Is ESPN teaming up with The NFL Network?

NFL Network charges the cable/satelline companies an inflated price to broadcast programming they already own. Most cable networks have to go out and purchase the programming they air on cable or satellite, and charge the cable companies a fee sufficient to cover their costs. If the cable or satellinte companies choose to place certain networks into a "package" to cover a network's inflated rates, so be it. It's the cost of doing business. Deal with it.

I have cable and I saw all eight NFL Network games last year. It cost me less than $15 for the three months I had the package which included the NFL Network, which is well worth it. I can understand the Time Warner customers complaining, if it actually isn't available to them at all. But with Comcast at least, it's available at a reasonable price, so there's no reason for any of their customers to whine.

I hope it doesn't happen. ESPN sucks for football coverage. They hire a bunch of no-talent ass-clowns like Emmitt, Joe Theismann and Irvin.

Uh, the NFL Network's games haven't been blocked out to all cable subscribers. On many systems, you just have to subscribe to the sports tier.

I don't particularly care for the NFL Network and the league's tactics (oh, those sob stories from Joe's Diner). I would prefer it to remain on the sports tier. There are too many single-sports networks that all should be on the sports tiers -- Golf, Tennis, GOL, Speed, NBA, NHL and MLB. Why should the NFL be any different?

True, the NFL is more popular than those other sports. Perhaps, but the idea of a year-round network for a single sport whose season runs only half a year seems like a waste of my money if it were put on the basic tier.

Worse, I can only think of perhaps eight days a year when I might be remotely interested in watching this network. That, of course, would be when they're broadcasting a game. For the remaining 98 percent of the year, I'd rather save my pennies for more worthwhile entertainment options.

Tell you what, if you have the chance to get Satallite, even if its not HD, get it! DirecTV is so much better in terms of flexible packages and service. You can go on the internet and add or drop a package with the click of a button. They also carry NFL Network as part of their basic package and they are the only carrier to offer the NFL Sunday ticket. I have NFLN, ESPN Classic, VS, and ESPN News on my basic package. I get Fox Sports Net and ESPN U when I add the sports package(plus a bunch more I never tune to).

As for ESPN teaming up with NFL, I am not for that because I am not for anything that increases ESPN's influence and power. Part of the reason NFL network is so great is because it is everything ESPN is not. I am surprised the NFL is this weak. If I were them I'd just start pulling the market team's games and force the cable companies to add them to basic.

That's a smart move. a lot of people want the NFL to be in basic, i pay 5 bucks extra for it and the NFLN is the only chanel worth paying for do i really wanna get the golf channel? no but that's part of the sports tier.

This could get the NFLN's viewershi through the roof. satelite does have it on the expanded package. Comcast is suckin it hard though.

LETS GO RAIDERS!