Congress held hearings yesterday about DirectTV monopoly
 

Man, this would be the greatest! I got this from following a link from gribblenation (they give the map showing what local TV stations show what games [drats! SoCal getting the Oakland/KC game!! :evil: ], and it led to this little nugget from ESPN's Tuesday Morning Quarterback, page 2

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2...erbrook/061114

"Today the Senate Judiciary Committee holds a hearing on whether the DirecTV monopoly on Sunday Ticket is anti-consumer and constitutes restraint of trade. Finally, Congress has noticed this issue! TMQ's prediction: The NFL, which seriously does not want Congress rethinking the antitrust exemption granted to the league in 1961 over its television contracts, better move pronto to make Sunday Ticket available to all cable carriers. The 1961 agreement with Congress specifies that in exchange for an antitrust exemption, the NFL will make its broadcasts available to everyone. Instead, the Sunday Ticket broadcast operates under a monopoly structure. Congress is already in a foul mood about the NCAA's tax-exempt status for profitable D-I football. The new Congress will want to differentiate itself from the last by being pro-consumer. The NFL's television contracts are worth nearly $4 billion a year; the league would be foolish to run any risk with that sum. Roger Goodell, change your deal with DirecTV before Congress changes it for you."

Maybe we, the cable ready, money holdin', willing to pay a premium to watch Saints for a season, constituents, won't have to wait 'till 2010 for us to be rid of this whole DirectTV mess! :cool3:

Thanks Senate Judiciary Committee!

i would totally dig this, i've seen the saints for the last 5 years or so on directv nfl ticket but when I moved to ME, i couldn't get it cause the neighbors house blocks my signal, and they aren't allowed to put the stupid dish on tin roofs anymore. so that leaves me ticket-less. i seriously hope they act on this...

look the NFL knew this day was coming. Why do you think they have geared up NFL Network over the past years and are now starting to broadcast there own games.
Look for the NFL to take over all broadcasting on pay perview bases like the NBA and Hockey do now. I think they will go one step futher and actual control the big games with their own people. the next few years should be interesting. how far will they push it is the real question.

Hey maximkat we should get together for a game some time

What "monopoly" are you guys talking about?

just quoting from the "article",

"Sunday Ticket broadcast operates under a monopoly structure."

Sorry.

Do you have DirectTV, Tobias?

Oh, no need to be sorry... maybe if I had noticed the link you posted :)
Yes, I do have DirecTV

It'd be nice if this shakes out so I can get Saints games thru cable at a decent price. If not, oh well, there's always the sports bar.

Maybe while they're at it, Congress should also look into the NFL-EA exclusive license.

That would mean you would have to ban the monopoly on ESPN's Monday Night Football.

actually it wouldn't work like that euph, espn is broadcast across many different cable/satelite companies whereas directv has the exclusive rights to all the games not broadcast nationally that weekend. not only would i be happy if it was broadcast on more than just directv, but chances are with competing companies the prices may drop (hopefully). agreed hagan, we aren't too far away from each other.

You got that wrong.
DirecTV has no exclusive rights to any game. All games are broadcast on-the-air.
What DirecTV sells, is basically a remote link to a game not televised in YOUR geographical area, but that game IS televised somewhere else.

This is my first year with DirecTV and eventhough i have season tickets and have yet to miss a game, Sunday Ticket is by far the best purchase i have made since i bought that David hasselhoff CD. I love it. Superfan is the best thing they have to offer and it isnt all that expensive.

Yes, I was wrong, to a point, regarding exclusive rights to any game; however, the fact remains that the NFL has a contract with DirecTV giving them exclusive rights to league's subscription package. Exclusive, meaning that no one else can bring the games outside of your area other than DirecTV. I'm going through Saints visual withdrawls.

I love DirecTV, but when I'm at school I can't get it, therefore I never get to see any Saints games. I hope the NFL realizes how much money they're losing by making people who really want to watch not be able to watch a game.

yeah i said months ago that the nfl was eventually going to open up a series of nfl network channels that would be a pay service that you will buy a subscription too. that is for sure going to happen eventually. oh and how happy will direct tv be since they bid a billion beans for the sole right to offer sunday ticket under the current contract.