Starting on Thursday night the NFL Network will start its second season of broadcasting games with Bryant Gumbel and Cris Collinsworth on the call for the holiday game. From Thanksgiving until the end the season the NFLN will carry 8 games live in primetime on Thursdays and Saturdays.
The only problem with the NFLN is that some cable operators do not offer the network. While others have the network but it is only available to customers who subscribe to the digital channel tier or an all sports programming tier that cost extra each month.
And for rabid NFL fans and fans of the teams in the games the NFLN is covering this is a problem. Ever since ESPN got involved in carrying NFL games, first on Sundays and now on Mondays, those cable only broadcast games have been available to over the air (OTA) stations in the visiting and home teams (as long as the game was sold out 72 hours prior to kickoff) primary market.
Since most of the country receives ESPN on basic or expanded basic cable tiers this hasn’t been much of a problem unless you don’t subscribe to cable or a satellite service.
With the NFLN only being in 38 million homes in the U.S. those cable only broadcasts are also made available to OTA stations (your local network affiliates) in the primary markets of the visiting and home teams.
The problem for fans without the NFLN is that only the primary market of the teams can receive the game. The primary market is defined as the market in which the team plays. So if you live in Hartford CT, Portland ME, Springfield MA, Burlington VT and other locations in New England and you’re a Patriots fan you are most likely screwed. If you do not get the NFLN the only chance you will have to see this game is to:
- hope your cable company carries that over the station
- pray the NFLN and your cable/satellite provider offer a free preview weekend
- get tickets
- go to a market in which the game is shown on an OTA channel
- hope you’re close enough to hook up some sort of big ass antenna to grab the OTA signal
- find a sports bar you like and watch the game in a crowded, noisy (some places smoky) atmosphere while guzzling over priced drinks
- find a friend who has the NFLN available to him/her on their cable/satellite provider and invite yourself over for a few hours
So for you lucky bastards who have NFLN access here is a list of games the NFLN is showing in 2007 and the OTA affiliates that will have the game:
Thursday November 22 – Colts at Falcons (WTHR – Indianapolis & WATL – Atlanta)
Thursday November 29 – Packers at Cowboys (WISN – Milwaukee, WFRV – Green Bay & KDFI – Dallas)
Thursday December 6 – Bears at Redskins (WPWR – Chicago & WDCA – Washington, D.C.)
Thursday December 13 – Broncos at Texans (KWGN – Denver & KTXH – Houston)
Saturday December 15 – Bengals at 49ers (WLWT – Cincinnati & KNTV – San Francisco)
Thursday December 20 – Steelers at Rams (KDKA – Pittsburgh & KTVI – St. Louis)
Saturday December 22 – Cowboys at Panthers (KDFI – Dallas & WCNC – Charlotte)
Saturday December 29 – Patriots at Giants (WCVB – Boston & WWOR – New York)
