NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell's conference call with Kansas City Chiefs fans included one question that's near and dear to my heart:
Why can't Time Warner customers in Kansas City get NFL Network?
I live in Kansas City, as many of you do. For those of you that have Time Warner, which many of you do, you can't get NFL Network. It drives me completely bonkers that Time Warner can't get a deal done with the league. This should be like ESPN. It should be a no-brainer channel for every home with cable.
Time Warner says they've made multiple offers to the league but can't come to an agreement. But, like the labor deal, I don't care about the details. All I know is that other largest cable companies have NFL Network and Time Warner does not. Like the "We want football" chant, I simply want NFL Network.
Goodell is in New York, which is also a Time Warner market, and he addressed a question from George, a 47-year season ticket holder, regarding Time Warner's snafu in failing to reach an agreement with the league.
"They're the largest of the distributors that have not signed up," Goodell said. "In fact, I believe they're the only one in the top five distributors that have not signed up for it.
"We think that's wrong for the fans but we also think it's wrong for Time Warner customers. The customers want this content. They want this channel. We think it should be there. We've already established a market. Other cable operators and satellite distributors are carrying it. We think it should be with Time Warner. We aren't going to give up."
His last point is his best. I understand negotiations include two parties (as if the NFL's labor negotiations haven't taught us that) but the question I always wonder is:
How come four of the top five cable distributors can reach a deal with the NFL but Time Warner can't?