DISH Network and NFL Network Reach Settlement

[dennispap]

DISH Network and NFL Network Reach Settlement

ENGLEWOOD, Colo., April 10, 2009 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX News Network/ -- DISH Network Corporation (Nasdaq: DISH) and NFL Network announced today that they have reached a settlement, which includes a multiyear agreement for continued carriage of NFL Network in DISH Network's Classic Silver 200 programming package. All litigation was dropped. The terms of the settlement were not disclosed.
"We are very pleased that our NFL Network will continue to be distributed in millions of homes on DISH Network," said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. "We look forward to having our Network's upcoming coverage of the April 25-26 NFL Draft showcased on DISH Network."
DISH Network Chairman, President and CEO Charlie Ergen added, "The NFL Network is a great complement to our programming lineup and we are pleased to offer the channel to our subscribers."
About NFL Network
NFL Network airs seven days a week, 24 hours a day on a year-round basis and is the only network dedicated entirely to the NFL and the sport of football. For more information, log onto NFL Network. NFL.com is the exclusive internet home for NFL video highlights and NFL Network.

About DISH Network Corporation
DISH Network Corporation (Nasdaq: DISH) provides approximately 13.678 million satellite TV customers as of Dec. 31, 2008 with the highest quality programming and technology at the best value, including the lowest all-digital price nationwide. Customers have access to hundreds of video and audio channels, the most international channels in the U.S., state-of-the-art interactive TV applications, and award-winning HD and DVR technology including 1080p Video on Demand and the DuoDVRTM ViP(R) 722 DVR, a CNET and PC Magazine "Editors' Choice." DISH Network is included in the Nasdaq-100 Index (NDX) and is a Fortune 250 company. Visit Satellite Television - DISH Network - 1.888.825.2557.
SOURCE DISH Network Corporation
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[tymekeeper]

Still sucks, It used to be on the AT 100 package so the millions on it and others who will drop down to it because of the economy will not get it. Charlie F ed up over the Giants/patriots game and now we have to suffer.

[dennispap]

Still sucks, It used to be on the AT 100 package so the millions on it and others who will drop down to it because of the economy will not get it. Charlie F ed up over the Giants/patriots game and now we have to suffer.

I disagree about charlie and that game. NFL network sold the channel as
" the only place to get these games". Then nfl net breaks the agreement by letting the games be shown to everyone thru ota tv. NFL definitely did wrong by that move. Charlie was right in that situation.

[mscroggi]

What??? I dont mean to be a nit-picker but I cant make any sense of your post. Can you elaborate?

Still sucks, It used to be on the AT 100 package so the millions on it and others who will drop down to it because of the economy will not get it. Charlie F ed up over the Giants/patriots game and now we have to suffer.

[sum_random_dork]

I am sure this is partly a play by The NFL...Comcast plans to drop NFL Net May 1st, so the NFL is trying to get other agreements in place and send the fans to those providers. The NFL sent some if its "big wigs" to Comcast officers a few weeks ago to try to workout a deal with no luck. Comcast began notifying their customers they planned to discontinue the NFL Network as of May 1st becuase of the cost. I have heard they're asking for over $2 a sub.

[Michael P]

I disagree about charlie and that game. NFL network sold the channel as
" the only place to get these games". Then nfl net breaks the agreement by letting the games be shown to everyone thru ota tv. NFL definitely did wrong by that move. Charlie was right in that situation.
Unless "everyone" moved to the 2 cities where these games are seen OTA it's not breaking any agreement. In fact not showing the games OTA locally would be breaking another agreement (unless the game was not a sell-out).

Do you realize that the only stations that are allowed to carry these games OTA are the home city of each team? In other words, nearby DMA's cannot show the games OTA. So the coverage area is tightly controlled.

For example, I'm in The Cleveland Browns home market. A Cleveland station will carry an NFL Network game but not a Youngstown station (for those of you not familiar with the geography of Northeast Ohio, Youngstown is only 60 miles from Downtown Cleveland. Other cities the same distance from Downtown Cleveland, like Canton, are in the Cleveland DMA and may see the game OTA but only by watching the Cleveland station).

[Michael P]

What??? I dont mean to be a nit-picker but I cant make any sense of your post. Can you elaborate?
While I'm not the poster of the original comment comment, I think I know what tymekeeper meant.

The Giants/Patriots game was tripple-cast! Rather than being an exclusive NFL Network game, it was additionally carried on CBS and NBC.

If I were Charlie (or any other MSO who paid to carry The NFL Network) I'd be mad too. The NFL painted itself into a corner with it's demands on MSO's to put the NFL Network on the lowest tier. That resulted in a large portion of viewers unable to get the NFL Network (since the largest cable MSO's such as Time Warner refused to accept the NFL Network's demands). When this game was scheduled nobody could have guessed that there would be such a high national interest in the game (2 undefeated teams going head to head so late in the season).

[Richard King]

Unless "everyone" moved to the 2 cities where these games are seen OTA it's not breaking any agreement. In fact not showing the games OTA locally would be breaking another agreement (unless the game was not a sell-out).

Do you realize that the only stations that are allowed to carry these games OTA are the home city of each team? In other words, nearby DMA's cannot show the games OTA. So the coverage area is tightly controlled.

Not quite right.....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/12/26/AR2007122601652.html
The NFL avoided a potential backlash by fans unable to watch the New England Patriots' attempt to complete a perfect regular season, announcing yesterday that the NFL Network's telecast of Saturday night's game between the Patriots and New York Giants also will be carried by NBC and CBS.

The nationwide simulcast will be the first of an NFL game since Super Bowl I, and it dissipates a controversy that had been building in recent weeks because the league-owned NFL Network had been scheduled to carry the game alone. It reaches only about 35 million U.S. households.

[STEELERSRULE]

I am in agreement with the MSO's on this one. NFL is really asking too much for what it offers. The NFL Network is, IMHO, only really neccesary for those 8 or more games they show. I just sign up for AT200 on the day of the game, if it is a good matchup, on my Dish Prepaid NOW! setup, and watch it. Other than that, NFL Network is a dud IMHO. Others will feel differently.

And even then, the games are not that important. Especially last year, which could be just an abberation. But those games were DUDS, that were scheduled for NFL Network.

And, just to nitpick a little ;):

1. The Patriots were undefeated, not the Giants, going into that game. Giants learned about them, which helped them beat the Patriots in Supe XLII. The game was "meaningless", as far as the standings/playoffs went, for the Giants that season.

All in good fun Michael P. from an awful Steelers fan. :) ;)

[tampa8]

I am sometimes amazed where people come up with their information. Only the two cities? So I only imagined I saw it in Tampa on WFLA? Charlie should have been upset....

[Stewart Vernon]

I think there was some temporary confusion earlier in this thread...

The NFL Network "exclusive" games were always intended to be available OTA in the 2 competing teams' markets. This was a known quantity from day one.

However, the popularity and impending history of the New England vs New York game a couple of years back resulted in the NFL Network relaxing their own rules and allowing CBS and NBC both to carry the game nationally... not just in those 2 teams' markets.

Had the NFL Network stuck with the plan, and only showed on NFL Network, New York, and Boston then there'd be no issue... but since they opened the floodgates to air the game outside their restrictions... it is completely understandable that a company like Dish would want to re-negotiate their carriage.

If all the games are crap, there'd be no reason for the NFL Network to command a premium. If the games are good, then that's the whole reason why a company like Dish would want to pony up for the channel in the first place... so letting the best-of-the-best game go for free nationwide OTA is a big slap to the face.

It would be the same thing as having a pay-per-view event for $25 up and until the day of the event, then broadcasting the same thing for free to anyone who wants... big slap in the face to those who had paid to see it.

[david_jr]

I am sure this is partly a play by The NFL...Comcast plans to drop NFL Net May 1st, so the NFL is trying to get other agreements in place and send the fans to those providers. The NFL sent some if its "big wigs" to Comcast officers a few weeks ago to try to workout a deal with no luck. Comcast began notifying their customers they planned to discontinue the NFL Network as of May 1st becuase of the cost. I have heard they're asking for over $2 a sub.

Apparently Comcast is moving or has moved the NFL network into a pay sports tier that costs $7 a month. NFL balks and is asking FCC to rule on it. Comcast is apparently not going to reup in May as a result. Have to believe that NFL ST is at the heart of the Comcast moves as all the big cablecos want access to that badly. Kind of indicates that Charlie is not interested in ST, doesn't even consider paying what the asking (billions) would be if it went non-exclusive.

[tymekeeper]

What??? I dont mean to be a nit-picker but I cant make any sense of your post. Can you elaborate?

What I was trying to say was that in late 2007 when I subscribed to Dish' AT 100 with HD the NFL Network was included. After the Patriot Giants game The NFL Network was removed from the AT 100 package. I understand Charlie was angry but in his anger to punish NFL Network by taking thier revenue away he also punished those of uson the AT 100 package. So now he makes an agreement with NFL to continue to carry them on AT 200 and above but not the AT 100 soif we want the crapy NFL network for the 8 games they carry a year we (those on AT 100) have to pay about $120 a year more to get AT100.

[CABill]

Would you rather have it included in AT100 and the price of AT100 also increased? You can get the NFL Network games without subscribing to AT200 ALL YEAR long. If it is significant for you, you could step up to AT200 for a couple months and pay the $5 downgrade fee to return to AT100. I'll survive without NFL Net, but could pay a small amount if there was some game I HAD to see. Being a Raider fan, there aren't many I HAVE to see. :)

[Slamminc11]

What I was trying to say was that in late 2007 when I subscribed to Dish' AT 100 with HD the NFL Network was included. After the Patriot Giants game The NFL Network was removed from the AT 100 package. I understand Charlie was angry but in his anger to punish NFL Network by taking thier revenue away he also punished those of uson the AT 100 package. So now he makes an agreement with NFL to continue to carry them on AT 200 and above but not the AT 100 soif we want the crapy NFL network for the 8 games they carry a year we (those on AT 100) have to pay about $120 a year more to get AT100.

Granted I haven't taken a math class in a while, but the NFLN doesn't start showing games until Thanksgiving and then stops showing games at the end of the season, which means 1 full month of programming and then a partial month of programming, So even with the downgrade fee at the end of the season, wouldn't it really only be about $20 to watch the 8 games?

[snowcat]

Though they do show all non-national preseason games. So it might be worthwhile to get it in August as well. ;)

[jbeskow]

I have gotten NFL Network from the beginning through DirecTV and it is one of my favorite channels. They do good analysis of the upcoming games, offer many top 10 lists, NFL Replays in which they re-air games with additional players and coaches miced-up, as well as previous important games, and best of all America's Game. I think the America's Game is the program they have.

The America's Game started by taking the top 20 or 25 Super Bowl winning teams and ranked them from 25 to 1. Then they aired the rest and now they are starting to do the Missing Rings which highlight a team that lost in the Super Bowl but was very good. Each hour is devoted to one team and they have 3 prior players or coaches from that team and a famous Hollywood voice narrating it. They go behind the scenes and you find out a lot about theses teams and players and what they had to go through to become Champions and what it means to them. I am a BIG NY Giants fan but I enjoy watching every one of the teams. I highly recommend it for any football even if you are a casual fan. I forced my wife who isn't a football fan to watch the 3 Giants ones and she really enjoyed them and they even made her cry and laugh.

[david_jr]

Bottom line is if you want the channel you will subscribe to the package that it is in. The NFL decides what they think the channel is worth per subscriber and that's what they charge DISH to carry it. DISH decides what package they can recoup that cost plus a profit and they place it in that package. If you want the channel and feel that it is worth that price you buy that package. If not you stay in the package you're in. For me I wouldn't pay extra for the channel. Consider NFL ST, which is outragously overpriced, but many consider it worth it and they buy it. The NFL knows this and they price their products accordingly. DISH and D* merely pass the cost on to the subscribers. That's how they make money.

[CoolGui]

It seems to me the only problem with the NFL Network is that they want their cake and to eat it too. They want as many people as possible to get the channel by default, yet they seem to be asking a premium price for it. I don't see how you can do both when there are only what... 4 or 5 nights a year when people actually want it. They need to make up their minds which is more important, lots of viewers or the premium price. I guess Dish Network relented and is paying the higher price which is a little hard to believe from Charlie. But so far they have always carried Denver on at least one Thursday night game, I'm thinking that has something to do with it...

[mruk69]

The games on NFL network suck anyway. Why the hell they don't have DD 5.1 ausio is beyond me.

Personally even though I love football, I wish theat the NLNetwork crashes and noone would pick it up. They deserve it after giving Sunday Ticket exlusively to DTV. If they had any brains at all (which apparently they don't), they would have realized that they could of sold more subriptions if they did not make it an exclusive.
So, anyway screw them.

[CoolGui]

Yeah.. I don't care that much about NFL network, but I do like having a game on Thursdays. Hopefully they can do it on another channel instead. I could care less about it being on NFL network or not, their commentators sucks anyway.

[dennispap]

I am sometimes amazed where people come up with their information. Only the two cities? So I only imagined I saw it in Tampa on WFLA? Charlie should have been upset....

Yes, Michael P wasnt correct. The game was shown Nationally, not just the 2 teams cities.

[rstewart]

This is another prime example of rising prices of programming. Everyone complains when one of the satellite companies or cable companies raise their prices. Here's a channel demanding to be sold in the lowest tier in order to be carried @$2 per subscriber! This when as many have pointed out there are few reasons to watch the channel except for the few games they'll broadcast. I personally do not want my bill to go up just to carry a single channel like this one year round.

I think the NFL needs to get their head screwed on straight along with the cable/satellite companies that did cave in due to the lack of programming year round vs the price demanded PER subscriber. If they want to roll this into a sports package and allow those who want to pay the premium for it to buy it I'm all for that but for a few games within a couple of month span this hardly seems worth $2 for everyone across the board when many of their viewership won't even watch the channel but maybe 1 time a year.

With the current state of the economy continuing to add channels with little value added for the majority of viewers (yes there are some that will watch the channel but as I said before I say little value added because of the short time frame/small number of games that can be shown on other venues as this is just another way for the NFL to pick the consumer pocket.) the ever rising cost of service will cause people to drop satellite/cable altogether. I don't see this channel as a win for any cable/satellite provider in it's current form and cost and I wish they'd all turn it down until NFL brings something of value to the table.