So Now That The NFL Network's Regular Season Is Over (1 Viewer)

This isn't a question about the announcers or the presentation of the game, but rather the games themselves and the greater issue (in my opinion) that so few NFL fans were able to see them due to the issues between The NFL Network and cable companies such as Charter and Time Warner.

I think The NFL Network gambled and lost this season. They gambled that the demand for the NFL was so insatiable that fans would be screaming at the top of their lungs to see these cames and the cable companies would cave. While there's no question the NFL is huge the problem is the games this season that were picked weren't very compelling in my opinion.

So what did the fans miss?

Were there any great games on the schedule that fans are terribly disappointed they didn't get to see? Games like the Raiders-Chiefs and Packers-Vikings were nothing short of dogs. Hell, I know plenty of Packer fans who weren't the least bit disappointed they missed that game and Packer fans are among the most passionate in the league.

I'm not sure this will change anything for next season. I believe in the long run, the plan will be to show more and more games on The NFL Network with playoff games eventually being shown. And that is likely when the proverbial **** could hit the fan. It's one thing to miss a poor Week 14 game between the Niners and Seahawks, but if fans are forced to miss a key playoff game that will be an entirely different story altogether.

So what did everyone here think? Do you think the lackluster quality of games on the network will help the cable companies going forward or do you see things being status quo or possibly being even stronger in the league's favor after the first go around of games on The NFL Network?

I am glad that I didn't miss any of them.

I am also glad that I didn't miss any of the games, having said that, I found the quality of the games to be lacking. Even though they had good teams and good matchups, I think the fact that a lot of the games were played on Thursday evenings making it a short week for the teams produced an inferior product to what we're used to. I think that if the NFL is serious about keeping regular season games on the NFL Network, they have to change their schedule from Thursday & Saturday night games to just Saturday night games. The extra couple of days rest for the players should improve the product. Leave the Thursday games to just Thanksgiving Day. I would expect that the NFL Network would like to show more games, so I can live with the NFL Network having a Saturday night game for 17 weeks.

The original poster commented about fans who don't get NFL Network being worried about missing playoff games if they were broadcast on NFL Network. I don't think the NFL is in any rush to move playoff games to the NFL Network. The playoff games are a big part of the package that the major networks get. There are so few playoff games to be spread out amongst the 3 networks (NBC/FOX/CBS) that I don't see the NFL Network getting any playoff games unless the NFL expands the playoffs to include more teams.

Glad to have NFL games to watch on Thursday nights. I thought the HD feed was exceptional.

Gumble is terrible, and this has been detailed in other posts, so I won't get into it here. But, they really need a better talent covering these games.

packersfan said:

This isn't a question about the announcers or the presentation of the game, but rather the games themselves and the greater issue (in my opinion) that so few NFL fans were able to see them due to the issues between The NFL Network and cable companies such as Charter and Time Warner. I think The NFL Network gambled and lost this season. They gambled that the demand for the NFL was so insatiable that fans would be screaming at the top of their lungs to see these cames and the cable companies would cave. While there's no question the NFL is huge the problem is the games this season that were picked weren't very compelling in my opinion.So what did the fans miss?Were there any great games on the schedule that fans are terribly disappointed they didn't get to see? Games like the Raiders-Chiefs and Packers-Vikings were nothing short of dogs. Hell, I know plenty of Packer fans who weren't the least bit disappointed they missed that game and Packer fans are among the most passionate in the league.I'm not sure this will change anything for next season. I believe in the long run, the plan will be to show more and more games on The NFL Network with playoff games eventually being shown. And that is likely when the proverbial **** could hit the fan. It's one thing to miss a poor Week 14 game between the Niners and Seahawks, but if fans are forced to miss a key playoff game that will be an entirely different story altogether.So what did everyone here think? Do you think the lackluster quality of games on the network will help the cable companies going forward or do you see things being status quo or possibly being even stronger in the league's favor after the first go around of games on The NFL Network?

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This is a good angle. I think even had they scheduled a better slate of games, they still overplayed their hand here. It was a poor strategy to begin with. What they really should have done was get these deals secured with the cable companies right from the start...get people used to the product on Thursday and Saturday nights...get bodies in front of the sets (not the hodgepodge of DirecTV viewers and limited other cable outlets)...get everyone.And, once those deals were secured and the ratings started coming in for a few years, when folks are now used to having their NFL on Thursdays and Saturdays and can't stand to be without it, THEN go back to those cable outlets and say you need to put us on regular cable or else...They played a losing hand to begin with, and the cable companies--most of them--knew it.So, in this respect, it was a bust for NFLN.

Loved the games, loved the NFL Network coverage, and loved having it in Canada....I pay an extra $2 or so per month for NFL Network on top of my normal cable package...it's well worth it.

(I know this isn't about Gumble but he is the lone negative to the ENTIRE network)

cobalt_27 said:

packersfan said:

This isn't a question about the announcers or the presentation of the game, but rather the games themselves and the greater issue (in my opinion) that so few NFL fans were able to see them due to the issues between The NFL Network and cable companies such as Charter and Time Warner. I think The NFL Network gambled and lost this season. They gambled that the demand for the NFL was so insatiable that fans would be screaming at the top of their lungs to see these cames and the cable companies would cave. While there's no question the NFL is huge the problem is the games this season that were picked weren't very compelling in my opinion.So what did the fans miss?Were there any great games on the schedule that fans are terribly disappointed they didn't get to see? Games like the Raiders-Chiefs and Packers-Vikings were nothing short of dogs. Hell, I know plenty of Packer fans who weren't the least bit disappointed they missed that game and Packer fans are among the most passionate in the league.I'm not sure this will change anything for next season. I believe in the long run, the plan will be to show more and more games on The NFL Network with playoff games eventually being shown. And that is likely when the proverbial **** could hit the fan. It's one thing to miss a poor Week 14 game between the Niners and Seahawks, but if fans are forced to miss a key playoff game that will be an entirely different story altogether.So what did everyone here think? Do you think the lackluster quality of games on the network will help the cable companies going forward or do you see things being status quo or possibly being even stronger in the league's favor after the first go around of games on The NFL Network?

Click to expand...

This is a good angle. I think even had they scheduled a better slate of games, they still overplayed their hand here. It was a poor strategy to begin with. What they really should have done was get these deals secured with the cable companies right from the start...get people used to the product on Thursday and Saturday nights...get bodies in front of the sets (not the hodgepodge of DirecTV viewers and limited other cable outlets)...get everyone.And, once those deals were secured and the ratings started coming in for a few years, when folks are now used to having their NFL on Thursdays and Saturdays and can't stand to be without it, THEN go back to those cable outlets and say you need to put us on regular cable or else...They played a losing hand to begin with, and the cable companies--most of them--knew it.So, in this respect, it was a bust for NFLN.

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I agree. I think the NFL got greedy and banked on the fans being outraged that they couldn't see these games. Other than the initial week or two I don't recall that being the case. Fans pretty much accepted they weren't going to see the games and moved on. The fact the games they missed turned out to be duds in nearly every instance certainly didn't help the league at all in my opinion. I think what's happened is now the cable companies have the power. They weren't deluged by customers demanding The NFL Network as the season went on because there were Must See games that they were missing. It'll be interesting to see what happens in the off-season between the two or if things will remain at an impasse. I agree completely with your statement about the model the league should have followed. Had they done that, I think they could have reaped a larger financial gain in the future. But they were short-sighted and I think it cost them.

packersfan said:

cobalt_27 said:

packersfan said:

This isn't a question about the announcers or the presentation of the game, but rather the games themselves and the greater issue (in my opinion) that so few NFL fans were able to see them due to the issues between The NFL Network and cable companies such as Charter and Time Warner. I think The NFL Network gambled and lost this season. They gambled that the demand for the NFL was so insatiable that fans would be screaming at the top of their lungs to see these cames and the cable companies would cave. While there's no question the NFL is huge the problem is the games this season that were picked weren't very compelling in my opinion.So what did the fans miss?Were there any great games on the schedule that fans are terribly disappointed they didn't get to see? Games like the Raiders-Chiefs and Packers-Vikings were nothing short of dogs. Hell, I know plenty of Packer fans who weren't the least bit disappointed they missed that game and Packer fans are among the most passionate in the league.I'm not sure this will change anything for next season. I believe in the long run, the plan will be to show more and more games on The NFL Network with playoff games eventually being shown. And that is likely when the proverbial **** could hit the fan. It's one thing to miss a poor Week 14 game between the Niners and Seahawks, but if fans are forced to miss a key playoff game that will be an entirely different story altogether.So what did everyone here think? Do you think the lackluster quality of games on the network will help the cable companies going forward or do you see things being status quo or possibly being even stronger in the league's favor after the first go around of games on The NFL Network?

Click to expand...

This is a good angle. I think even had they scheduled a better slate of games, they still overplayed their hand here. It was a poor strategy to begin with. What they really should have done was get these deals secured with the cable companies right from the start...get people used to the product on Thursday and Saturday nights...get bodies in front of the sets (not the hodgepodge of DirecTV viewers and limited other cable outlets)...get everyone.And, once those deals were secured and the ratings started coming in for a few years, when folks are now used to having their NFL on Thursdays and Saturdays and can't stand to be without it, THEN go back to those cable outlets and say you need to put us on regular cable or else...They played a losing hand to begin with, and the cable companies--most of them--knew it.So, in this respect, it was a bust for NFLN.

Click to expand...

I agree. I think the NFL got greedy and banked on the fans being outraged that they couldn't see these games. Other than the initial week or two I don't recall that being the case. Fans pretty much accepted they weren't going to see the games and moved on. The fact the games they missed turned out to be duds in nearly every instance certainly didn't help the league at all in my opinion. I think what's happened is now the cable companies have the power. They weren't deluged by customers demanding The NFL Network as the season went on because there were Must See games that they were missing. It'll be interesting to see what happens in the off-season between the two or if things will remain at an impasse. I agree completely with your statement about the model the league should have followed. Had they done that, I think they could have reaped a larger financial gain in the future. But they were short-sighted and I think it cost them.

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Remember that even mega-popular cable channels like ESPN started out small and on a few systems before getting popular enough to command a premium fee and placement on basic cable. And those channels, you can also include TNT and Discovery, had to prove a 365/24/7 lineup that people reasonably wanted to watch. But the NFL is used to getting anything it wants and thought it could skip those small steps to get into some people's homes, create a good product and drive up demand. If you can divorce yourself from your love for football, it's perfectly reasonable to question why a channel devoted to one professional league in one sport is worthy, sight unseen for the most part, of being on basic cable and demanding a premium. The problem is that most people at this site cannot divorce themselves from being a football fan. That's why we're here.

I only watched one or two. Too much football can be a bad thing.

Announcer booth was D+ at best.

The big outcry will come when the steal a wild-card game or two from us. Then you'll hear the backlash.

Been saying for years that one day the super bowl will be pay-per-view. It may be a long time, but it's only a matter of time.

there was football on thursday nights this year??

V1LL said:

there was football on thursday nights this year??

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Yeah, college. There were some pretty good games too.

But look at it from the other angle. Carrying the games really legitimized the station for the people who DID get it (and I think it's more than a hodgepodge of cable). Between carrying the games, NFL Replay, and Total Access, NFLN has become more than a curiosity. Heck, their Thursday pre-game show is light years better than ESPN's MNF pre-game since NFLN doesn't have Irivin.

I'm a Directv customer but the point is moot down here since Comcast carried NFLN locally.

Cable may have won the round, but I think both sides need to find an agreement before next season.

I hate Thursday football simply from a fantasy perspective. As a fan I like having a game there to watch.

The broadcasting crew wasn't great but Collinsworth grew on me.

The actual camera work was fine. I'm not a technical guy when it comes to that so I really don't care.

I prefer the NFLN pre game show to the ESPN and network shows.

I don't think that it was as bad as we've made it out to be here, but there is room to improve - there always is. But I don't watch the games for the broadcasting crew or special effects or music or studio crew. If I did, I'd stop watching football because they all have stuff that is annoying.

Given the history of NFL films and the production capabilities of the NFL, I have no doubt that games on the NFLN will be extremely entertaining for years to come.

NFLN rocks, all you sorry Cable owners just need to switch to Directv.

The original poster commented about fans who don't get NFL Network being worried about missing playoff games if they were broadcast on NFL Network. I don't think the NFL is in any rush to move playoff games to the NFL Network. The playoff games are a big part of the package that the major networks get. There are so few playoff games to be spread out amongst the 3 networks (NBC/FOX/CBS) that I don't see the NFL Network getting any playoff games unless the NFL expands the playoffs to include more teams.

I seriously question that... NFLN "seems" to be only concerned about one thing -- $$. If it's something else, then their PR Department needs to get to work quickly. IMHO, NFLN screwed the fans over this season -- what's a network or two for 2007 be it more pro games, the playoffs, or key bowl games?

To what little I saw of the live games that were on NFLN (at work where we have DirecTV), I can say that I wasn't overly impressed with their coverage... They did no better than ESPN, ABC, etc. But as far as their other content though, Total Access & Replay specifically -- good stuff there!

That said, I hope this stalemate between NFLN & the cable companies ends soon... Tired of having to go to work or sports bars (not that I dislike bars, but it can get expensive) to watch 'em...

NFLN gives us football 24/7, from highlights, news and analysis to coverage of the scouting combine, draft, Super Bowl week, college all-star games, press conferences and more.

If the games themselves fell short in one way or the other, we all know that's the NFL on any given day.

toxicbees said:

NFLN rocks, all you sorry Cable owners just need to switch to Directv.

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I was able to stream every NFLN game off the internet (since Comcast here does not have the NFLN)Kansas City 19, Denver 10 Cincinnati 13, Baltimore 7 Pittsburgh 27, Cleveland 7 San Francisco 24, Seattle 14 Dallas 38, Atlanta 28 Green Bay 9, Minnesota 7 Kansas City 20, Oakland 9 Maybe it was the coverage or the matchups, but most of the games came off as boring. Don't feel like I would have missed much even if I didn't see them.I do hope something is worked out by next season. It sounds like the NFLN have more to offer than just the games. I'd like to see that!

As a Time Warner Subscriber I don't really care that I miss the games. I agree with Time Warner's stance and did just fine with less NFL games this season.