Are You Ready for Some Football? Your TV Might Not Be

By JOSH ALPER

Updated 2:50 PM EST, Wed, Nov 12, 2008

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The Jets have drawn first blood in their game with the Patriots. What's that? You say the game is still more than 24 hours from kicking off? You're right, but Gang Green is already assured of having an advantage when it comes to eyeballs on the game. The Patriots draw fans from all over New England, but a good number of them will have to scramble to find the game, which will be broadcast on the NFL Network.

Longstanding NFL rules state that games on cable must also be carried by local broadcasters to a team's primary market. That means Boston and New York City will have no problem finding the game, but cities like Portland, Springfield and Hartford will have less luck when it comes to finding the game. The NFL Network is currently in just 40% of U.S. households as they battle with cable companies, like Comcast which controls 80% of the Massachusetts market, about pricing and distribution.

The NFL is going even further, however. They've ordered the ABC affiliate that's carrying the game to block their signal to 300,000-odd customers who receive the channel, via Comcast, outside the Boston area. They made no such request during a Monday night contest with the Broncos earlier this season.

For a league that so often has its finger on the pulse of the American marketplace, the NFL has a tin ear when it comes to television. They made a short-sighted deal with DirectTV to carry the Sunday Ticket exclusively when they could have sold the service in every home in America that now gets their cable, internet and phone services all bundled through another provider. They've continually banged the drum about Comcast, Time Warner and others, who didn't like getting cut out of that golden goose, discriminating against them, while MLB has been able to guarantee enough clearance by keeping their digital cable package available to everyone.

Last year, the NFL made the Giant-Patriot Week 17 game available to all on network television. This game doesn't have the historic nature of that one. The league's actions in regard to forcing people toward their channel makes it clear they agree it's a biggie, though. Fans shouldn't be a ping-pong ball in a battle between the league and cable companies.