An extension of the NFL’s television deals with FOX and CBS could pave the way for NFL Network to finally move to Comcast’s digital basic tier.
Multiple reports on Sunday have the NFL extending its television deal with FOX and CBS, and close to signing a deal with Comcast. Sports Business Journal reports that the NFL is in negotiations to extend its current television deals with FOX and CBS by an additional two years, through the end of the 2013 season. As part of that deal, FOX and CBS would give the NFL permission to make the Red Zone Channel widely available to cable operators.
The Red Zone Channel, which provides live look-ins to Sunday afternoon games when a team is inside the 20-yard line, was originally made available to cable operators as part of the NFL’s recent deal with DirecTV — but the league had to “get permission from its Sunday afternoon broadcasters” before offering the channel to cable operators.
The deals with CBS and FOX “emerged as the league late last week was said to be on the verge of settling its long-running dispute with Comcast over the cable distribution of NFL Network.”
The ability to offer the Red Zone Channel is a “valuable chip” for the NFL in its negotiations with Comcast. Pro Football Talk reports that the “thinking is that the league would bundle the Red Zone Channel and NFL Network into one space on the dial.” And that would not be the only incentive the NFL would offer the cable giant. Sources told Sports Business Journal that “the NFL dropped its 70-cent per subscriber license fee significantly in order to get digital-basic penetration.”
Sports Illustrated reports that the NFL and Comcast failed to get a deal done late last week, but were “back talking Sunday, working on some final points.”
Comcast CEO Brian Roberts and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell have both been “[credited] … for providing the impetus behind getting a deal so close.” A league source told Sports Illustrated that “[Goodell] has made it a personal project to build a great relationship with Brian Roberts. The logjam’s been broken, and I think that really helped.”
