One thing about molding college football into a national product is that it makes ESPN’s job of squeezing the market easier.
Can’t wait to watch my Notre Dame squad take on Clemson in the College Football Playoff semifinals this Saturday. Or not.
Tuned in to ESPN this morning and on the bottom of the screen appeared a warning that I (as a Verizon Fios customer) may soon not be able to watch the CFB playoffs and other programming, and I should call Verizon. A few minutes later ESPN ran a commercial saying I might not be able to watch the Rose Bowl and Fiesta Bowl and provided a Verizon number for me to call.
I called Verizon. A recorded message essentially tells me that ESPN is spreading misinformation about Verizon customers losing ESPN when the network’s contract with Verizon expires later this month. The recording says Walt Disney-owned ESPN wants to charge Verizon hundreds of millions of dollars more for ESPN. The recording also says Verizon has been negotiating in good faith with Disney.
My take is Disney, which already charges by far the highest affiliate fee of any sports channel—around $8 per month per subscriber—is using the CFB playoffs and bowl games to play hardball.
Hoisted on our own petards.
Get The Picture 
This happens every year even with local stations. It is all about the money for the cable company and the stations.
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It’s all about the money for everyone, take it to the bank.
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Considering how badly Verizon gouges its customers, I will be shedding zeros tears for those guys.
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Now I have to Google “petard”
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Used to be our recruiting co-ordinator.
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Russian disinformation campaign. Hitting Americans where it really hurts.
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Sooner or later, everyone else will tire of paying ESPN prices even though they don’t watch sports. Will be interesting to see how cable responds when that day arrives. My guess is we will eventually have the ability to pick exactly what stations we want in our TV package.
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Have you noticed your internet fee each month is going up? They’ll just start charging you more for internet, and offer “free” programming.
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Given the amount of data traveling over the net these days, I am amazed it is as cheap as it is. However, the streaming TV is taking a bite out of the major providers. I start my sub each year now around football season and end it after the bowls. I don’t believe I am the only one doing it. I would keep it, but hate paying that much to watch 4 or 5 channels. A la carte can’t get here fast enough for me.
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Spectrum has a package where you pick 10 channels off a menu of many choices. I believe the 10 you pick is in addition to some local stations that are also provided. It’s about $20-22 per month but the last time I checked it didn’t include the SEC network.
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I can do without ESPN and TV if it comes down to it. In the 70s and early 80s I managed to get by with only Munson on the radio. Hell, I’d rather listen to Munson call a soccer match than watch a Georgia game being called by Beth Mowin.
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I think that most who had the pleasure of listening to Munson and the misfortune to suffer through Mowin would agree.
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Think about it. The love of money is now completely overwhelming college football.
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SO??…sue’em.
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Seeing these ads myself as a FiOS customer, and used to see them all the time when I had Dish. It’s extortion by Disney, of course, and it really pisses me off that they manage to time it so that I won’t see the New Year’s Eve or Day bowl games if it’s not settled.
Part of the hang up in negotiations is Disney wants to force FiOS to carry the ACC network as part of the deal. Because everybody is looking forward to paying more so they can get a network nobody wants to watch.
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