NBC GAMES WILL STREAM LIVE
Hail-To-The-Thief
Internet for free.
If you check out www.myp2p.eu you will probably find something
Anyone know if any preseason games will be available anywhere?
NBC GAMES WILL STREAM LIVE
http://www.profootballtalk.com/2008/07/25/nbc-games-will-stream-live/
Posted by Mike Florio on July 25, 2008, 11:35 p.m. EDT
For the first time ever, NFL games will stream over the Internet. And
they’ll be available for viewing at the whopping cost of zero dollars,
zero cents.
Wow.
According to Terry Lefton and John Ourand of SportsBusiness Journal,
whose story will be published on July 28, the 17 NBC games will be
available for viewing at NFL.com and NBCSports.com.
The apparent plan is to use the televised broadcast, with ads sold
specifically for the web sites inserted in place of the commercials.
Other NFL broadcast partners aren’t happy with the development,
according to SBJ.
“The NFL is changing the rules as we go,” a network source told SBJ.
“The right to stream games was not in any of the contracts we signed.”
NBC also might face friction from affiliates who’ll lose ratings points
to folks who watch the game on the Internet instead.
----------------
NFL to stream 17 regular-season games live
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25856951/
By Terry Lefton and John Ourand
updated 12:19 a.m. ET July 26, 2008
This story will appear Monday in SportsBusiness Journal.
The NFL will stream 17 regular-season games live this season, marking
the first time regular-season action will be broadly streamed in real
time in the United States.
Starting with the NFL Kickoff game on Thursday, Sept. 4, between the
Washington Redskins and New York Giants, the league plans to stream
NBC's prime-time schedule on NFL.com and NBCSports.com as part of a plan
being engineered by NBC Olympics President Gary Zenkel and Brian Rolapp,
NFL senior vice president of digital media.
The online video will consist of NBC's broadcast feed, with the call by
Al Michaels and John Madden. The league has not decided how to treat the
ads, but the most likely scenario will strip NBC's ads out of the
broadcast, with the NFL and NBC selling new online ads and sharing the
revenue.
The move is significant for the NFL, as it continues to ramp up its
digital offerings and open its content on more platforms. The league
always has been extremely protective of its game action, doling out
limited use of highlights and vigorously safeguarding the television
broadcast. Two years ago the league took management of NFL.com in-house,
and last year that site was the only place on the Web where users could
find limited game highlights.
Now it will be interesting to see if America's most valuable television
sports property, already bringing in more than $3 billion a year from
its television partners, can find value on the Web without harming its
lucrative TV contracts.
Similarly, NBC has been making an online push this year, particularly
around the Olympics. The network plans to stream 3,000 hours of live
video from Beijing on NBCOlympics.com. The broadcast network would be
happy to bolster its online offerings with NFL content.
In the past few weeks, NFL Network President and CEO Steve Bornstein has
told executives with CBS, Fox and ESPN about the plan, according to
sources. The league's media partners contacted by SportsBusiness Journal
were not happy with the plan, and more than one executive openly
wondered why NBC was the only network to benefit from such live streaming.
Other network partners were equally surprised and upset by the move, not
so much because they wanted to stream the games, but because they felt
they deserved to be approached about the concept from the beginning.
"The NFL is changing the rules as we go," one network source said. "The
right to stream games was not in any of the contracts we signed."
But NFL executives say that NBC is the best fit to stream games since it
broadcasts only one per week. Fox and CBS broadcast several games per
week, making a foray into live streaming more difficult.
Cable channels ESPN and NFL Network are not likely to stream live games,
out of fear that they would dilute TV programming for which cable TV
operators pay handsomely.
NBC almost certainly will have to fend off angry local affiliates, who
are certain to worry that any live webcast will dilute TV ratings and
steer viewers away from local commercial pods, especially if those local
ads are stripped out of the online version.
Cable operators also are sure to voice their displeasure, arguing that
the retransmission consent deals they have with NBC will be diluted if
the broadcaster is allowed to take its most valuable programming online.
It was unclear whether the NFL would block cell phones with Web browsers
from receiving the live action, but it seemed likely, since live games
on mobile devices would impinge on Sprint's pricey NFL rights.
The NFL has experimented with limited streaming in the two years since
it took its Internet offerings in-house. DirecTV streams games to a
small percentage of its customers as part of Sunday Ticket's Super Fan
service. Verizon offers added camera angles online for NFL Network games
to its FiOS customers, and Yahoo! has streamed live games for several
years on its NFLGame Pass service, which is not available in the United
States. NFL Network also has made live look-ins available.
Both NBC and the NFL are looking to better integrate their TV and Web
offerings, presaging a day when those rights will be sold together.
"I see no downside for either the NFL or NBC," said Neal Pilson, a
former president of CBS Sports who now runs a consulting firm. "The
important thing now is the survival of the network, and extensive
webcasting is one of the keys to that survival." Other leagues have been
more open about putting live games online, but only as part of expensive
out-of-market packages. The NFL's plan will make single games available
to consumers for free.
Among the major sports, MLB has been the most aggressive about streaming
live games, putting its first game online in 2002. It has made
full-season out-of-market streaming packages available since 2003.
The NBA and NHL also stream games online. The NBA streamed its first
game in 2001 and made a full-season out-of-market package available in
2006. The NHL streamed its first game in the spring of 2007 and made a
full season available for the first time later in the year, for the
2007-08 season.
Chris Russo, former NFL senior vice president of new media, said that
while live games will certainly attract big audiences, the key will be
in figuring out how to build incremental value from the webcast.
"Using the interactive power of the Web to enhance the game and the
advertisements is what's exciting about this," said Russo, adding that
he had no firsthand knowledge of the plans. "With a simultaneous webcast
you could offer different camera angles, statistics, or even the ability
to adopt a webcast so it highlights your best fantasy players. That's
what will make this exciting and attract advertisers and fans."
© 2008 The Sporting News
--------------
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6582009.html?desc=topstory
NFL, NBC to Stream Games Live
NFL, NBC Sports: Entire Sunday Night Football schedule to be streamed
online.
By Ben Grossman -- Broadcasting & Cable, 7/26/2008 1:51:00 AM
As reported Friday by B&C, the National Football League and NBC Sports
announced Monday that they will stream the entire Sunday Night Football
lineup online at both NFL.com and NBCSports.com.
It will mark the first time a complete NFL contest will be streamed
free-of-charge live in the United States. The streaming will be
delivered under the title “Sunday Night Football Extra.”
The live coverage on both Web sites will come from NBC’s television
coverage of its 17-game Sunday Night Football schedule.
It remains to be seen what the agreement will mean for the NFL’s online
strategy going forward. Prior to this, none of the NFL’s other
broadcast- or cable-television partners (Fox, CBS, ESPN) have been able
to stream games free-of-charge as part of their partnerships with the
league. The league informed those partners of the NBC deal in recent weeks.
Some industry insiders wondered if this is the first step toward the
league eventually making all of its games available free-of-charge
online. That, however, would take some wrangling with DirecTV. The
service’s subscribers who purchase the additional out-of-market “NFL
Sunday Ticket” package can also view games online. But they must
subscribe to DirecTV, order the Sunday Ticket package (which retails for
about $269) and also order the “Superfan” upgrade (which costs another $99).
The deal with NBC was called a “one-year experiment” by a source with
knowledge of the situation. NBC executives hope the “experiment” does
not cannibalize viewership of its $600 million-per-year package and
instead keeps more viewers around -- for instance, in the case of a
lopsided contest.
The streaming will not include the ads that run on NBC’s network
coverage. Instead, a separate package will be sold jointly by the NFL
and NBC. The Web presence also creates the opportunity for a presenting
sponsorship to be sold online, as well as other potential sales elements.
Sunday Night Football Extra will contain a number of bonus features
available only online. Among them are expected to be additional camera
angles such as a dedicated camera following a star player, in-game
on-demand highlights and picture-in-picture capability.
NBC will also leverage its Football Night in America studio team to
bolster the online package, with the talent providing special in-game
studio updates. The package may also include a live blog featuring both
NBC and NFL Network talent.
The Sunday Night Football Extra online delivery will debut with NBC’s
season-opening telecast of the Washington Redskins-New York Giants game
Sept. 4 at 7 p.m. (EST).
mya...@gmail.com
anyway, what's the big deal ?
Michael A. Vickers
>correct me if I'm wrong, but since those games were going to be "free"
>anyway, what's the big deal ?
This is a precursor to the NFL putting all the games online, which will be
great for chumps like me who want to watch the Chargers but reside out of
town.
If/when they get to the point of putting all the games online they will
most likely NOT be free.
Michael
mya...@gmail.com
> the games online, which will be great for
> chumps like me who want to watch the
> Chargers but reside out of town.
>
> If/when they get to the point of putting all
> the games online they will most likely
> NOT be free.
if that's true, then DirecTV will go out of
business -- the NFL Sunday Ticket is the
only reason I subscribe to them !
Rene Garcia
> if that's true, then DirecTV will go out of
> business -- the NFL Sunday Ticket is the
> only reason I subscribe to them !
Same here. If it wasn't for the NFL I would have cable. How much is it this
year......$250?
Michael A. Vickers
>>If/when they get to the point of putting all
>>the games online they will most likely
>>NOT be free.
>if that's true, then DirecTV will go out of
>business
I don't know about that. DirecTV and Dish Network installations are going
gang busters right now because people are fed up with Comcast and Cox. I'm
sure the upcoming digital switch in February is helping out as well.
Michael
bol
I agree. I have Directv and it is not just because of the football
package. I made the mistake of trying cable a couple years back as
they had a great deal. Huge mistake. Quality and ease of use sucked
something fierce. I find Directv to be tons better than cable.
Rene Garcia
> I agree. I have Directv and it is not just because of the football
> package. I made the mistake of trying cable a couple years back as
> they had a great deal. Huge mistake. Quality and ease of use sucked
> something fierce. I find Directv to be tons better than cable.
I used to contract for sales and installation of DirecTv, Dish, Comcast,
Brighthouse network, and Charter. Don't be fooled by all the dishes you see
on those roofs, many are cancelled contracts but the dishes stay on the
roof. You would be surprised to know how many of the people they sign don't
even finish their contracts or cancel as soon as their terms are over.Their
market share still doesn't come close to cables. If in one day we had 20
sales and installs of satellites, we would have 120 of cable.
mya...@gmail.com
there's a fierce storm outside, the signal goes out for a short
time...
that would never happen with cable.
if cable gets the Sunday Ticket, or some sort of PPV like ESPN has
with the NCAA games, then I'm switching back...
bol
I have had trouble only in very severe thunder storms and that is for
just a short time.
We must have crappy cable as I found it to be lacking greatly compared
to DTV. The channel guide, picture quality and cost all left me with
much to be desired.
Pouta
time, Pay-Per-View makes even more sense money-wise...