Time Warner vs. The NFL - It's on...

[Taco John]

I received this note from the folks at Time Warner and plan on participating in this call on behalf of The Orange Mane. If you have Time Warner, and have any issues/questions you'd like for me to bring up during the call, let me know and I'll represent them.

-TJ


Hello,

My name is Alana Hill, and I am working on behalf of Time Warner Cable. They are currently in negotiations to offer the NFL Network, but the NFL Network has refused our offers. You may have already heard about this issue – and we hope you’ll be interested in hearing Time Warner Cable’s point of view directly from one of their executives. For that reason, we would like to invite you and other leading NFL Bloggers to a 30-minute conference call this Thursday, August 3 at 4 p.m. EST. A Time Warner Cable executive will discuss this issue, and also take questions.

Your site is one of a very few sports Blogs/forums selected to participate in the discussion and hear from TWC executives about this issue. If you are interested, please reply to my e-mail and let me know if you can participate. If you’d like to offer another person to represent your blog, please provide his or her name and email address. Shortly before the call, we will e-mail the dial in number and participation code.


For some background on this issue, please visit www.nflgetreal.com


Thank you,


Alana Hill

Ketchum, for Time Warner Cable

[Arkansas Bronco]

Well I am pretty sure my area is switching to comcast sometimes but as of right now I am with Time Warner and am not happy that they do not have the NFL channel. I am not real sure who I should be mad at but both the NFL and TW need to show the people who pay there bills some respect and get us channels we want instead of 150 channels I never watch.

[Hogan11]

I'm not a praying man by a long shot, but I'll pray for this deal between the NFL & TWC to get done....someway, somehow.

[plummershelper]

I was floored when there was no NFL network Tuesday morning. I can't believe that a company would offer hundreds of channels I'll never even glance at and fail to even offer another route for me to get what I'd like. They'll offer all the dirty channels in a package, all the movie channels, millions of music channels no on cares about, and religious and shopping channels that just take up tv guide space. They need to get the deal done. If it's in a package, fine, but they can't complain how much the NFL network costs when they charge what they do and for how they pay for all those other unwanted channels.

[dbfan4life]

The NFL network was created to give the football fan 24 hr/day 7 days/week, 365 days/year coverage of the NFL. Unfortunately, I see this as a thing to come. The NFL will continue to push the envelope as far as trying to make as much money as possible from cable and satellite companies, thus resulting in money out of our pockets. The NFL needs to continue to make the channel available or there will be A LOT of unhappy fans.

[Kaylore]

Your site is one of a very few sports Blogs/forums selected to participate in the discussion and hear from TWC executives about this issue. If you are interested, please reply to my e-mail and let me know if you can participate. If you’d like to offer another person to represent your blog, please provide his or her name and email address.
Very interesting...wonder why us?

[bronco militia]

Very interesting...wonder why us?


web hits...isn't the OM in the top 200,000?

[broncosteven]

Very interesting...wonder why us?


Because we do not wear Mullets or drive Camero's! Where is Bronx33 when i need him?

I do not like my dish reception & do not like having to have the ugly thing hanging on the side of my house just for 16 weeks a year.

Tell them I do not watch the NFL Channel off the dish because I have cable & it is a hassle for me to switch all the componets on just to tune in one station during the week. If they offered an NFL Classic, NFL, & NFL News Channel package I might tune in more. Plus NFL Films needs to give up the ghost & let us see the old games as they were played in their glory, sound or not. I would pay to watch it. Sorry I rambled.

[bfoflcommish]

directv----------------Hey if anyone wants to sign up let me know, I get a credit on my bill if a new person uses me as a referrel

[BroncoBuff]

Your site is one of a very few sports Blogs/forums selected to participate in the discussion and hear from TWC executives about this issue.
Blog on, TJ!

Seriously, that's pretty cool to be invited to participate. But didn't you post some pics of your backyard once .... I couldda swore you had a "clear view of the southern sky."

[Taco John]

Blog on, TJ!

Seriously, that's pretty cool to be invited to participate. But didn't you post some pics of your backyard once .... I couldda swore you had a "clear view of the southern sky."



I'm definitely a Directv subscriber. I have no choice, as I'm addicted to the NFL Direct Ticket package. But I figured that it would be worthwhile to join to call on behalf of folks here and report back on what they're saying...

So if anyone has any concerns they'd like raised, air them here, and I'll see about getting them addressed.

[-Slap-]

The NFL League Office is a giant weasel den.

[Taco John]

The NFL League Office is a giant weasel den.


You're just begging to get us all sued by weasels, aren't you! :cuss:


http://www.spokane7.com/blogs/moviesandmore/media/weasel.jpg

[JCMElway]

I have Time Warner and would love to have the NFL Network!

Let's get 'er done, Taco!!!!

[Hotrod]

Very interesting...wonder why us?

It prolly has something to do with me.....but what :giggle:

[Rulon Velvet Jones]

How much to watch the Super Bowl on PPV? $100?

[BroncoBuff]

web hits...isn't the OM in the top 200,000?
http://www.alexa.com/data/details/main?q=www.OrangeMane.com&url=orangemane.com

438,000 .... but that's actually very good.


This traffic graph is interesting. It spikes during Super Bowl week, the draft, minicamp, and the last two weeks especially. The weird part is the flatlines in the middle of both May and June are as low as the first week of July when the whole site was dark. I guess that shows just how sensitive the graph is.
http://img161.imageshack.us/img161/1451/graphvx4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[cbs1177]

I have TWC and would also love to have NFL channel b/c I am in the swap area that is supposed to go to Comcast but just in case I would like twc to get the Nfl in case the swap isn't done in time. Shoot put it in the sports package and I would buy that. Also since I have three services with them they tend to like me b/c at first they said my phone would take 10 days to switch to the new place. But after they pulled my account they were like we can do it that day. Also drilled two new outlets for me free of charge. But seriously every adverstiser is trying to reach guys like us and what better channel then NFL network. Come on I get golf HD for free and dont' watch that crap unless isnomia hits me. NFL channel is the way to a man's heart after beer.

[BroncoBuff]

Just to show you that "Rod Smith Injured" is a standard OM-type false baiting title, here's the first day OrangeMane went online in February '01. Notice the banner on top (prolly an ad for "Naked Juice" or something):

http://img357.imageshack.us/img357/1245/firsted9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[Taco John]

Alexa ratings are pretty inexact... They're just ball park ratings...

And that wasn't the first day the site went online... Just the first day that they picked up the site. We went online in January...

The tables worked back then. I'm not certain why their engine messes them up like that...

Also, the Naked Broncos Cheerleaders thing was a joke that only worked when the masses were on dial-up.

[Taco John]

One more thing... THANK GOD Shanny didn't pursue Grbac. I never understood that whole deal...

[BroncoBuff]

"How do you like my quarterback now?!"

- Brian Stupid Billick

[cbs1177]

Well Tj since you are our lobbiest now for those of us with TWC I guess I will have to wire you some more money to support our humble cause. Oh the money is based on performance nothing up front you could be a hero to millions and millions of cable subscribers.

[BroncoBuff]

"I liked him better the first time ... when he was called Trent Dilfer."


- David Spade via BroncoBuff

[Florida_Bronco]

I can only pray that Time Warner will be allowed to carry NFL Network.

[Bizzle]

I too am a TWC subscriber...not by choice, but neccessity. I am desperite for NFLN!!! Especially being out of market and the Turkey Day game on it. Not to mention all the preseason games. I also would love it if you complained to the execs on the call about not having ESPN2 in HD! Ricoculous if you ask me!

Thanks TJ!

[cbs1177]

Tj if you make this happen I believe you would be up for the Presidental Freedom Medal of Honor the highest civilian award you can get. you would go down as the guy who brought millions to the NFL channel. I will pray you have words of wisdom and of authority to make this happen for us low lifes.

[cbs1177]

http://money.cnn.com/2006/08/02/news/companies/pluggedin_mehta.fortune/index.htm?cnn=yes

here is the latest update on the issue of twc, comcast and alphedia

[Rock Chalk]

Time Warner is a big dog that does not need to please its customers nor please the NFL. Since it is a conglomerate organization with its hands in virtually every aspect of tele-communications, it does not need the NFL channel which will not make it very much money when it has fifty home shopping channels all of which give it much greater amounts of money (because, believe it or not, there are millions of dumbasses out there that watch home shopping and purchase useless junk for "bargain" prices when they are usually over paying for something they never needed in the first place but looked neat on TV...idiots). REVENUE. This is the point.

WHen you are that big with that much clout in so many areas like Time Warner, customers are the least of your concerns and actually get in the way of making a much more greedy profit. THis is American capitalism at its worst. Taken to the extreme, for greed breeds greed. When you are offering a service merely for the jack, then it is not longer a service for the people, its a revenue earner and the customers are no longer a boon but a bane.

I do not like Dish Network or Hughes Net or DirecTV, but I see enough competition in the satellite aspect of tele-communications for me to go a route I would rather not because the companies are more interested in me than cable companies - who generally are subsidaries of much larger corporations. The Dish and Hughes companies give DirecTV a run for their money even without SundayTicket and their other exclusive sports packages because, sports fans who can afford SundayTicket yearly are not anywhere near the majority of the viewer base. I got DirecTV because of football, but would probably have gotten the best deal of the three if it was on all of the satellite systems.

THat's another thing. TimeWarner doesn't have to do what its customers want because cable has no competition. You are stuck with whatever company provides for your area and you have no choice with cable. They offer you what they want and say "**** you" (pardon my french).

The NFL Network is the best thing to happen to football since, well, since Al Davis ran off Mike Shanahan (I think it is only one 'n' in the middle of his last name) from Oakland and he came to Denver. The fact that it is only on limited services such as Comcast and DirecTV (Dish? not sure if it is on anything else) while other services with comparable audiences are bereft of even the option of paying for the station.

Why can't cable companies and satellite companies give you the option of payment per channel. Say, 1 dollar a month per channel sans the local stations which are free.

Give me about 18 channels and Im good. So, now you are one of these little bastardized tele-communications companies who are used to receiving around 30-120 dollars a month from individuals are now only getting about 10-40 dollars a month. Who here would LOVE the idea of 1$ per channel per month and locals free? No freaking way would the tele-co's do that under any circumstances even though that would benefit the consumer enormously. Its not about you, its about profit. Thats how it is, and that is how it will always be, greedy ****s.

[cbs1177]

yeah twc is third place in the cable arena. But I just think with the competition by way of phone and satillete they would want to be competitive. Since they see most of their revenue growth from the cable market and services. AOl is a losing avenue so all they have is cable. and they are facing competition from the ma bell compaines with video and phone offerings.

[watermock]

http://www.spokane7.com/blogs/moviesandmore/media/weasel.jpg

Hey...It's Edgar Kaiser! Bowlen won his appeal, but the weasle is still trying to steal half of the team.

I've complained to MediaCom twice but damn...it's like 15 or more minutes on hold, and all can do is make a complaint. The have added ESPN Classic a couple years ago and ESPN News just recently. This is just flat out extortion by the NFL on the cable companies. The fact you can't even get NFL Ticket on cable is also ludicrous, especially when Murdoch is firmly entrenched not just in Satellite TV but hardwire cable via the Fox networks. It's just a business model to get more dishes sold. I'm honestly astounded they are holding cable companies ransom. These are nationally televised games. I wonder how many millions Murdoch greased the wheels under the table to NFL executives.

I find it ironic that Time Warner will learn that TJ has Direct TV, not cable. I have no clue why Murdoch eating Dish Network wasn't an anti-trust violation either. Sunday Ticket is also an anti-trust violation.

[cbs1177]

I think they think TJ as head guru of the Om he has a large lead way on how we all live our lives so they value his opionion b/c if TJ said he loved Jim Beam we would all go out and buy it same as cable access rather then sat. So they value TJ opinion above all us lowlifes. B/c he is the database guru. nothing more. he will become a puppet for their caurses.

[Arkansas Bronco]

Hey cbs are we still switching to comcast in this area? I mean if changes aree underway in Cal. why not here?

[Arkansas Bronco]

I think they think TJ as head guru of the Om he has a large lead way on how we all live our lives so they value his opionion b/c if TJ said he loved Jim Beam we would all go out and buy it same as cable access rather then sat. So they value TJ opinion above all us lowlifes. B/c he is the database guru. nothing more. he will become a puppet for their caurses.
Damn it Tj didnt say he loved Jim Beam, that was me so stop mis-quoting.

[bro1ncos]

Not a Time Warner customer, but ask them why cable companies can't do an a la carte menu for all channels. Then people can get what they want and not have 15 channels that are showing C-Span and Spanish language channels.

If TW would start something like this then other cable companies will follow suit. Then the consumers can have a say in what a channel should cost.

[Jetmeck]

The NFL network was created to give the football fan 24 hr/day 7 days/week, 365 days/year coverage of the NFL. Unfortunately, I see this as a thing to come. The NFL will continue to push the envelope as far as trying to make as much money as possible from cable and satellite companies, thus resulting in money out of our pockets. The NFL needs to continue to make the channel available or there will be A LOT of unhappy fans.

Who knows if the NFL is trying to rob TWC or what ? But I feel for you not getting the NFL NETWORK. I raised heck with Dish Network about NFL Network because they have been promising Sunday Ticket for years. I basically told them to AT LEAST provide the NFL NETWORK since the wouldn't pony up the dough for the ticket. Never could tell me when and if they would get the NFL Network, someone on the MANE mentioned it was on 154 is the ONLY way I knew it was there.

I have found more affordable and fun ways to see the Broncos games without the Sunday ticket but it should be available to all satellite and cable tv subscribers. That Direct TV deal is ridiculously high, if they spread it out to all vendors the price would drop and the NFL would make more money too.

Keep after TWC for the NETWORK.........

[Jetmeck]

Or better yet tell them I'll just switch to satellite since the hookup is free and I think the programming is better anyway.

[Taco John]

Very interesting...wonder why us?



Phhhaw!

Obviously it's because of how rediculously cool I am.

/think I'll try on the Gonzolays schtick for awhile... :yayaya:

[shakenbake]

Ask them why other cable/satellite companies can offer the NFL channel without raising costs but they can't ?

[Kaylore]

Phhhaw!

Obviously it's because of how rediculously cool I am.

/think I'll try on the Gonzolays schtick for awhile... :yayaya:
That's cool. If you want to, you can rip on me because I'm white. That way you can do a Watermock persona as well.

[youcandoit1687]

would this mean that comcast users would get nfln too...im going to have to drop out of school if this is the case. just rot away in front of the TV

[Los Broncos]

My channel is gone, im pissed, get it done NFL. I pay to much money, i need this channel or im gonna die.

[24champ]

My channel is gone, im pissed, get it done NFL. I pay to much money, i need this channel or im gonna die.
yeah wtf! I turned to NFL Network thinking adelphia was still my cable provider and i dont have it anymore because it switched to TWC. Im pissed.

[Atlas]

I returned to direct TV because time warner sucked so bad.

[Vegas_Bronco]

NFLN for the first time will be airing many games this year - the only way to get NFLN here in Vegas is through DirectTV and the best modem is throug Cox Communications - soooo gooood luck all!

NFLN is great but you never know if your watching something for the first time or not because it feels like regurgitated Sportscenter - you only watch when there is something you gotta see - other than that you check the scores online in your own time. However, I still love the 'Chiefs Nightmare with Tiki running through those red helmeted noodles' I just can't get enough of it.

I can't wait until there is one mega company with one line coming into my house (power, data, phone, cable, etc) all in one - just plug in the electronic appliances and consoles and BOOM you get whatever you want wherever you need it by simply 'plugging it in'.

[youcandoit1687]

NFLN for the first time will be airing many games this year - the only way to get NFLN here in Vegas is through DirectTV and the best modem is throug Cox Communications - soooo gooood luck all!

NFLN is great but you never know if your watching something for the first time or not because it feels like regurgitated Sportscenter - you only watch when there is something you gotta see - other than that you check the scores online in your own time. However, I still love the 'Chiefs Nightmare with Tiki running through those red helmeted noodles' I just can't get enough of it.

I can't wait until there is one mega company with one line coming into my house (power, data, phone, cable, etc) all in one - just plug in the electronic appliances and consoles and BOOM you get whatever you want wherever you need it by simply 'plugging it in'.

monopoly...one big pain in the as

[cbs1177]

Hey cbs are we still switching to comcast in this area? I mean if changes aree underway in Cal. why not here?

Of course California gets all the stuff first like the inntersate highway mess we are in. Any how. Yes it should start cascade down to the south. california is one of the top tier of vieweres like NY so they are first but surely we should have comcast soon I think within a month times. I have done major research since the FCC gave the green light two weeks ago we are go. Hopefully before preseason here. Not really a lot to find it is kind of closed lip about the stuff and all.

[cbs1177]

Damn it Tj didnt say he loved Jim Beam, that was me so stop mis-quoting.

No no I was meaning to say if TJ gave his blessings on coke rather then pepsi we would all buy coke. Any how TJ be sober when you attended that email meeting or what not. make us proud. We want our freaking mother trucker NFL network no matter what we subscribe to.

[cbs1177]

yeah wtf! I turned to NFL Network thinking adelphia was still my cable provider and i dont have it anymore because it switched to TWC. Im pissed.

adelphia was brankrupt what do you expect.

[cbs1177]

By the way this probably belongs on the wrp board but any hoot Reagan is to blame for this stuff. He is the one who sign the telecommuncaitions act that brought us informercials in the middle of the night and cable can have phone services and vice verses. Any how in the name of competition TWC does need to make available the NFL network. How can you be number three in the nation and not have that channel but yet have the golf freaking boredom channel. And Cspan one two and three.

[cbs1177]

Phhhaw!

Obviously it's because of how rediculously cool I am.

/think I'll try on the Gonzolays schtick for awhile... :yayaya:

Maybe too much viewing of Zooloander and you of course I assume are riduoclousy good looking. I am sure you have several names for the same face. I guess I should say you should use magnum on the board when you plead our case for NFL channel. Any how I just brought stock in Mirrors b/c obviously you seem to like looking at rediculously cool you are as you claim.