Its now on local in Dallas area, but that probably wont reach the old folks down in San Antonio :(
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Exactly ... probably a lot of people in that spot.
-- Bill O.

I must say it is sad to see...however much the same in Big Ten Country as the cable companies our battling with the Big Ten Network over that..

Pretty much the only people that can watch the NFL Network/Big Ten Network if you have DirecTV...

Although you can upgrade your cable, if the locals have that, and you have to have digital cable I believe...

Just ashame..

The bottom line on this one is that the NFL is entertainment. If you don't have a ticket, well, you don't have a ticket. I have NFL network through my cable company so it's no issue here in Pa.
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Thanks for writing from up there in the Poconos. But I have to say that it is an issue for my friends in Pa. without NFL Network, either because they don't have satellite or don't have the upgraded cable. And you're right that the league is entertainment and you either have a ticket or don't. But let's not forget that the NFL continues to operate under an anti-trust exemption that dates back to the early 1960s that allows the league to bargain its TV rights as a single unit. Kind of a big deal, that one is. And it's just one of the allowances that governments at various levels have extended to the NFL -- something Pennsylvania's own Sen. Arlen Specter reminds the NFL of every now and then. So while yes, the NFL is entertainment and we all need to have a ticket, there is an implied obligation that the NFL owes the public for coming hat-in-hand to our elected representatives to ask for breaks that other businesses may not get.
-- Bill O.

Just another example of escalting NFL income schemes and out of control salaries and owner incomes. All while wanting tax payers to fund stadiums for them.

One hopes it will come back to haunt them some day.

the real argument here is for ala carte cable pricing. the greedy entertainment networks and cable companies have been fighting that tooth and nail, but the technology exists for it now with digital cable... and it's the only truly free market solution. everyone knows it's not fair to force a customer to pay $60 a month for 100 channels when they only want 10-12 of those channels in the first place. with such a system in place, every viewer who wants the NFL Network would have the ability to subscribe to it directly, and not to some secondary or tertiary cable TV pricing scheme just to get access to it.

until that day comes, the NFL Network won't get a single dime from me!
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You bring up an imporant point about a la carte pricing. Not sure if it would make programming more expensive or not but certainly a lot of folks feel as you do.
-- Bill O.

How come nobody is upset at the NFL for moving these games of the broadcast networks and more and more onto cable networks? Used to be you could get prime time games on the airwaves with the old rabbit ears. Now they're on ESPN and the NFL Network. Now you HAVE to have cable--AT LEAST--to see some of the biggest games of the season.

NBC is going a great job with Football Night in America. I wish they'd get more of the big games. I shouldn't have to pay $60 mo. for cable AND/OR have to go to a smoky sports bar and pay for drinks in order to watch the biggest game of the season.

Baseball did the same thing by putting playoffs on TBS. What gives? Sports used to be about fans and the people.
Paying for TV sucks. Put them on the INTERNET! Are they already? Hmm.....
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John,
You recollect a different era, one when all TV was free. You paid for the set, brought it home, plugged it in, attached the antenna and that was it until you had to call a repairman. You asked about why people aren't more upset. I think it's because they've become accustomed to paying for entertainment on TV, such as sports. There's a whole generation of viewers who have been paying a monthly cable TV bill all their adult lives. And when more and more stuff gets moved onto some sort of indirect pay per view, such as NFL Network, they grudgingly accept it.
-- Bill O.

So let me get this correct if I pay Comcast an additional $6:00 per month for 12 months that equals $72:00 plus all fees and taxes to watch 1 game. News flash drop dead to the NFL and Comcast.
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I think you basically have this right ... of course, you would have also had a chance to see that riveting Indianapolis-Atlanta game on Thanksgiving night.
-- Bill O.

Has anyone else noticed that the more channels they offer on Cable the less we have access to? When I moved to Harrisburg, PA over 12 years ago, I could pay around $5 and get Comcast Sportsnet for Pittsburgh & Baltimore. This enabled me to watch most Oriole and Pirate baseball games. Prior to MASN even existing, Comcast pulled these channels from us. I could not even pay for it. Somehow, Comcast was losing money letting me pay for a product that they produced.

3 years ago Verizon put fiber optic into my neighborhood. I was excited b y the prospect of being able to get my TV programming through them. However, Comcast has been able to keep the township from letting Verizon even offer the service. I can get my internet and phone from Verizon and Concast, but I can only get TV from Comcast. Nearly every cable operation works as a monopoly. When is someone going to sue them and break them up like ATT. No competition equals higher prices and poor service. (and in Central PA, No Pirates, Orioles, Penn State Football, etc.)
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Harrisburg Bob,
To the barricades! Kidding aside, the cable TV business is maddening.
-- Bill O.

It sure is a shame you can't even watch a football game on TV without paying extra for it. I believe the owners are rich enough without gouging the average fan that supports their teams year after year. The whole NFL network is all about taking money from fans who provide everything for the sports teams. I believe it's time to show the owners and the NFL network that we aren't going to put up with their money making (schemes) and boycott the NFL network entirely. Yes I uderstand everyone needs to make money but I believe these owners and networks owe the fans that provide their income.

Great short-sighted approach by the NFL - must be run by democrats. Just as I'm starting to lose interest in the NFL game in favor of college football, the NFL has a game that interests me. I try to find the NFL game on local TV only to find out it's not being broadcast. Because the Packers/Cowboys weren't on TV, I switched to the the Louisville/Rutgers contest and reaffirmed why I've developed a preference for college football over the NFL. Great decision NFL....