Quote Originally Posted by avtosalon View Post
ESPN (or any other cable/pay TV network) are NOT 'just as much "networks" as OTA networks'! Not even close.
OTA networks are available for FREE in high definition nationwide via hundreds of affiliates. But cable/pay TV networks require a special connection to the service, and are CHARGED. Of course the programming is not the same, but how could say that cable/pay networks are equal with OTA networks?
Another thing, how could you say that "many" NFL games are on ESPN/NFL Network? The fact is that the vast majority of NFL games are broadcast on free, OTA television. The NFL, compared to the other 'Big 4' leagues (MLB, NBA, and NHL) still has most of it's games broadcast OTA. For viewers who only care to watch just their local team, they would not need cable/pay TV at all.
The fact that some networks are broadcast free and others require a subscription doesn't negate the fact that networks carried on cable are still networks. And, for the record, I spent most of my adult life in a city with such terribly hilly terrain that most "free" TV was impossible to watch without cable. Or aren't you aware that for the first few decades of existence of cable television, all it offered was good reception for local OTA channels? Cable-only networks didn't come along until the cable television industry was several decades old.
You're also assuming that people only care about seeing their local team's games on "free" television. This thread appears to be launched by an NFL fan who didn't live in the home city of either team. My favorite team is the one I followed before relocating to another city. The fact that I moved didn't change my loyalty to my team. And it is not shown on "free" TV every week in the city where I live.