NFL Network Scores On Comcast With FCC Decision
Agency Says Op Discriminated By Placing Net On Sports Tier; Ball In Administrative Judge’s Court Next
By Mike Reynolds -- Multichannel News, 10/11/2008 3:14:00 AM
The FCC may have changed Comcast Corp.'s game plan for NFL Network.
In a decision released late Friday, the FCC ruled that Comcast should migrate NFL Network to a more widely distributed cable package from its current placement on a sports tier, according to an Associated Press report.
The FCC’s decision, according to the AP, indicated that Comcast discriminated against the pro football league’s in-house service by only carrying it on a more expensive sports service. The NFL filed the complaint against Comcast in May.
The FCC ruling now goes before an administrative law judge, who could force Comcast to carry the NFL programming at a certain price.
Comcast currently offers NFL Network on a sports tied, priced between $5 to $7 monthly. All told, Comcast has nearly 25 million video customers.
"We are pleased with today's FCC ruling and appreciate the commissioners' attention to our complaint," the NFL Network said in a statement. "NFL cable viewers could soon be the real winners."
For its part, Comcast stated that its "programming decisions are in the best interest of our consumers and consistent with the law,” adding that "forcing these networks onto our cable systems will cost consumers millions of dollars and cause cable prices to rise."
The distribution dispute dates back several years. The NFL sued Comcast in October 2006 for placing the NFL Network on a sports tier on then recently acquired systems from Adelphia Communications. In May 2007, New York State Judge Bernard Fried ruled that Comcast had the right to shift the NFL Network to a sports tier under an option in an August 2004 contract because the nation’s largest cable operator did not obtain the rights to distribute a package of out-of-market NFL games or a number of nationally televised NFL games by July 31, 2006. Since then the parties have been engaged in more legal actions.
Cable and Comcast do not have the rights to the Sunday Ticket, out-of-market, pay-per-view package, which is the exclusive province of DirecTV. Comcast-owned OLN -- the sports network now known as Versus --bid for an eight-game NFL primetime games. However, the league awarded those contests to NFL Network early in 2006.
In addition to its problems with Comcast, NFL Network has yet to secure carriage with such top operators as Time Warner Cable and Cablevision, over pricing and placement issues. Those and other distribution stalemates resulted in the NFL simulcasting NFL Network's final 2007 game between the New York Giants and the then-undefeated New England Patriots on CBS and NBC.
The first of NFL Network's 2008 primetime games is scheduled to kick off Nov. 6 with the Denver Broncos visiting the Cleveland Browns.
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Boo Hoo - all that this news supports is the fact that the 32 billionaires have a better line to public servants pockets and ears - oh and maybe better attorney's than Comcast. Nevermind the consumer is holding the losing end of the yardage marker. Denver/Cleveland - really? Who cares.
Quigley Spargus - 10/13/2008 11:16:00 AM EDT -
It sure would be great if FCC would also help those of us trying to use leased access by agreeing to over-ride the OMB and proceed with getting some relief for those us so severely injured by OMB's denial of new leased access rules.
Congress appears to have intended LAPers (leased access programmers) were to be able to play on that 'level playing field' cable cries so loudly for.
Help us to, please.
Charlie Stogner - 10/11/2008 9:36:00 PM EDT -
Two other things you neglected to mention, Comcast refusing to give cable systems access to the NHL games on Versus (where they have exclusive rights, even locally) unless they put it on a wider tier. And also the fact that for over a decade Comcast has been denying fans in the Philly area access to their own LOCAL teams entirely by refusing to let satellite even negotiate with them for CSN Philly. Much of their territory in the more rural parts of Northeastern and central PA doesn't have accesss to cable, and some cable systems can't even get a connection to their fiber feed so they can't carry it either.
Kyle Luna - 10/11/2008 3:27:00 PM EDT -
You failed to mention WHY the NFL didn't give OLN/Versus the Thursday Night Games. Comcast insisted they had nationwide exclusive rights, which violated the NFL's policy of having the games available over the air in the DMA where the participating teams reside.
Kyle Luna - 10/11/2008 11:16:00 AM EDT
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