Is The NFL Network About To Become Part Of ESPN?

[RicoGregg]

Proposed details:

http://www.laobserved.com/biz/2008/06/nfl_network_to_espn.php


I'm all in favor. Aye!

 

[Nate Wesley]

A similar article in TV Week speculates that NFLN & ESPN would share programming on ESPN Classic:

http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/06/nfl_espn_talk_nfl_network_part.php

There's been speculation of late that ESPN Classic would be heavily revamped, and this could be part of that.

 

[philosofy]

The first link has an excerpt from the Wall Street Journal speculating that ESPN may try to boost the rates for ESPN Classic to what the NFL was asking for and TWC and Comcast refuse to pay. I'm all for people getting the programming that they want, but outside of football season there is just absolutely nothing on the NFL Network worth watching. Now it looks like we may get to pay for it whether we want to or not. And if ESPN cant boost the rate now you can bet your butt that they will whenever a contract comes up for renewal. That's just awesome (read: lame).

 

[Mediafrog+]

There's been speculation of late that ESPN Classic would be heavily revamped, and this could be part of that.

I hope so. When it was new, ESPN Classic (and predecessor Classic Sports Network) was an interesting novelty, and it was nice to see some of the old game/events programming again. But that has all worn off now, and IMHO the channel has become a waste, unless it is being used for overflow live coverage.

 

[FightingIrish]

That would be a great move. ESPN Classic is a waste, and the NFL Network is going nowhere, especially with them being at odds with the biggest cable providers (I live in a Time Warner area, and they have so far refused to add it). And the NFL has gotten really selfish with their content (press conferences, etc.), airing much of it exclusively on their own channel while not allowing it anywhere else (or only allowing 45 second snippets). The media has been rather pissed about this.

On a side note, the Big Ten Network, which has also made steep demands of carriers, just inked a deal with Comcast systems in the Midwest. No Time Warner as of yet.

 

[Pratte4Life]

Let me ask you this- WHY is ESPN Classic a waste?

I don't know if the novelty of classic sports has worn off. It would seem to be the library is always growing.

What I think is they've gotten away from some of the things I enjoyed watching for "Classic World Series of Poker" highlights.

That's not exactly like when I saw the sixth game of the 1952 World Series with Red Barber announcing on ESPN Classic.

Does the channel even do what they were so well known for? For instance- the "Classic Location" days, where there would be four of the greatest sporting events in the history of Pittsburgh/New York/Tennessee/Siberia sports teams.

When the hockey all-star game was on- they'd show classic hockey all star games leading to it. When a great athlete passed- a few days later they'd rerun his or her greatest game.

Will they even, for instance, show "Classic College World Series" right now?

Regardless, I don't know what I hate more. The NFL monopoly or the near-ESPN monopoly on TV sports coverage.

 

[Parttimer]

There's another disturbing trend emerging, though... ESPN is charging so much now that the channel is starting to disappear from some hotels, where you now can only get ESPN2, Classic, and ESPNews. If they keep going in that direction there will be friction with cable operators as well.

 

[arnoldevns]

This would be a good thing all the way around. The NFL probably regrets ever starting the NFL Network, though it will never say so.

The NFL owners thought they could just start a network and get the kind of subscriber fees that ESPN does right off the bat. They quickly found out they were wrong. They also found out very fast that they couldn't just magically appear in 90 million households overnight and get good ratings year-round. Overall, this has been a drain on the NFL instead of the big boost in revenue they thought it would be. Worse, it has alienated many cable networks, system operators and local broadcasters.

The fiasco with last year's Giants/Patriots game was the icing on the cake. First they had members of congress angry that many fans wouldn't get to see this game. Then they got fans angry at the cable companies for not offering the network. Then they alienated the local broacasters in New York and Boston who had paid big bucks for exclusive rights to broadcast the game when they put the game on CBS and NBC. That move also angered many of the cable companies that DO carry the network because they had been promised these games would be exclusive to the network so they could sell local ads with good rates based on expected big ratings. Instead it was available on two other stations that the cable systems get no ad revenue from.

On top of all that mess, the NFL network has had very poor production values for their games. They had a lot of bad camera work, horrible announcing from Bryant Gumbel (although he is now gone) and bad sound pickup.

Considering the labor problems the network is headed for in the next few years and the yapping of some members of congress about spy-gate, it's no wonder they want to get rid of this headache and turn it over to professionals.

 

[Morgan Wick]

Let me ask you this- WHY is ESPN Classic a waste?

I don't know if the novelty of classic sports has worn off. It would seem to be the library is always growing.

What I think is they've gotten away from some of the things I enjoyed watching for "Classic World Series of Poker" highlights.

That's not exactly like when I saw the sixth game of the 1952 World Series with Red Barber announcing on ESPN Classic.

Does the channel even do what they were so well known for? For instance- the "Classic Location" days, where there would be four of the greatest sporting events in the history of Pittsburgh/New York/Tennessee/Siberia sports teams.

When the hockey all-star game was on- they'd show classic hockey all star games leading to it. When a great athlete passed- a few days later they'd rerun his or her greatest game.

Will they even, for instance, show "Classic College World Series" right now?

Regardless, I don't know what I hate more. The NFL monopoly or the near-ESPN monopoly on TV sports coverage.

This is not all Classic's fault. Leagues, including the NFL itself, have been becoming more and more... what's the word... closed and keeping their classic stock footage in house and on their own networks. Probably 70% of NFL Network's schedule during the off-season and in weekday daytime (number pulled out of my ass) is NFL Films stuff.

 

[JeeperOne]

Hi everyone:

On top of all that mess, the NFL network has had very poor production values for their games. They had a lot of bad camera work, horrible announcing from Bryant Gumbel (although he is now gone) and bad sound pickup.

CLASSIC example of this was the Denver-Houston game last year. The sound was GREAT on the NFL Network itself. But if you were watching it via the KWGN 2 simulcast, you could hardly hear a freakin' thing. The same thing happened when KDVR 31 had the Broncos-Chiefs simulcast from NFL Network back in '06.

At least you can hear the MNF announcers on ESPN as well as on the KCNC 4 simulcast when the Broncos are playing on Monday Night Football.

Is it just me and my ears and/or my TV set or what?

Cheers

Pat

 

[KML0224]

Who carried the game on the Houston end? Did they have any problems?

As for the NHL Network Comcast only offers it on digital cable here. I have expanded basic and get gouged already. My bill already went up again this month due to the addition of SNY, the regional sports channel for the New York Mets. Ugh!

 

[DToTheJ]

Regardless, I don't know what I hate more. The NFL monopoly or the near-ESPN monopoly on TV sports coverage.

This is not all Classic's fault. Leagues, including the NFL itself, have been becoming more and more... what's the word... closed and keeping their classic stock footage in house and on their own networks. Probably 70% of NFL Network's schedule during the off-season and in weekday daytime (number pulled out of my ass) is NFL Films stuff.

I've noticed that the NFL Films "Super Bowl Highlights" shows - perennially a staple on the ESPN family of networks leading up to the Super Bowl each year - was not found on ESPN, at least at a godly hour. I believe the NFL Network retained them to run on their own channel.

 

[JeeperOne]

Hi everyone:

I cross-posted this here under a different subject header, but discussion here, I think it would probably be better suited in this thread instead of creating (What would essentially be) a duplicate thread.

I'm watching the rebroadcast of the NE/NYG broadcasting fiasco now and, in light of recent articles speculating that the NFL Network might become managed by ESPN, I'm beginning to wonder if NBC (Who was one of the two OTA networks that simulcast the aforementioned NE/NYG game, CBS being the other) would be in a better position to take over management of the network than ESPN would be.

I guess what I'm really getting at is DOES ESPN REALLY NEED ANOTHER CHANNEL???

Seriously, FOX didn't even make an offer because they have all those regional outlets as well as the soccer channel and the college channels in addition to what time they have on the main FOX network for MLB, NFL & NASCAR. CBS didn't make an offer as they have the college sports channel (Though they probably could've anyway). What does NBC Universal have for sports? NOTHING Unless you count USA Network, which has WWE as a "sports" channel.

Heck, if NBC were to take over management of the network, they could rename it to The Football Network (Probably merging it with that little known network with little to no cable or satellite penetration whatsoever that bears the same name in the process) so they can feature some select College & even High SchoolFootball action as well as giving the Arena Football League better exposure than they're getting now and giving the CFL more exposure in the U.S. than they've probably ever had while still retaining their primary focus on the NFL.

Basically put, doing much of the stuff the present management of the network has either refused to do or has been directed not to do.

Thoughts?

Cheers

Pat

 

[JayR]

Heck, if NBC were to take over management of the network, they could rename it to The Football Network (probably merging it with that little known network with little to no cable or satellite penetration whatsoever that bears the same name in the process) so they can feature some select College & even High School Football action as well as giving the Arena Football League better exposure than they're getting now and giving the CFL more exposure in the U.S. than they've probably ever had while still retaining their primary focus on the NFL.

Basically put, doing much of the stuff the present management of the network has either refused to do or has been directed not to do.

Although the original Football Network botched the CFL carriage, this thought of NBCU taking over NFL Network and expanding coverage of football games outside of the NFL is a great idea. It would be nice, for a change, to have a constant network for the CFL.

 

[JeeperOne]

Hi everyone:

Heck, if NBC were to take over management of the network, they could rename it to The Football Network (probably merging it with that little known network with little to no cable or satellite penetration whatsoever that bears the same name in the process) so they can feature some select College & even High School Football action as well as giving the Arena Football League better exposure than they're getting now and giving the CFL more exposure in the U.S. than they've probably ever had while still retaining their primary focus on the NFL.

Basically put, doing much of the stuff the present management of the network has either refused to do or has been directed not to do.

Although the original Football Network botched the CFL carriage, this thought of NBCU taking over NFL Network and expanding coverage of football games outside of the NFL is a great idea. It would be nice, for a change, to have a constant network for the CFL.

Not to mention it would also give Arena Football League, which except for their appearance on Monday Nights on ESPN 2 has been poo-poo'd on by the Mouse-owned networks ever since the league left NBC, better exposure than they have now. Why the AFL left NBC is beyond me. That's just as bad (If not WORSE) than the NHL not giving NBC Universal the chance to consider putting games on USA Network which has FAR better penetration than Versus, which has VERY LITTLE at all beyond Comcast markets.

On top of that, it also gives NBC Sports a much-needed prescence on cable and satellite, something that every other network except The CW, MyNetwork & ION already have (ABC being with ESPN cluster, CBS with its College Sports channel, FOX Sports with FSN, FCS, & FSC and their spanish channel).

Seems like a no-brainer to me. But what do I know? I'm just your average couch potato and channel surfer.....

Cheers