18 game season with two games of rest.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

adding MORE games and selling it off to the networks possibly!!!

Thank you!! That supports what I said in that the current Thursday Night product on NFL NEtwork is a disaster that needs fixing and tweaking!

No, you said we need to get rid of TNF because of the short week.  Not that it need to be expanded with some of the games on another network. 

[MikeO]

No, you said we need to get rid of TNF because of the short week.  Not that it need to be expanded with some of the games on another network. 

Incorrect...this is what I said...

The NFL Network doesn't like how this package is working out for them. It has been a disaster and they need to tweak it or flat out get rid of it or else its only going to get worse. Moving to a double header on Monday Nights where they get the late game isn't a crazy notion and has been talked about in TV circles. Now there are contracts in place and this isn't happening tomorrow but it is an idea that has been kicked around.

And what that article I posted today backed me up. The NFL and the NFL Network wants to tweak the current Thursday Night package by adding more games or selling the games off to a major network because the status quo and current situation isn't working and is a mess!!! IF it WAS working they wouldn't change anything. They would just ride the wave of success, but there is no success its a train wreck hence they are kicking around ideas of changes that will come in the near future.

[Dave Gray]

Perhaps I'm being dense, but what exactly isn't working about the current Thursday package that would benefit from adding more Thursday games.  I'm not sure that I understand the connection.

I get that players may not like it -- but that seems worsened by expanding to more games, not alleviated.

Or is this just a loss of revenue because people don't have NFLN. 

Explain it like I'm 5.

[MikeO]

Perhaps I'm being dense, but what exactly isn't working about the current Thursday package that would benefit from adding more Thursday games.  I'm not sure that I understand the connection.

I get that players may not like it -- but that seems worsened by expanding to more games, not alleviated.

Or is this just a loss of revenue because people don't have NFLN. 

Explain it like I'm 5.

Currently Thursday night games are on a channel (NFL Network) that aren't on most basic cable packages. Meaning you have to buy a sports pack or whatever "package" for a few extra bucks a month to get the NFL Network to be able to watch these games. SOME Cable providers have the NFL Network on their basic/standard packages, which is great if you are lucky enough to get that....but most don't. Combine that with piss-poor games most weeks nobody cares about (aka bad and un-interesting match-up's) and it's a loser all around. Revenue and Ratings aren't where the NFL thinks it should be for a stand alone Thursday night game. Hence, the current Thursday night package is failing and the league wants to tweak it as the PFT article stated and I stated weeks ago.

Now, by adding MORE games to Thursday Nights at least then on a Thursday night its now almost an "event" and you are creating something. So even if one game sucks, hey there might be 2 or 3 games every Thursday night so one is bound to be good and draw interest nationwide. By selling some or all of the games to a TNT, ESPN, FOX SPORTS, TBS....whoever pays the most, well now EVERYONE can watch the games on their basic/standard package. Increase in ratings, increase in add revenue, and of course now a network will pay the league BIG BUCKS to get the games to be able to air. Win-Win!

Status-quo is not an option and you will see changes to the Thursday Night package in the near future because the current product is failing.

[Sunstroke]

Explain it like I'm 5.

Rich men want more money

[masterfins]

Rich men want more money

DING, DING, DING, DING.  It's not that the Thursday night package is bad, actually it's about the only thing worth watching on the NFL Network; it's the fact the NFL wants so much money for the station that it has to be part of a special package where you have to pay extra.  Who wants to pay extra to watch one game per week???  I have Dish network, which had a free preview of the channel for the past month; so I tried watching the station at various times.  For the most part its terrible programming, IMO.  I did watch the Thursday games, which I liked, but I wouldn't pay extra to get that.

[Phishfan]

I think the NFLN programming is being misrepresented a bit. It is not part of any "special package" from my provider. You just need to purchase the digital package which I consider a pretty standard option. In fact, there was an argument because my provider wanted to add it as part of their sport programming package but the NFL said if they want to carry it it has to come free and not as part of a sports package. That is why it took so long for Brighthouse to add it. Do you guys really think there are that many people who only purchase basic cable packages in the world today? The only people I expect to have basic cable in this world we live in are not going to care about if the game is on Thursday or not. I expect the amount of homes it is offered in is a bit lower than some other networks but to my knowledge the NFL does not allow it to be a fee based channel.

[MikeO]

Do you guys really think there are that many people who only purchase basic cable packages in the world today? The only people I expect to have basic cable in this world we live in are not going to care about if the game is on Thursday or not. I expect the amount of homes it is offered in is a bit lower than some other networks but to my knowledge the NFL does not allow it to be a fee based channel.

The NFL wants it to be a free based channel. Cable companies are fighting them on it and have been since day 1. The NFL Network wants to be like ESPN, available to everyone!

And yes in this bad economy more people than you think have gone down to the bare minimum and have only "basic cable" or no cable at all and they stream most of their TV online or just watch Netflix/Hulu stuff.

[CF DolFan]

I think the NFLN programming is being misrepresented a bit. It is not part of any "special package" from my provider. You just need to purchase the digital package which I consider a pretty standard option. In fact, there was an argument because my provider wanted to add it as part of their sport programming package but the NFL said if they want to carry it it has to come free and not as part of a sports package. That is why it took so long for Brighthouse to add it. Do you guys really think there are that many people who only purchase basic cable packages in the world today? The only people I expect to have basic cable in this world we live in are not going to care about if the game is on Thursday or not. I expect the amount of homes it is offered in is a bit lower than some other networks but to my knowledge the NFL does not allow it to be a fee based channel.

This just happened during the past year and is why I now have the channel. It hasn't always been that way nor is it included with every cable network.

[Dave Gray]

Are you thinking that there may be multiple games on Thursday, being played at different times, like a 7 PM and then a 10 PM?  One on NFLN and another elsewhere?

[MikeO]

Are you thinking that there may be multiple games on Thursday, being played at different times, like a 7 PM and then a 10 PM?  One on NFLN and another elsewhere?

I am not sure any games will be on the NFLN much longer. If they can sell them off and make a bundle of money they will. That network can survive without games. I am not sure it will even be a double-header. To keep the "SUNDAY TICKET" people happy and not yank away all of there games and make more games "national" you might get one national game and one that is on the "ticket" at the same time, and they regional it depending on where you live. Make Thursday a "mini-sunday" with 2 games.  Lots of ideas are being kicked around I can tell you that. But its not gonna stay status quo and changes are coming to Thursdays

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

That network can survive without games.

No, it can't.

It got added to cable lineups for the games.  If the games go away, the NFLN will have to drastically lower its subscription price to the cable providers or it will be sold only in the most expensive packages.

The vast majority of fans couldn't give too shits about the rest of its programming and if it doesn't have the games, they won't complain if their cable provider drops the network.   

[Spider-Dan]

No, it can't. [...]

The vast majority of fans couldn't give too shits about the rest of its programming and if it doesn't have the games, they won't complain if their cable provider drops the network.

I think you might be underestimating the impact of Red Zone Channel.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

I think you might be underestimating the impact of Red Zone Channel.

They aren't always bundled.  For my local provider Red Zone is only in the most expensive package (NFLN is in that package too).  But NFLN is also in some of the midrange packages, just not in the very basic ones. 

I, for example, get NFLN, but not Red Zone.  If the Thursday night games went away and Comcast dropped NFLN from all the packages except the expensive one that already has Red Zone, few would complain. 

My brother in law has red zone.  If it went away he would be pissed.  But the only time he watches NFLN is for the games. 

[MikeO]

No, it can't.

It got added to cable lineups for the games.  If the games go away, the NFLN will have to drastically lower its subscription price to the cable providers or it will be sold only in the most expensive packages.

The vast majority of fans couldn't give too shits about the rest of its programming and if it doesn't have the games, they won't complain if their cable provider drops the network.   

Thursday night football on NFLN is pretty recent. At least the full seasons worth of games.  The network was doing fine and profitable before it had any games and it wasn't even on most cable providers.  It would be fine if it had no games and now is on all providers.