NFL broadcast thread (née ABC to kill MNF?)

[MDS]

The WB angle is an interesting one. However, they are target audience that is the exact opposite of the average NFL fan. Shows like 7th Heaven, Everwood, Gilmore Girls...alot of NFL fans might not even know what channel the WB is. Fox at least at The Simpsons, Married With Children, In Living Color, Martin---shows an NFL fan watched, so they were familiar with the network..........

[RomeyRome]

I can just see the freagin frog dancing around Hank during the "Are you ready for some football" song in pregame.

WB

[mcnabbmvp]

It could be the time slot. 9pm. Its late especially when the majority of teams playin are from the midwest and east coast. How about Spike TV. They can move wrestling, like someone says, to Tuesday and have football on Monday.

[General_Failure]

McMahon has Spike by the balls. They wouldn't dare move their only show with decent ratings.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

If ABC can't make a profit out of Monday Night Football, then I'd be skeptical that Spike or the WB could.


Bottom line is that the NFL is overcharging for the rights.

[QB Eagles]

Bottom line is that the NFL is overcharging for the rights.

Then that's the fault of ABC for overpaying for the rights. If no network overpaid, the NFL would have no choice but to drop what they charge.

[PoopyfaceMcGee]

Bottom line is that the NFL is overcharging for the rights.

Then that's the fault of ABC for overpaying for the rights. If no network overpaid, the NFL would have no choice but to drop what they charge.

I agree completely.  I'm just saying I doubt Spike or WB could pay the same and make a profit.

[MDS]

Cable stations make more of a profit because they cost money to have, on top of getting money from ads. They also pay less than broadcast stations because less people are going to watch them. But right now, around 80% of sports fan have cable---so putting a majority of the games on cable (the NBA) doesnt kill the sport. The NFL will obviously continue to put their sunday afternoon package on broadcast, but having two or three other games during the week on cable is very likely.

[RomeyRome]

Putting MNF on cable would make the ratings drop even further.  I think that is the wrong way to go.  Yeah the network who bought the rights would pay less, and maybe make more profit, but in the long run they would lose more viewers than they already haveIMO.  I think they need to try the "2 games on MNF, pick the best one" method for a year or two.  Starting in week5 or after they could schedule 2 Monday night games and put the best one on.

Also, stop putting rediculous games on like Pitt vs. Seattle, or Saints against the Jets, games where there is no connection, no rivalry, no history, etc.  They need to have more rivalry games, and more top runner games.  Teams with some sort of history or connection.  Sorry but in the history of MNF, if your team sucks, it ain't getting on MNF unless it is an extremely popular team.  They need to put on games where top teams face each other, rivalries, teams with history, also unfortunately (but for ratings) they should put on games with the best story they can sell, i.e. Ray Ray vs. TO.

[GoinLong]

Rivalry games are greatly exaggerated. Some of them are interesting, but some like Wash-Dallas or Oak-Pitt in recent years have been painful to watch.

[MDS]

Division games are still (for the most part) closer and more compettive and mean more than an AFC-NFC matchup. Even if you have two average teams who are in the same division, they could put together a real good game unlike some boring Seattle-Indy matchup (two good teams, but they dont know each other and the game doesnt mean as much).

[RomeyRome]

Rivalry games are greatly exaggerated. Some of them are interesting, but some like Wash-Dallas or Oak-Pitt in recent years have been painful to watch.

For you maybe, but I would think they'd get better ratings and be more interesting than some team from the AFC playing some team from the NFC that has no connections and they are both mediocre teams.  It's rediculous when you have some game on MNF like the Bengals vs. Packers.

[General_Failure]

Would you really watch Green Bay/Cincy?

[MDS]

Martzke on new developments in NFL Network getting games next year

Tags will be making a shtein load of money if he keeps the proposed Thursday Night package to the NFL Network instead of selling to the TNT or USA (2 networks competing for it). NFL Network is in over 22 mil homes, about half of cable users.
Tags wants to get the NFL Network has big as possible soon, and this is the biggest move he can make. A lot of insiders in the business think the NFL will go this way......

[TexasEagle]

If he really wanted the NFL Network to get big right away he wouldn't have renewed that stupid contract with Direct TV and would have put the network on cable which more people ALREADY have and and already subscribe to.