Dish closing the Sports gap???

[pabeader]

In my email box this morning...

DISH, NFL Network Expand Pact
EchoStar and NFL Network on Monday announced a multi-year extension to bring football programming and other advanced features to DISH Network customers.

Beginning July 13, NFL Network will be available to DISH Network customers on Channel 154 through the America's Top 60 package or above. NFL Network has been located on DISH Network Channel 154 since last September and has been available to customers subscribing to America's Top 120 package or above.

Additionally, DISH Network will televise NFL Network's regular season primetime games nationally on both standard definition and high def feeds. The satellite TV service will make NFL Network's high def feed available to DishHD Bronze and higher customers on a year-round basis on Channel 9426.


Reported by: SkyREPORT E-News

 

[Slamminc11]

search is your friend!
http://www.satelliteguys.us/showthread.php?t=69709

 

[putterboy]

The NFL network is not the same as Sunday Ticket. In the fall of 2004, Directv paid the NFL 3.5 billion dollars for the rights to keep Sunday Ticket and that deal was for 5 years. Dish may get a game on another day, but never Sunday football, except for what's being broadcast on the major networks. I'm sure Directv knows the advantage they have with Sunday Ticket, a lot of people stay with them for that reason only. So when negotiatons for renewal come up, Directv will certainly have the edge. That said, any additional football is good, wherever it comes from.

 

[waltinvt]

IMO the first and most important step for sports viewers is being able to get the 4 major networks. Granted the "sports" value of any particular network varies depending on the season and what national sporting contracts that network has acquired.

For example Nascar people couldn't be without Fox from Feb to July and TNT / NBC from July to Nov.

NFL people can't be without CBS and/or Fox from Sept to Dec and whatever the playoffs are on for Dec & Jan.

The next level of course are regional sports networks and things like "Sunday Ticket", "Extra Inings", "Center Ice", etc. but I think more average sports viewers watch on one or more of the 4 major networks the most often.

Now the single biggest driving force behind HD TV is national sports with more and more making the switch to HD every year.

Therefore it seems obvious that the provider that offers the 4 local networks in HD is likely to attract more customers that watch national sports on a regular basis.

 

[Greg Bimson]

Therefore it seems obvious that the provider that offers the 4 local networks in HD is likely to attract more customers that watch national sports on a regular basis.

And hence the reason behind both DirecTV and Dish Network pushing HD locals over national content at this time.

Cable has the advantage in that a local cable company can provide local HD with a small amount of bandwidth. If they keep up the pressure, we'd probably see declines in subscriber additions for DBS.

 

[Peter Parker]

The NFL network is not the same as Sunday Ticket. In the fall of 2004, Directv paid the NFL 3.5 billion dollars for the rights to keep Sunday Ticket and that deal was for 5 years. Dish may get a game on another day, but never Sunday football, except for what's being broadcast on the major networks. I'm sure Directv knows the advantage they have with Sunday Ticket, a lot of people stay with them for that reason only. So when negotiatons for renewal come up, Directv will certainly have the edge. That said, any additional football is good, wherever it comes from.

And that deal was extended through 2011.

 

[Kaydigi]

NO MASN or YES = far from the gap being closed.