Cory's Corner: Could the NFL make even more money?
Sometimes I wonder if the NFL could make even more money.
I know, it sounds sacrilegious. This is an organization that has a market value of over $45 billion. Every decision the NFL makes — good and bad — comes down to the almighty dollar.
But are Roger Goodell and his minions leaving money on the table?
Since the NFL is predicated by television, that’s what it comes down to. Right now, NFL fans gobble up the Sunday Ticket. But what if the NFL used the same model that the NCAA uses for the men’s basketball tournament?
By that, I mean televising games incrementally on free TV — which would net even more money. For example, air nine early Sunday games on CBS, TBS, Fox, FS1, NBC, NBCSN, ESPN, ESPN2 and NFL Network. Then broadcast five games on CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN and NFL Network during Sunday’s late window. That would leave one game on Thursday night one on Sunday night and one on Monday night.
In 2010, the NCAA reached a 14-year, $11 billion agreement with CBS and Turner to televise the 68-team tournament. Remember that the NCAA tournament is only three weeks and the NFL is king when it comes to TV ratings.
Obviously, DirecTV would hate this deal. The satellite company has exclusivity to broadcast Sunday Ticket. You could argue that’s a major reason why a lot of folks have DirecTV in the first place. If you live in say, Phoenix, it’s a lot easier plunking down the $252 than going to a sports bar every Sunday while racking up a food and beverage bill.
But I still say that making every game available is the way to go. The group that the NFL has to target is the casual fans. They tend to cheer for their own team and when that particular game is over, they’ll probably do something else. However, if every game is available on free TV, more fans are going to watch, which means more eyeballs will be tuned to commercials and more money will come streaming into the NFL offices.
I’m just surprised that the suits behind the shield haven’t thought of this already.
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Cory Jennerjohn is a graduate from UW-Oshkosh and has been in sports media for over 15 years. He was a co-host on "Clubhouse Live" and has also done various radio and TV work as well. He has written for newspapers, magazines and websites. He currently is a columnist for CHTV and also does various podcasts. He recently earned his Masters degree from the University of Iowa. He can be found on Twitter: @Coryjennerjohn
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Comments (16)
RCPackerFan
October 07, 2015 at 01:30 pm
I would absolutely hate it if they did that. While I get most of those channels, I don't get every one and just like most fans, I don't want to have to upgrade my tv package to watch games. So that leaves me with going to someone else's house to watch games I don't get, go to a bar or upgrade my tv package. Because I'm a huge Packers fan, I would do that for them, but I wouldn't be going anywhere to watch any of the other games.
One reason why I fell in love with the NFL growing up was that it was always available to see on TV unlike the NHL. I never got into the NHL because it never was on any channels that I had growing up.
One of the things that has been great about the NFL is that they have always tried to keep games on channels that most of America can get for free. I think it would be a big mistake for them to go after the money and take away games from free channels.
sonomaca
October 07, 2015 at 01:41 pm
I'm sure they've done the math on these various options.
What has surprised me is that the NFL isn't running its own gambling...err...fantasy rackets.
Paulg
October 07, 2015 at 03:19 pm
You never know where the owners' money is invested. I dont play fantasy, but isnt there on NFL.com or some official league outlet? Even if its just "for fun", its traffic to their site.
A.A. Ron Rodgers
October 07, 2015 at 01:50 pm
"...it’s a lot easier plunking down the $252 than going to a sports bar every Sunday while racking up a food and beverage bill."
That's exactly how I justified subscribing to Sunday Ticket years ago. I don't regret it, but I resent DirecTV for the monopoly that they knowingly maintain; I also didn't appreciate losing my satellite signal several times during the game last week due to Joaquin.
I would willingly pay extra money to upgrade to a package that allowed me to watch the game in All-22.
Amanofthenorth
October 07, 2015 at 05:56 pm
You lost your satellite signal? Horrible. I live in South Carolina and I lost a hat during that damn thing.
Schwank
October 07, 2015 at 02:04 pm
The future is in online streaming. It will be coming down the pipe in a few years.
Ibleedgreenmore
October 07, 2015 at 06:44 pm
Its on now and I have been using streaming it for several years.
EddieLee
October 07, 2015 at 04:22 pm
Schwank is absolutely correct. Ten years from now TV will be mostly a la carte and a majority of people will be streaming content directly from the content source. A critcal mass of households will just not have a TV provider anymore and big content holders will need to provide their content directly to the consumer. HBO is leading the way on this. The NFL, holding a massively popular piece of content, will follow suit. It will essentially lead to what Cory describes but without the networks as middle men to the consumers.
dullgeek
October 07, 2015 at 05:52 pm
Agree with you but think that Netflix is leading the way more than HBO. I like the way that Netflix CEO Reed Hastings puts it: "We're trying to become HBO before HBO can become us". The deals that HBO has with big cable companies are getting in the way of HBO becoming more like Netflix.
EddieLee
October 07, 2015 at 08:50 pm
I think HBO is leading the way in terms of a entity providing their own content to the consumer directly. Netflix generally is a middleman providing others content for a fee but they are frantically trying to produce more original content. They have a long way to go to catch HBO in that dept.
PaulRosik
October 08, 2015 at 10:20 pm
More and more people are eschewing any cable or satellite plan at all in favor of just connecting the television to the internet and watching content from Hulu, Netflix, and on the internet.
But networks will find a way to adapt to this and maintain an audience. Just like the internet threatened the existence of phone companies and they found a way to adapt. They turned your phone into a computer in your hand and kept us paying $100 a month subscription fees to have access to all the additional content.
NFL football is the most watched program in the US by a wide margin. The networks will put a lot pf pressure on the NFL if they start to make changes to that. The NFL likes to have the ability to black out games and limit content and make you have to pay for it. I can't even stream Wayne Larrivee on the radio and am instead supposed to subscribe to NFL.coms radio broadcast product. So they like their control over their products.
Since'61
October 07, 2015 at 04:26 pm
Cory - The league has considered the option you discuss in the article. But as you say it comes down to money and the major networks, CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN, pay so much to the NFL for their packages that they can dictate how the contracts will be structured and when and which games will be televised. Using the regional coverage gives their sponsors the widest coverage and the networks are concerned about taking care of their sponsors, not necessarily their viewers. Also, the league is just salivating as they wait for deals with Google and other online vendors where they can stream the games online and anybody will be able to watch any game from anywhere. At that point the league will make tons of money above what they take in now. It means more money for the league, the teams, players, etc... It would be nice if our Packer stock was actually worth something because our shares would go through the roof when the online deals come through. Go Pack! Thanks, Since '61
PaulRosik
October 08, 2015 at 10:31 pm
And the current contract runs through 2022. So there won't be any changes coming soon in what's on TV.
I am unsure if streaming content on the internet would be a violation of what the NFL has in place with the networks. But you are certainly right that a streaming option would be a revenue stream worth exploring for them.
dullgeek
October 07, 2015 at 05:48 pm
It's interesting to me that you include TBS, FS1, NBCSN, ESPN, ESPN2 and NFL Network as "free TV". That "free TV" is more expensive than the Sunday Ticket.
I'd be more than happy to pay $300 per year for Sunday Ticket. But I'm not willing to pay the $700+ per year that it costs to get DirecTV or Dish or Cable.
I'm looking forward to when the NFL starts cutting out the middle man, and starts streaming directly to me.
EdsLaces
October 07, 2015 at 10:54 pm
I don't have direct TV anymore I had to get the dish network because I sometimes work Sundays. So having dish' hopper I can send the games that ARE on normal channels directly to my phone. Put my phone on my holder I made for my forklift. ...hook up my bluetooth speaker...and BAM cruising around watchin the game while I work. It is awesome!.....I don't get much done on Sundays..
PaulRosik
October 08, 2015 at 11:46 am
The current extension signed by the NFL and the TV networks that cover games was a 27 billion dollar deal that lasts through 2022. In 2015 the NFL reported revenue of 7.24 billion dollars. Revenue is up 120 percent over the last 11 years.
People may hate Goodell but one thing you can not accuse him of is leaving any money on the table.