Public Demand For NFL Net Game Nets Net Loss Of 4 Million Homes

You read that right.
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Because of the enormous ratings NFL Network's coverage of the 2007 regular season finale earned, the league-owned carrier will lose viewers.
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Go figure.
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Sports Business Daily via The Sporting News reports that EchoStar's Dish Network will remove the NFL Network service from it's most popular "America's Top 100" programming package. Only subscribers paying higher monthly fees for the "America's Top 200" tier will be able to receive the channel, a difference of four million households.
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Broadcasting And Cable quotes a NFL Network statement:

“We are aware of Dish's unfortunate decision, which is not in the best interest of its many subscribers who are football fans, especially this week, with NFL Network's exclusive coverage of the scouting combine featuring incoming college players from all over the country.”

EchoStar's actions would seem to be in retaliation for the NFL's decision to allow both CBS and NBC to carry the December 29, 2007 game between the Patriots and Giants which was originally scheduled as an NFL Network exclusive. Because of an ongoing dispute with the USA's largest cable TV companies, Dish Network was one of the few national service providers football fans could turn to for NFL Network programming last season. Allowing the most in-demand regular season game in decades to be aired on free terrestrial TV potentially cost Dish Network new subscribers.
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NFL Network is now available in thirty one million homes nationally.

Will Ferrell Throws Collinsworth Some Work

Whew!

Cris Collinsworth didn't have to go without a third gig for long. The NBC and NFL Network personality was collateral damage when HBO canceled "Inside The NFL".

Fortunately, Will Ferrell came to the rescue and cast Cris in the upcoming movie, "Step Brothers".


Yardbarker caught Cris in a red carpet moment.


What the heck was that? We thought Cris used Vin Scully's personal lighting director? (C'mon Mensch, laugh a little.)

The Other Gray's Anatomy

DEADSPIN has a poll about Jim Gray's approval rating.

Results as of this posting:

Disapprove 69.5%
Approve 30.5%

We don't know if he voted, but we know which button NBC producer Sam Flood would click.

Head on over to cast your vote before the poll closes.

SNOWY WEATHER & SLIDING SUV SINK SNF TRUCK

click image to enlarge

NEP's "ND-3 A", used by NBC for Sunday Night Football, was involved in an accident in Kansas on Wednesday.

Details aren't available yet, but judging by these photos featuring scattered equipment and missing bay doors, we'd hate to see how the other vehicle looks.

Stay tuned for updates...


UPDATE 2/2: "ND-3 A" was broad sided by a SUV that lost control in the snowy conditions. The belly bays were ripped from the mobile unit. Somehow though, nobody was hurt.

The truck is currently being repaired at Mobilized Systems in Cincinnati.

"ND-3A" is expected to miss only one show, and NEP will replace it with "ND-4A".

SABADO GIGANTE ICES NBC'S NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME SKATERS

Don Fernando or Dick Button? America's adults have spoken.

On Saturday, the US Figure Skating Championships were on NBC, in prime time, during the writer's strike. Not only did the Ladies Free Skate and Short Program not win the night, it didn't place or show, finishing dead last among the 4 major networks with a 3.5 rating.

To make matters worse, even Univision's infamous "Sabado Gigante" spanked the Peacock in the all important adults 18-49 demographic. NBC averaged a pathetic 0.9 rating and a 3 share.

No wonder that Don Fernando is always smiling.

In the overall ratings on Sunday night, the Men's competition garnered a 3.5 and placed 5th in both of its 2 hours, lagging behind ABC, CBS, Fox and Univision, but ahead of the CW.

At no point during the weekend did skating reach a 1.0 rating in the 18-49 demo.

Even the old East German judges would have given it a 1.2.

WHAT THE #&#@ DID THEY SAY?

Do you remember when analysts were always called color commentators?


Well a few off-color comments have been uttered on air lately. Disconnects between brain and mouth, Freudian slips, and good old fashioned racism popped up on no less than three recent broadcasts.



Example #1

December 28, 2007 - Atlanta Hawks @ Dallas Mavericks - FSN SOUTHWEST

Brad Davis, former NBA player and current Mavs analyst, describing a play:

“..When he has to full court press and grab and hold and everything else. And it gets to a point sometimes where the referees just get tired of f—ing calling fouls on them.”

Thanks to Sports By Brooks


For $20 you can buy a personalized CD that will give your youngster the thrill of a lifetime, and maybe a lesson in English slang.


The Dallas Mavericks Play-By-Play Personalized CD features professional announcers calling out your full name as you become the hero of your favorite team. This 10 minute CD has great sound effects and music. Listen to your name called out as you lead your team to an amazing come from behind victory in game seven of the NBA Finals. Personalize the CD cover by inserting your own photo beneath the cut-out star. Makes a great gift for young fans!


Call now! Operators are standing by.



Example #2

Kelly Tilghman, Golf Channel's main play-by-play announcer pulled a Fuzzy Zoeller last Friday at a PGA event in Hawaii.


Thanks to FAN IQ

Tilghman, according to the Chicago Tribune, "has apologized after saying during Friday's telecast of the PGA Tour's opening event that today's young players should "lynch Tiger Woods in a back alley."

In a statement issued Monday, Tilghman said: "On Friday during our golf broadcast, Nick Faldo and I were discussing Tiger's dominance in the golf world and I used some poorly chosen words. I have known Tiger for 12 years and I have apologized directly to him. I also apologize to our viewers who may have been offended by my comments."

Tilghman will face no disciplinary action.

There is absolutely no truth to the rumor that she meant to say Woods should be chained to the back of a pickup truck and dragged through Texas.


Example #3

Cris Collinsworth had an unfortunate slip of the tongue on NBC's NFL playoff game between Washington and Seattle last Saturday.

As posted by Awful Announcing, Cris is talking about the Skins pressure on Matt Hasselbeck when it sounds like he says, "When that guys' 'coming' right in her face."



Sounds like Cris may be spending a little too much time watching adult movies in his hotel room.

GOLDEN GLOBES: GONE BABY GONE

We're posting this item because of the affect on numerous SoCal sports freelancers who also work these events:

Despite what has been and is being reported by mainstream media, we have learned that NBC has indeed canceled the Golden Globe Awards scheduled for January 13.

An announcement confirming the decision will take place on Monday.

That makes the score something like WGA 3, AMPTP 0.

BLIMP GIMMICK CRASHES & BURNS - NFL TURNS TO OLD NETWORKS TO SIMULCAST NEW ENGLAND'S PERFECT SEASON BID

The public demand to see New England's bid for a perfect season was too high for DirecTV's NFL Network blimp to reach.

It looks like a little political pressure went a long way.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced this afternoon that NFL Network's coverage of Saturday night's Partiots - Giants game will be made available to everyone, via a groundbreaking simulcast on both CBS and NBC.

Why Fox, ESPN and E! were left out of the mix wasn't addressed.

Each network will be allowed to sell 18 30-second spots during the telecast and neither network will pay the NFL any additional rights fees for the game.

Politicians, especially from the Northeast states, applied pressure on the NFL, including a congressional threat to re-examine the league's anti-trust exemption.

It appears to be a win-win situation even for NFL Network as they will have the rare opportunity to promote their channel and show off their production on other companies air waves. Because of the historic nature of the game, NFL Net had planned on adding additional equipment and manpower to what was already one of the sport's biggest shows, even before the simulcast was announced. Now, the 60% of the country who don't have NFL Network can get to see the Patriots try for a perfect regular season.

Saturday night's game marks the first time a NFL game will be televised by three networks and the first time since Super Bowl I in 1967 that two networks carried the same game. CBS (NFL) and NBC (AFL) carried that game using their own production crews and on-air talent. The rival networks set up on opposite sides of the Los Angeles Coliseum, with CBS taking the traditional press box side while NBC created makeshift camera positions and a broadcast booth on the other side.

While CBS' footage of the game survives to this day, NBC's was erased before anyone realized the value it would someday have.

Those homes with NFL Network will have the chance to see 65 hours of Patriots-related programming, including a live 6 hour pre-game "NFL Total Access" show leading up to kick off.

Bryant Gumbel and Cris Collinsworth will call the action from Giants Stadium.

PARANOID PEACOCK RUFFLES NFL NET'S FEATHERS

NFL Network had more of a challenge than they had anticipated last week in getting their production and technical crew from their Thursday game in Houston out to San Francisco for another game on Saturday.

Some crew members working those broadcasts were also scheduled to work on NBC's Sunday Night telecast from Giants Stadium in New Jersey. They had planned on taking red eye flights from SF and arriving in plenty of time for the show.

However, the fierce winter storm that had battered much of the country and was forecast to be in the NY metro area on Sunday, caused NBC to call an audible. They, uh, "strongly requested" that the crew members they share with NFL Network not go to San Francisco at all, but rather travel directly to New Jersey, ensuring their presence for NBC's show.

Following lengthy discussions between the two parties, it was determined that some of the shared crew would be allowed to honor their NFL Network commitments. However, the end result was that over half of those crew members were forced to bail on a show.

NFL Network lucked out replacing those people because CBS had a crew across the bay in Oakland, setting up for a Sunday Raiders game and were able to fill the open positions.

And for those NFL Net/NBCers who actually worked in San Francisco? Naturally they all caught their scheduled flights, had no weather delays, and made it to the Meadowlands on time.

To save everyone the drama and confusion, NBC could have stepped up and been heroes. For a fraction of what they paid to digitally, uh, "enhance" Faith Hill's arms and face in the SNF show open, the Peacock Network could have chartered a plane to deliver the people they value so much.

That they chose to play bully instead speaks in volumes usually reserved for John Madden.