And the top three most expensive channels would be?

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Ray replies: I don't know the other two, but ESPN is the most expensive.

Ray
Comcast's argument about not making non-NFL customers pay for the channel makes sense on the face of it. However, several years ago Comcast added MASN and announced in it's next bill that everyone was required to pay $2 a month extra for MASN! Where was Comcast's consumer friendly stance then?
The truth is Comcast knows it will be able to charge a premium for the NFL and seeks to do so. The same can't be said for MASN so Comcast made everyone pay.

If Comcast were sincere about this, they would have offered the NFL Network by itself for whatever Comcast being charged per subscriber. I kind of remember hearing something like it was 70 cents or $1.50. Instead, Comcast charges $8.00 or something like that for a sports tier full of the NFL Network plus a bunch of obscure channels very few people, even sports fans, really care to pay for.

The other thing worth noting is that Comcast carries the channel it owns -- Versus -- which carries some NHL and college football games, not on it's sports tier or even the digital tier that the NFL wants it's network on, but right on expanded basic cable with ESPN and all the other regular channels. Double standard?

I think this is all about the money. My Comcast bill is way too high as it is. I can't afford to add some sort of wacky sports tier. It used to be that just having cable includes a sports tier -- cable. Now they are trying to get every last cent from people for stuff they used to basically get for free (I remember the old ESPN Thursday night trial balloon packages and such).

Sure, the NFL bares some of the blame for this, too, and it hasn't escaped my notice that they are talking about corporate logos on practice jerseys and adding games to the season to make more money (Even though that'll hurt the product in the eyes of most fans), in addition to their PSLs and corporate-sponsored stadium names. But right now I blame Comcast mostly for this particular debacle. Digital cable is supposed to be for exactly the sort of programming the NFL Network offers -- you get a package of a little out of the mainstream, but still commerical, channels at slight addition fee.

That Ray Lewis versus the battering ram thing on CSN sounds really cool, though. I'll be watching. It sounds destined to be a really popular utube clip for years to come. :)

everybody should petition the FCC to break up all forced channel packages and allow customers to pick what they want and pay for that only. If the food channel bites it so be it. Cant generate enough revenue to support itself then suck wind. TV has been this way all along. MASN can go with it as well. Thats the american way as opposed to the blood sucking Comcast way

Well, I can tell you that I canceled when Comcast first pulled this boneheaded move, I canceled my digital cable subscription with them, went with DirecTV and never looked back. They lost a long-time cable tv customer over this, and as soon as Verizon gets FIOS up to Parkton, they will lose a cable internet customer too.

They took away NFL Network to give us Logo and Oxygen. Yeah. Cheaper, my butt.

How do you know the ending to Lewis' experiment already? Is there a video of this? Sounds cool.

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Ray replies: I must confess. I used to be the Amazing Kreskin.

I was sent a preview DVD.

I have Comcast, and I never, ever watch any of the 14,287 home shopping networks, nor do I ever watch Lifetime or MTV. But I pay them as part of my cable bill every single month.

Comcast is just being greedy, and I for one, refuse to pay extra to get the NFL network.

Comcast is about to lose a lot of customers if they keep this money hungry greediness attitude. Many people stay with Comcast because they havent really lost any good channels yet, at least truly lost them. When they made the NFL Network a part of the Sports Tier, I quickly ordered that package. I love this channel, and watch it all the time. I'm a die hard Football fan, and its the only channel that is all football, all the time. Even ESPN spends too much time on other things anymore. to me, the NFL Network is a must.

I had the oppurtunity to change cable services to DirectTV just a few months ago, and I chose to stick with Comcast, because I was a loyal customer, and love my HD options. but now, I dont know how much longer I'll be a customer of Comcast, and I've been with them for 6+ years. What a shame that they will lose a valued customer such as me, and I guarantee I'm not the only one who feels this way. Your taking away everything I liked about you Comcast, you better start being loyal to the people who keep you in business, because every other company is passing you up, and in these hard times, can you really afford to lose valued customers?

The NFL Network is the reason I switched to Verizon FIOS. Comcast gave it as free or part of a package during the first season. I went back in July/August of that year to watch and it was suddenly a "subscription" channel that was no longer free. I think they wanted $5 or so a month, so it was principle, not cost at this point. I called Comcast and ask them why they took away what was once free. Never got a straight answer so I changed over to FIOS the next week. Not only do I get NFL for free, but all the channels look better. Sorry if this sounds like a FIOS ad, but it's just fact. Comcast can bite me...

How come equivalent Fios packages cost less? I am thoroughly enjoying the NFL channel in HD on Fios for over two years now. But, I am paying less than I was for C*$cast's equivalent package. What's the deal with that C*$cast?

Hey! It's all about......money! So, what else is new......

This is the last straw with Comcast. That company is a complete joke. Verizon Fios, here I come. I suggest everyone else check out Fios and Verizon's high-speed internet. They're priced way more reasonable than Comcast and you get twice as many channels it seems like.

Bye bye Comcast.

I turned the NFL channel off for about a year,too much spygate talk and I needed to save money, and I missed it a lot. So I made the change over to FIOS two months ago and love it, one the main reasons other than it is cheaper is that the NFL channel is part of the regular package (MLB channel too though I don't like it as much as the NFL channel). I got the Internet, TV and phone package 99 dollars for one year and am kicking myself for not doing it a year ago.

I don't know if I just caught them on a good day but the FIOS people were much nicer and more helpful than Comcast had ever been. Don't get me started on how many hoops I had to jump through to cancel my Comcast service.

The only problem I have with Fios I am still getting a million flyers and autocalls from them and I already have their service.

I have one word for you if you can get it:

VERIZON

We dropped Comcast because of poor service, billing errors and a poor selection.

I like Verizon - I think I'll stick with it.

Personally, I'd rather have MLB Network, but whatever.

Comcast's bullcrap reaches far and wide. First they took away GSN from the basic cable lineup in favor of G4, which gets even more BSey when you realize G4 is on basic cable, yet G4 On Demand is by subscription only! Not to mention that when I tried to get their help hooking up my basic cable to my new TiVo, they did some half-assed crap and told me to get Comcast's DVR instead!

I'd love to get Verizon Fios, but everybody keeps telling me it's not in my area (Brooklyn, MD) so I can't get it.

And as far as doing an a la carte-type thing for channels...forget it. All that would happen is quality would go down and censorship would go up. And censorship is already a giant problem in this country (as opposed to other countries like Japan where even kids shows are allowed to have religious symbols and minor foul language such as hell or damn without raising a fuss).

I love the NFL, but my mother doesn't, and I don't understand why every cable subscriber in America has to subsidize a league as greedy as the NFL. Whether they have "revenue stream" problems or not is not everyone's problem.

This is basically a tax without the political hassle, since viewers really have no voice and don't have a lot of choices.

Everyone is guaranteed the local games to their market anyway, so who really cares? The worst thing that has happened, as I recall, is that everyone "missed" some Dallas-Green Bay game that Jerry Jones got upset about. What was the score of that one?

I am not sure how a la carte would hurt quality and increase censorship. It would be a loss to world culture to not have the Game Show Network, but I think most who complain here just don't want to put their money where their mouth is: most are happier to have everyone to pay $2 for something they don't want so a few don't have to pay $10.

I left comcast after many years and went with verizon fios as part of their initial rollout in Ellicott City. Price was right, their name wasn't comcast and all was fine until I needed customer service. Then you would have thought I was still with comcast. It was worse. So I went back to comcast (ironic, isn't it?). Well, I already have my Direct TV info researched and as soon as NFL network is gone on Comcast, so am I. Direct TV has been #1 in customer service for 8 consecutive years (JD Power). I think I will probably get the NFL ticket too.

I saw the Ray Lewis story on Sports Science back in December around the holiday's on CSN. Channel surfing one night. It was cool. How come you're behind the times and just now telling us about it.

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Ray replies: The show's representatives told me it was airing the first time Sunday. There is also another segment featuring Lewis hitting a dummy that is supposed to air this season.

Ray,

I set my DVR for 11pm tonight on Comcast - but the description of the episode doesn't talk about Ray....are you sure that episode is tonight?

Thanks,

John

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Ray replies: All I can go by is what the show's reps have told me is scheduled Sunday. Please let me know if it doesn't air.

Comcast does this stuff all the time. Just get satellite tv and you won't have to worry about this nonsense anymore.

Hey Ray,

Any updates on Casey Willett (sp?)? He and Haynie were the only reasons to listen to that channel.

Sure wish the owner of that channel realized that you can still be a good sports fan without having been born and raised in Dundalk, and the sports world existed before he was born and will continue well after he dies. The owner's narcissism and the narcissism of the morning guy is
ridiculous. Have those guys ever written or spoken a sentence without using the words me, myself or I?

i cant stand comcast i change to DirecTV cause i cant get fios because where i live and its the best thing i ever did

Hey Ray, Comcast is even giving the screws to poeple who do not subscribe to it's services. People who have sattlite services, such as DirecTV, have a premium sports package offered to them. It is billed as the FOX Sports package. This offers MASN and ComcastSports channels. I live in Rhode Island and subscribe to this package so that I am able to tune in to get better coverage of my hometown teams, the Ravens, O's, Caps, WIzards, and the Terps. However, even though I am paying a fee every month to get these channels, I get blacked out when ever a game is on. When I called DirecTV to ask why, they said Comcast will not show the games outside of the "Local Area". Why to they broadcast infomercials and games from college conferences outside the Maryland, Virginia, DC area? Even games that are being replayed are blacked out. Comcast is all about the money. Actually they all are, but not showing the NFL Network w/o customers paying a premium is totally selfish on their part.

I feel an agreement can still be reached and I think that the NFL Network will still be on Comcast.

How much would each channel cost if we were able to pay a la carte?

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Ray replies: That's one of the questions many people would like answered.

I have Comcast's full package, where I get all tiers, plus premiums. Losing the NFL Network would suck. The sports pack does include NBA, CBS Sports, Fox College Sports and a few others. It's not like they just charge for NFL Network on the deal.

Like MLB, the NFL wants its channel to be a basic cable channel. If so, they should be willing to let Comcast and others have it for a much, much lower rate.

Mr. Goodell, you want everyone to be able to watch your network, lower your rates (or make it free). Since everyone would have it, you can just bilk your advertisers. "Look, everyone gets this channel and everyone watches it." Not!!!

The reason Comcast feels compelled to charge a fee has to do with the fact that your charge so much for something that not everyone watches. Most fans probably are happy getting their dose of the NFL on Sunday. A few more like the addition of ESPN. The NFL Network is not really needed, but since the NBA, MLB, and NHL all have networks -- the NFL is in a position where they must have one.

What will the NFL do when ala carte options suddenly become reality, as many have predicted will eventually happen in the industry -- especially as television becomes more Broadband-based/IP friendly?

I currently pay for NFL network, and am happy to do so. I'd be happy to pay ala cart for cable. NFL Network is the channel I watch the most, followed by ESPN, ESPN2, the Big Ten network. I'd have to buy Discovery and HGTV for the wife. Like other, I hate that I'm paying for stations like Lifetime and MTV and such that I'll never watch a second of....

if comcast will lose NFL Network, they'll lose my $200/month for cable and internet, and from other posts doesn't look like i'll be the only one leaving.

Comcast doesn't even have MLB Network on a digital basic package here. It's on their digital premium, not even the sports tier. So to get that, I'd have to buy it and some other crazy channels I don't want. Stupid Comcast.

Crap like this is why people are leaving Comcast in droves when Verizon FiOS comes to their area. Comcast attempted to block Verizon from coming on its territory but their lawyers couldn't hold back Verizon.

And thank goodness because the Comcast monopoly was sickening.

The NFL wants to leverage the networks for the next tv deal. the more households w/ nfl network, the greater the threat of putting all the games there. My friend lives in London, pays ala carte for cable and pays way more than we do for way less.

As a Comcast customer who voluntarily pays $5 extra/month to get the NFL Network, I am angered by the idea of continuing to purchase the "Sports Package" that does not include the NFL Network. This is ridiculous.

Comcast indeed is ripping people off charging $16 extra for DVR boxes, And I don't like the idea of Comcast charging $.60 extra for NFL Network. Comcast Sucks Big Time

Speaking of the draft. X Colt and Dolphin Don Nottingham was drafted #441 next to last in 1971. He was a senior at Kent St. when the National Guard had a shoot out ther in 1970, Backed up Zonka for 2 years. Kent St. gives the Don Nottingham cup to the best offensive player at the end of Spring practice. Thanks.

As a Comcast subscriber, I find Rick Germano ( Sr. V.P. Cust. Oper.) suggestion that I watch football on CBS, NBC, etc. unacceptable. Why should I watch football the way my grandfather did? I pay for cable so that I have more options, not less. While Direct TV and Verizon is progressing, Comcast is becoming "your grandfather's cable". Their line up is so 1960's...game shows, soaps, repeats, repeats, repeats, just boring.