News: Class Action Lawsuit filed vs DIRECTV and the NFL over Sunday Ticket

[BigStar]

Someone should file a lawsuit challenging the notion of DirecTV having a monopoly on the Sunday Ticket in the first place. They really only get away with it because they are unofficially grandfathered in. I remember some time ago MLB tried to implement the same thing for themselves and Congress smacked them so hard, their heads are still spinning.

Same relates to the Madden football game or Electronic Arts having exclusive NFLPA rights that killed any competition in that genre. Really PO'd football gaming fans like myself who saw their competitor pushing the competition to make a better game from both sides. I'm also a Sunday Ticket owner for my Cowboys as a DC resident and would love to cut that cost with a single team option (esp since we get most of the games as is in the DMV area to begin with) Can't stand missing a game though.

 

[DogFace]

I just hear a lot of whining and people wanting something for free or less than what is being charged.

Next up: AMC is being sued for having a monopoly on the TV show The Walking Dead. No other channel currently has the right to air the program, and that is just un-American! We deserve free The Walking Dead on every channel, AMC and their "horrible profits" be damned.

But but but I want to be able to see the game from inside the stadium with out a ticket. But but but I want to see NFL Sunday Ticket with out signing up for Direct TV. I want to get from Houston to San Diego without paying airfare. I want a free cell phone.

Excellent pep talk.

Let me guess. "Everyone needs to pull themselves up by their bootstraps". Comically simplistic views aren't actually funny.



The Walking Dead is not broadcasting 16 different shows showing you a third and asking you to pay two additional months of subscription to see the one you want to see.

 

[Frozen700]

Isn't the picture quality just a mess when you go that route?

Nah not really. Depends on the source you use. Me and my boy stream it from and HD source onto a TV. Perfect and clear as day.

 

[Hoofbite]

Exactly. The price is $251.94 for the standard package for the season. Let's say 8 Cowboys games are on National TV. Therefore, you are essentially paying $32 per game to watch 8 games. If anyone thinks that is a rip-off, then you're crazy.

$64 per month. Almost as much as basic cable. Yep, that's a ripoff.

 

[Galian Beast]

The NFL Sunday Ticket is video programming just like The Walking Dead. One should be given free and one should not due to the amount of whining? Please differentiate them for us.

Can you quote for me ANYONE who suggested that Sunday Ticket should be free?

 

[Rogah]

Not true. They are not grandfathered in and the "monopoly" you speak of only exists because the NFL accepted their bid of 1.5 billion dollars anually for exclusive rights to the package. Every other provider had an opportunity to aquire the NFL Sunday Ticket, but as they say money talks.... But lets not let facts get in the way of a good story.

Facts obviously aren't getting in the way of your story since your story doesn't seem to be burdened with facts.

I said they are unofficially grandfathered in (key word: "unofficially"). They get away with it because this is the way it has always been done. When MLB tried to implement the same thing around 10 years ago, they got threatened with all sorts of anti-trust maneuvers so they tucked tail and continued to make their package available to all providers.

If the NFL was trying to implement exclusive rights for the first time today, they would never get away with it (as MLB discovered). But since they've had exclusive rights all along, they do get away with it.

 

[Rogah]

You can go to a Cowboys game (in-person) for $25. (or at least you could recently)

Well these days, parking alone costs twice that amount.

And the NFL wonders why fan interest in attending games in person is waning. Not so much here, but certainly in some other locales.

 

[superonyx]

Not true. They are not grandfathered in and the "monopoly" you speak of only exists because the NFL accepted their bid of 1.5 billion dollars anually for exclusive rights to the package. Every other provider had an opportunity to aquire the NFL Sunday Ticket, but as they say money talks.... But lets not let facts get in the way of a good story.

Speaking of facts.....The only 2 real competitors for Sunday ticket is Directv and Dish Network.... You say every other provider had an opportunity to acquire the NFL Sunday ticket when this isn't actually true. Lets say Comcast wanted to offer the sunday ticket to its customers....since Comcast (the largest cable company) only offers service in less than 1/3 of all the markets in the country they really cant hold an exclusive right to NFL Ticket because this would lock out millions of people who do not live in a Comcast service area. Directv is a service that is available to everyone in theory. Even worse if you want to add Cox, Charter, Time Warner cable.

The reality is the NFL requires exclusive contracts for most of their deals. This is bad for consumers. It was bad when EA Sports bought the exclusive and locked 2K out of making a competitive video football game also. NFL2K was the driving force for innovation and competition for EA Madden series. Without this many long time football gamers see how innovation has pretty much stopped with the Madden franchise.

I am surprised the NFL is allowed to get away with these exclusive contracts for as long as they have. If you want to buy the league pass for any other major sport you can on any cable network. Directv isn't a product that every should be forced to buy into just to purchase out of market pay per view games.

 

[silver]

I used to live in PA. Now NJ. I haven't missed a single Cowboys game since Sunday Ticket started in 2001. For the price, it's worth every penny.

I agree. What they need to do is allow other carriers like Time Warner and Dish Network to offer the Sunday Ticket. Direct TV's monopoly on this has to end some day.

 

[superonyx]

Exactly. The price is $251.94 for the standard package for the season. Let's say 8 Cowboys games are on National TV. Therefore, you are essentially paying $32 per game to watch 8 games. If anyone thinks that is a rip-off, then you're crazy.

What about the other cost? Its not only $251.94 when you need to lease the receivers and also subscribe to a programming package....Then since directv probably isn't who you are getting your broadband internet through you need to factor in that you are not getting the discount on having a bundle with your cable company.......for example Comcast charges $10 more for a person who only subscribes to internet than for a person who has tv and internet. So the extra $10 per month is another $120 per year....Plus most directv high def programming packages will cost you $90 per month...so in this scenario it is actually costing you $1,451 per year to have directv and watch these 8 games. That's closer to $181 per game. (rough example obviously)

 

[RonSpringsdaman20]

good...

 

[YosemiteSam]

Well these days, parking alone costs twice that amount.

And the NFL wonders why fan interest in attending games in person is waning. Not so much here, but certainly in some other locales.

There are many restaurants that offer park and ride to the game near by. I don't live in the area anymore, but I know Colters (if that is still there) and other restaurants offer this which then costs you basically nothing to park. I've done this many times for Cowboys and Ranger games.

 

[Vanilla2]

Hey look Its the Romo is fat thread's twin

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/0ap20...-to-offer-nfl-sunday-ticket-streaming-options

 

[risco]

Earlier this month, we told you about the National Hockey League settling a lawsuit over its Gamecenter out-of-market package which displaced fans had to buy all games in order to see their favorite teams. The settlement will allow fans to buy single-team packages so they won’t have to buy the entire Gamecenter package. In the wake of that settlement, the NBA quickly announced that it would offer single-game and single-team options for League Pass.

After the NBA and NHL announced they would relax their requirements on their pay packages, the next target has been set on the National Football League and its venerable Sunday Ticket that’s offered on DirecTV. Like the NBA and NHL bundles were previously offered, fans must buy the entire Sunday Ticket package and there are no single-game, single-team or week-by-week options.

A class-action lawsuit has been filed in California federal court against DirecTV and the NFL seeking to break up Sunday Ticket into similar options as the NBA and NHL packages. The suit filed by Thomas Abrahamian alleges by putting Sunday Ticket on DirecTV only, it’s an illegal monopoly. Plus, “the League is able to require purchasers of NFL Sunday Ticket to buy all ‘out-of-market’ games of all the League’s teams even if the fan is only interested in a particular team or a particular game. Thus, a Cleveland Browns fan living in California cannot watch the Browns play, except occasional games on network television, unless he purchases theentire package of League games from NFL Sunday Ticket.”


Read the rest: http://awfulannouncing.com/2015/cla...s-directv-and-the-nfl-over-sunday-ticket.html

Fantastic- direct tv was killing people with the outrageous prices.

 

[ABQCOWBOY]

Is it just me, or do McDonald's hamburgers have more of that black-peppery taste than they used to?

Hard to tell with the amount of substance that make up the burger these days.

 

[bodi]

I live in Missouri and Iowa - since 03 - had to case

used to live just east of Dallas for 30 years

I really was missing my Cowboys

I mean I had it set up computer to the TV - HDMI cable

just not as clear

so I finally went with Sunday ticket

I hardly watch any other games

just not that interested

32 dollars a game while it is not cheap I rather have it

I already got my package deal for $197

 

[bodi]

Allowing any network to bid makes it a free market and the price is competitive. $50 a pop for a single game is really cheaper than going to the game.

yes but that's to much in my book - give me $20 a game

but still that's 320 a year

when I can get 16 games every Sunday for 32

then if I want to watch another game its there

 

[KingintheNorth]

I wish they would do a Team Season Pass so I could just sign up for the Cowboy games all year. Even if it was $150 or something less than the $300 plus they charge for the every-game package. I only get it to ensure I get the 8 or 9 games that won't be nationally televised here in Arizona. The Cardinals usually play in the same time slot so I would miss too many games without it.

 

[jobberone]

yes but that's to much in my book - give me $20 a game

but still that's 320 a year

when I can get 16 games every Sunday for 32

then if I want to watch another game its there

Someone mentioned $50 so I used it as an example. Yeah, expensive but cheaper than going to a game. And many people go to a sports bar or manage to watch at home for many games.

 

[maxdallasfan]

What about the other cost? Its not only $251.94 when you need to lease the receivers and also subscribe to a programming package....Then since directv probably isn't who you are getting your broadband internet through you need to factor in that you are not getting the discount on having a bundle with your cable company.......for example Comcast charges $10 more for a person who only subscribes to internet than for a person who has tv and internet. So the extra $10 per month is another $120 per year....Plus most directv high def programming packages will cost you $90 per month...so in this scenario it is actually costing you $1,451 per year to have directv and watch these 8 games. That's closer to $181 per game. (rough example obviously)

Since i've had DirecTV from the beginning, I call every other year and whine about Sunday Ticket. They usually give it to me for $119.94, or $19.99 per month. I've been doing this for years. This year is a full payment year. Next year, i'll whine again.