flintsilver7
Sack Monster
Now that I've been thinking about it this monopoly on NFL games is getting really annoying. It's about more than exclusivity. For example, Yankees games are shown on the YES Network, which is a pain, but as far as I know you can get the YES Network on just about any cable provider. Compare that to DirecTV, which not only is a niche market (about 10% of households use it) but you have to pay for the NFL package on top of that. So in effect if you want NFL, you're required to pay for DirecTV as well. If you like DirecTV, then that cost is transparent, but if you don't then it's just an added cost.
I don't know if the NFL is at fault or DirecTV - I'm more inclined to think it's the NFL. DirecTV is paying for its success in essence - without Sunday Ticket, they lose a lot of their attractiveness. Not that it matters, since as a niche market they will not lose a substantial amount of business. Other satellite providers do just fine without Sunday Ticket. The NFL, for all its complaints about ticket sales and revenue, is doing absolutely nothing to help itself by extremely limiting its viewing market. The broadcast games are generally not very good, and the best out-of-market matchups (like the game of the week) are usually not shown.
Consumer advocates, I would've thought, would be all over this. Cable companies can easily file a suit if they know their consumer base would be interested in the package (and who wouldn't be?). I don't think they would encounter much difficulty since DirecTV has demonstrated its ability to set the pricing of the NFL package at its own will.
I think it would be a huge improvement to allow cable companies to offer the NFL package. Cable companies would have to pay for the rights, so the NFL would still get its money. DirecTV would be forced to lower its price to compete and provide a more attractive package without the huge exclusive NFL package. While cable monopolies generally exist locally, they still need to be competitive with satellite pricing.
Basically, without the drive to improve, there is no real free market and service providers (the NFL, DirecTV, or whatever) will eventually become complacent and offer a product of continually declining quality.
On another note, DirecTV poses a lot of problems for somebody like me. I wouldn't consider myself out of the mainstream by any stretch. For example, I do not have a land line. This is becoming more and more popular. The average person wants internet connectivity. Mobile phones are in many cases a necessity in today's world. Without a land line, internet comes in the form of cable, the current most efficient way of delivering low-cost high-speed internet to end users. Switching to satellite and maintaining this type of setup requires not only the satellite service, but a separate DSL service as well. If you want DSL service, you need a phone line as well since nobody offers naked DSL. (The definition of "hidden charge." As I said, an increasing number of people have little need for a land line, but it's required for DSL. You don't see that on your DSL bill, but try it on anyway.) This means that alot of people end up benefitting from the Sunday Ticket crap - Verizon (partnered with DirecTV), DirecTV (obviously), and the NFL.
Where are consumer advocates when you need them? NFL Football is the crown jewel of American sports, and the most popular as well. It makes next to no sense to have it exclusively dealt via a service that many people can't get due to housing locations or other restrictions.
I don't know if the NFL is at fault or DirecTV - I'm more inclined to think it's the NFL. DirecTV is paying for its success in essence - without Sunday Ticket, they lose a lot of their attractiveness. Not that it matters, since as a niche market they will not lose a substantial amount of business. Other satellite providers do just fine without Sunday Ticket. The NFL, for all its complaints about ticket sales and revenue, is doing absolutely nothing to help itself by extremely limiting its viewing market. The broadcast games are generally not very good, and the best out-of-market matchups (like the game of the week) are usually not shown.
Consumer advocates, I would've thought, would be all over this. Cable companies can easily file a suit if they know their consumer base would be interested in the package (and who wouldn't be?). I don't think they would encounter much difficulty since DirecTV has demonstrated its ability to set the pricing of the NFL package at its own will.
I think it would be a huge improvement to allow cable companies to offer the NFL package. Cable companies would have to pay for the rights, so the NFL would still get its money. DirecTV would be forced to lower its price to compete and provide a more attractive package without the huge exclusive NFL package. While cable monopolies generally exist locally, they still need to be competitive with satellite pricing.
Basically, without the drive to improve, there is no real free market and service providers (the NFL, DirecTV, or whatever) will eventually become complacent and offer a product of continually declining quality.
On another note, DirecTV poses a lot of problems for somebody like me. I wouldn't consider myself out of the mainstream by any stretch. For example, I do not have a land line. This is becoming more and more popular. The average person wants internet connectivity. Mobile phones are in many cases a necessity in today's world. Without a land line, internet comes in the form of cable, the current most efficient way of delivering low-cost high-speed internet to end users. Switching to satellite and maintaining this type of setup requires not only the satellite service, but a separate DSL service as well. If you want DSL service, you need a phone line as well since nobody offers naked DSL. (The definition of "hidden charge." As I said, an increasing number of people have little need for a land line, but it's required for DSL. You don't see that on your DSL bill, but try it on anyway.) This means that alot of people end up benefitting from the Sunday Ticket crap - Verizon (partnered with DirecTV), DirecTV (obviously), and the NFL.
Where are consumer advocates when you need them? NFL Football is the crown jewel of American sports, and the most popular as well. It makes next to no sense to have it exclusively dealt via a service that many people can't get due to housing locations or other restrictions.
