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ESPN’S contract prevents Ravens-Texans on DIRECTV (1 Viewer)

B-Deep

Footballguy
I am not going to watch it even if i can, but you'd think ESPN would do the righ thing here...

from PFT:

ESPN’S CONTRACT PREVENTS RAVENS-TEXANS ON DIRECTV

Posted by Mike Florio on September 12, 2008, 9:42 a.m. EDT

We’ve confirmed via communications with NFL spokesman Greg Aiello and ESPN spokesman William Hofheimer that fans of the Ravens and Texans who don’t live in Baltimore or Houston and who have purchased Sunday Ticket specifically so that they can watch the Ravens or Texans play won’t be able to do so this week because of ESPN’s exclusive prime-time rights on Monday night.

This Monday, ESPN will be airing the Eagles-Cowboys game. And so the Ravens-Texans game can’t be televised, except in the teams’ home markets.

So, on behalf of those fans, we urge ESPN to waive exclusivity, and to allow the game to be shown on DirecTV.

What does it really hurt? The game already will be televised on CBS affiliates in the Houston, Baltimore, and D.C. markets; surely, as many if not more folks will watch the game via free TV in those cities than they will by dialing the dish to the appropriate 700-level channel on which the game would be shown via DirecTV.

Then there’s the concept of goodwill. Any Ravens fans who don’t live in Baltimore and Texans fans who don’t live in Houston who feel strongly enough about these teams to plunk down the cash for the Sunday Ticket package likely are sports fans generally, and they likely watch from time to time ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, and ESPNU, and they also likely visit ESPN.com and the other ESPN Internet properties.

Why not declare throughout the various ESPN and ABC media outlets that ESPN will waive its exclusivity on Monday night, so that Ravens and Texans fans from Maine to Maui will be able to get full value for what they have purchased?

It might not be as warm and fuzzy as Tony Romo helping strangers put air in a flat tire, but it’s the kind of little thing that would make the folks who want to really see the game be forever grateful to those who made it possible.

Moreover, at a time when more and more people are noticing ESPN’s endless “multiplatform corporate synergy that often feels so relentless and all-encompassing that ESPN’s heaviest viewers go berserk from time to time,” this would be a nice way for ESPN to show that they still care about the people who helped ESPN grow into the sports conglomerate it now is.

That quote, by the way, didn’t come from some random critic. Those words were written by ESPN’s ombudsman.

So how ’bout it, ESPN? Do us this one little favor. In return, we promise not to make fun of Emmitt Smith. For a week.

UPDATE: If ESPN won’t listen to us, maybe they’ll listen to you. A reader passed along this link, through which you can directly ask them to allow the Ravens-Texans game to be shown on DirecTV.

 
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Just to clairfy - If I don't like in the local market, I can't watch this game? Will it be available at all outside the local market?

 
F Direct TV... It's a sham that only they have the package in the first place.
:lol: Right. WHo cares about free market and direct TV pays money to have it?I think it's a sham FOX can show football games and not PBS
In a way you're right but in a way you are wrong. I for one am not a fan of exclusive rights as it leads to low quality and laziness i.e. the Madden franchise.
 
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I can't blame ESPN here. They pay a TON for the monday night package and a BIG part of that is total exclusivity as to football that night. Even if its not much competition, having another game on diminishes their product... unless ESPN were to get compensation, why should they allow the other game to be shown?

FWIW, I am pissed I cant watch the game as I have a number of players going, but I completely understand and respect ESPN's stance here.

 
How dare they sell a product called SUNDAY TICKET and not show games on Mondays! Bastards, all of them!

 
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I can't blame ESPN here. They pay a TON for the monday night package and a BIG part of that is total exclusivity as to football that night. Even if its not much competition, having another game on diminishes their product... unless ESPN were to get compensation, why should they allow the other game to be shown?FWIW, I am pissed I cant watch the game as I have a number of players going, but I completely understand and respect ESPN's stance here.
Because a hurricane forced this, it is extreme circumstances. And they have a GREAT game on, so this would not put a dent in their ratings.
 
makes perfect sense for ESPN to block this

blame CBS and the NFL, i'm sure ESPN told the NFL "sure we won't mind another game on Monday if you let us do a double header"

NFL/CBS: "umm no, CBS wants the local rights to the game that they are entitled to since it was 'their' game on Sunday"

ESPN: "that's fine, since we play 1 Gillion dollars for monday night and MNF is a loss leader for us, we reserve the right to use the clause that you cant show another game on monday night outside local area"

 
makes perfect sense for ESPN to block thisblame CBS and the NFL, i'm sure ESPN told the NFL "sure we won't mind another game on Monday if you let us do a double header"NFL/CBS: "umm no, CBS wants the local rights to the game that they are entitled to since it was 'their' game on Sunday"ESPN: "that's fine, since we play 1 Gillion dollars for monday night and MNF is a loss leader for us, we reserve the right to use the clause that you cant show another game on monday night outside local area"
So why can't ESPN simply air both games?
 
makes perfect sense for ESPN to block thisblame CBS and the NFL, i'm sure ESPN told the NFL "sure we won't mind another game on Monday if you let us do a double header"NFL/CBS: "umm no, CBS wants the local rights to the game that they are entitled to since it was 'their' game on Sunday"ESPN: "that's fine, since we play 1 Gillion dollars for monday night and MNF is a loss leader for us, we reserve the right to use the clause that you cant show another game on monday night outside local area"
So why can't ESPN simply air both games?
I think it's because CBS has the rights to it.
 
makes perfect sense for ESPN to block thisblame CBS and the NFL, i'm sure ESPN told the NFL "sure we won't mind another game on Monday if you let us do a double header"NFL/CBS: "umm no, CBS wants the local rights to the game that they are entitled to since it was 'their' game on Sunday"ESPN: "that's fine, since we play 1 Gillion dollars for monday night and MNF is a loss leader for us, we reserve the right to use the clause that you cant show another game on monday night outside local area"
So why can't ESPN simply air both games?
The same reason that the Sunday Ticket is not going to be available on cable any time soon, it is the local affiliates advertising revenue that pays for a large portion of those hefty fees that gets CBS (and Fox) the network rights to begin with. Moving this to ESPN dilutes those advertising rates.
 
What is ESPN supposed to do here? They've sold advertising rights at a prime, and now you want them to tell the advertisers "Oh yeah, just so you know, half of our regular audience will be watching another game on another network, but thanks for paying extra for the exclusive Monday night game".

 
Shouldn't really blame ESPN either way. Really if you think about it they shouldn't even allow the other game to be played in Baltimore and Houston. If they didn't have thegame on TV in those markets then they would be watching MNF instead...I mean we are taking about the #3 and #5 (I think Houston is #5) TV Metro areas in the country...the bottom line is that Monday Night Football is taking a hit just for letting this game be shown in the local markets.

 
How dare they sell a product called SUNDAY TICKET and not show games on Mondays! Bastards, all of them!
I'm amazed how many people never get this. Later this year we'll have countless threads asking why the Saturday games aren't on Sunday Ticket.
 
The right thing to do is have NFLN "replay" the BAL/HOU as soon as the MNF is over, which should be sometime in the 2nd Q.

 
I can't blame ESPN here. They pay a TON for the monday night package and a BIG part of that is total exclusivity as to football that night. Even if its not much competition, having another game on diminishes their product... unless ESPN were to get compensation, why should they allow the other game to be shown?FWIW, I am pissed I cant watch the game as I have a number of players going, but I completely understand and respect ESPN's stance here.
:) Sucks, but they can't give in one time, then they'd have no right to say no later on when the "big" game of the week gets shifted to Monday night and they get 25% of their usual viewership because everyone's watching DTV instead of MNF.
 
usually when there is a hurricane postponement the game is not on the DTV. DTV has sunday at 1pm and 4pm rights only

Although I remember that Giants Saints game being on TV, but Im sure that was ESPN

But a Dolphin/Titans game that got moved to Saturday before was not on TV for anyone but local markets

 
Shouldn't really blame ESPN either way. Really if you think about it they shouldn't even allow the other game to be played in Baltimore and Houston. If they didn't have thegame on TV in those markets then they would be watching MNF instead...I mean we are taking about the #3 and #5 (I think Houston is #5) TV Metro areas in the country...the bottom line is that Monday Night Football is taking a hit just for letting this game be shown in the local markets.
The solution is simple: televise the game on ESPN2. ESPN is not gonna lose significant audience share from the Cowboys/Eagles game to the Texans/Ravens. Who wants to watch poker anyhow?
 
For some reason I thought that ESPN was airing this game on ESPN2? I heard that earlier this morning somewhere.

 
Yeah I reread it- All it's saying is that you can't watch the game on Sunday ticket, but you'll be able to catch the game on ESPN 2. No big deal.

 
I live in Baltimore and from what I read the game will be televised on CBS since it is a CBS game. CBS is not going to just give up one of their games to ESPN no matter how good or bad the game is.

For everyone that seems upset with ESPN here I don't think they are the real issue. Everytime before when something unfortunate has come up and they had the move the game DirecTV did not carry those either, there was a Dolphins/Chiefs game a few years ago (or within the last few years) that was played on a Thursday/Friday and they could not show it either. I don't think this is as much to do with ESPN as it is with DirecTV and their contract they have.

 
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RAVENS-TEXANS GAME WILL AIR ON DIRECTV

Posted by Mike Florio on September 12, 2008, 4:32 p.m.

Well, we’re not quite sure why or how it happened, but the good folks at the NFL and ESPN have decided that the Monday night game between the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans will be available to DirecTV customers.

“After taking a closer look at it, we have decided that our Sunday Ticket subscribers will receive Monday night’s telecast of the Baltimore Ravens at Houston Texans game,” NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told us by e-mail a few moments ago.

The game won’t be available via DirecTV in Baltimore or Houston, but it wouldn’t be available via DirecTV in those cities if they played the game on Sunday. In those cities, it can be seen on the local CBS affiliate.

Kudos to the league and ESPN for doing the right thing.

UPDATE: Oh, crap. This means we can’t make fun of Emmitt Smith. For a week.

Some of you owe ESPN an apology. :goodposting:

 
Buddy of mine said he's hearing "rumblings" that getting this game played even on Monday is in jeopardy.

Anyone heard likewise?

 

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