Thursday, April 30, 2009

The Bus Pulling Out and The NFL Network on Comcast (Updated)

Pretty big news for football fans this final day of April.

First, since Com(munist)cast and the NFL Network have been miles apart on a new agreement to carry the network (NFL Net wants to be on a basic digital package, while Commiecast wants you to pay up to $7 as part of a what-seemed-to-have-been-named-by-Vince McMahon-named "Sports Entertainment" package sans fake fighting) as of 11:59 PM tonight, there might not be any more NFL Network on your local Comcast system, but users will get something. Depending on where you live, you'll get an option on two of the following: one free upgrade of your internet service, a year of the Starz premium movie channels, a free pay-per-view event (rock concert, WWE/TNA fake fighting, boxing or UFC event) or six on demand flicks. I predict lots of people will drop Commiecast in a hurry and sign up for DirecTV or Dish Network, mostly the former. Or if there's another video provider in the nieghborhood, that option will be used. Let's face it, when MLB Network was beiong formed, they agreed to allow cable into the project, and avoided those pitfall traps the NFL encountered.

UPDATE: Looks like they're going to stay on a little bit longer for now as the two are in extended talks to keep the channel on for now.

Meanwhile, it looks like NBC is taking "The Bus" out of the Football Night in America station. Jerome Bettis according to Newsday is being ousted from his role on the program, so it looks like it'll be Keith, Dan Patrick, Bob Costas and Tiki Barber instudio with Peter King along for the show as well when it all begins on September 13.

3 comments:

  1. Service Electric Cable up at Bloom (which does carry NFL-N) and DirecTV back at home. Safe to say, I am a happy customer...

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  2. Well, all that's confusing as hell, but then again so has my life been. Anyway, just wanted to say I'm likin' the Baseball Nerd bloggie quite a bit even if I can't understand the half of it. KO's got more information per cubic centimeter of cranium than I could ever imagine -- but the stories are good and the pictures are fun. This blog, too, continues to amaze -- I've been tied up with chemotherapy for my cancer but it continues to be a bright spot in my reading day, kudos to you both JFein and jamescraven!

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  3. Oh, JC, I'm not sure if you've seen it yet, but you might want to check out this link....;-)

    http://awfulannouncing.blogspot.com/2009/04/nfl-network-somehow-manages-to-stay-on.html

    Best of luck on everything, Irline.

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