CASPER
New member
NFL Network Again Takes on Cable
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On Thursday night, the New York Jets travel to Foxboro to take on the New England Patriots, a game that will determine the top team in the AFC East.
NFL Network is carrying the match live on television. And that has some in the multiplatform business talking about the merits of game coverage on the all-football channel, a debate that has surfaced for yet another season.
NFL Network President and CEO Steven Bornstein re-ignited the skirmish Tuesday when the programmer released an editorial piece he wrote about the lack of quality, extensive cable carriage of his channel. Bornstein complained about Comcast placing NFL Network on a less-penetrated sports tier and Time Warner Cable's refusal to negotiate a deal to carry the net.
"It is clear that several big cable companies continue to turn a deaf ear to football fans, blocking or charging extra for our most popular programming on TV," Bornstein said. "We in the NFL have been trying without success for months to negotiate with these companies for broader coverage."
Bornstein also pointed out efforts underway at the Federal Communications Commission that are scrutinizing the lack of cable carriage for the NFL Network and other programmers not affiliated with MSOs. He added that "large cable companies discriminate against networks like NFL Network because we are independent."
Comcast has operations in the New England area, and Time Warner Cable serves large portions of the New York market.
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On Thursday night, the New York Jets travel to Foxboro to take on the New England Patriots, a game that will determine the top team in the AFC East.
NFL Network is carrying the match live on television. And that has some in the multiplatform business talking about the merits of game coverage on the all-football channel, a debate that has surfaced for yet another season.
NFL Network President and CEO Steven Bornstein re-ignited the skirmish Tuesday when the programmer released an editorial piece he wrote about the lack of quality, extensive cable carriage of his channel. Bornstein complained about Comcast placing NFL Network on a less-penetrated sports tier and Time Warner Cable's refusal to negotiate a deal to carry the net.
"It is clear that several big cable companies continue to turn a deaf ear to football fans, blocking or charging extra for our most popular programming on TV," Bornstein said. "We in the NFL have been trying without success for months to negotiate with these companies for broader coverage."
Bornstein also pointed out efforts underway at the Federal Communications Commission that are scrutinizing the lack of cable carriage for the NFL Network and other programmers not affiliated with MSOs. He added that "large cable companies discriminate against networks like NFL Network because we are independent."
Comcast has operations in the New England area, and Time Warner Cable serves large portions of the New York market.
