcast spokeswoman Sena Fitzmaurice said, "The NFL is a pretty powerful sports monopoly. They don’t need special government help." She also says that Comcast would prefer to settle these differences with the NFL through negotiations rather than with influence from the FCC, House, and Senate.
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Comcast is full of crap.
You need to keep in mind that comcast is the company that used the same hardware that china uses to firewall there country.They used that hardware to track and break the seed connection on bit torrent programs.
I understand that there is a piracy problem,but there is also legal torrents.
Im smart enough to know there is a criminal element in just about all thing and you dont punish the good because of the bad.
The big problem is ,once again they lied about it till
It was put 100% in there face.Now they are telling more lies with there unlimited internet plans that have a cap.
The public out cry is so load about that
The president put some things in the stimulus package about this very thing.
When is comcast going to get it in there hard head that people cant stand a lair.
Brian Roberts comcast ceo
one more person I want to punch in the nose.
CoFree
sorry I got carried away.
