Time Warner Cable ends impasse, reaches deal to carry NFL Network

NEW YORK -- Time Warner Cable agreed to carry NFL Network on Friday, the last major holdout in the channel's long-running push into more homes.

NFL Network and the NFL RedZone channel will be available to customers of Time Warner and Bright House Networks starting Sunday.

Time Warner is the country's second-largest cable provider with about 12 million homes. Bright House, with about 2 million, is the sixth biggest.

NFL Network began airing regular-season games in 2006; this year, the number increased from eight to 13. The league initially feuded with several major cable companies over adding the channel but had gradually expanded its availability.

"We're delighted to have reached an agreement for NFL Network and NFL RedZone that provides a good value to our customers," Time Warner Cable executive vice president Melinda Witmer said in a release. "The additional games this year and the proven appeal of NFL RedZone will certainly prove to be a draw for our customers. We look forward to a long and productive relationship with the NFL."

RedZone, produced by NFL Network, whips around to every NFL game on Sunday afternoons, showing touchdowns and other key plays. When Cablevision announced a deal with NFL Network in August, Time Warner became the last big missing piece.

For Time Warner and Bright House customers, NFL Network will be available on the digital basic and sports pass tiers, while RedZone will be available to sports pass customers.

Time Warner and Bright House are major providers in the home markets for 12 NFL teams, including the Jets/Giants, Cowboys and Packers.

Copyright 2012 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

View the original article here

Warren Sapp to return to NFL Network for another year

Posted: 05:30 PM ET May 30, 2012

By Ryan Wilson | NFL Blogger

Warren Sapp may be out on Inside the NFL after Showtime and CBS declined to renew his contract, but speculation about his tenure coming to an end at NFL Network was just that because NFLN executive producer Eric Weinberger told USA Today that Sapp will be back for at least another year.

"This is probably going to be news to some blogs and articles out there who've said his time is up here," Weinberger said, "but we picked up an option year on his contract." Sapp's on-air duties will remain largely unchanged it seems, including working NFL Network's Sunday pregame show.

Sapp's future at the network seemed to be in doubt after he went on the air and outed former New Orleans tight end Jeremy Shockey as the snitch in the Saints bounty scandal. Complicating matters: Sapp was wrong. In addition to Shockey saying as much, CBSSports.com's Mike Freeman wrote at the time: "...asked people familiar with the NFL's investigation and was told Shockey had nothing to do with the case. Nothing. At all." And commissioner Roger Goodell offered this: "[Sapp's] inaccurate, so we'll start with that."

Shockey also called for NFL Network to fire Sapp. Obviously, they did not.

"Is the league going to come down on their own people when someone does something so wrong and outrageous?” Shockey asked Yahoo's Jason Cole in March. “There should be a standard for punishment, like getting suspended or fined or losing your job. If I say something about officials, the league fines me."

Days later in a statement, NFL Network Senior Vice President of Programming and Production Mark Quenzel said that Sapp had been reminded that "he is an analyst and not a reporter for NFL Network. In the future, if he comes across something he thinks is news, he will let his producers know and before it is reported or Tweeted, that content will be subject to the same verification procedure that our reporters follow.”

And now Sapp will be gainfully employed by NFLN for at least another year.

That wasn't the only reason the former Pro Bowler was in the news this spring. Sapp also declared bankruptcy (and not the good kind), announced that he would play a judge in a reality courtroom series, and that he has a new book coming out, Sapp Attack, which includes unfettered gems like this about former Buccaneers teammate, quarterback Trent Dilfer:

"Dilfer … basically was an interception waiting to happen. There were times we practically pleaded with him, 'We know you're not going to score a touchdown, but please, just don't turn it over.'"

And this is the type of trenchant analysis we can expect for another year on NFL Network.

For more NFL news, rumors and analysis, follow @EyeOnNFL on Twitter, like us on Facebook, and subscribe to our Pick-6 Podcast and NFL newsletter. You can follow Ryan Wilson on Twitter here: @ryanwilson_07.

Tags: Ryan Wilson, NFL

View the original article here

The NFL Network Fuels the Fire Between Cable and Satellite Providers

NFL Network Offers Die Hard Football Fans Access to all the Action

NFL schedule announcement set for Tuesday, 7 p.m. ET on NFL Network

Posted: 03:59 PM ET April 16, 2012

By Will Brinson | Senior NFL Blogger

The NFL schedule announcement is scheduled ... for announcement: the league announced on Monday that it would release the full 2012 NFL regular season schedule on Tuesday on NFL Network beginning at 7 p.m. ET.

We already know that the first game of the 2012 NFL season will come on a Wednesday: the Super Bowl champion Giants square off against their hated rival Dallas Cowboys on NBC during the 2012 NFL Kickoff.

The game was moved from the "traditional" Thursday slot to Wednesday because of Barack Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention.

And, of course, we already know the opponents for 2012. What we don't know is when and how these teams will play.

Peter King of Sports Illustrated predicted (reported?) on Monday morning that one of the first weekend's prime-time games would feature Peyton Manning in his Broncos uniform, and we won't disagree with that notion.

Every game Manning gets will be highly scrutinized, as will all the Jets games, as a result of their trade for Tim Tebow. In fact, we'll go ahead and make a bold, baseless prediction: the NFL rolls with a double-header Monday Night Football game again in 2012, with the first game featuring the Jets and the second one featuring the Broncos. Drama!

Additionally, it'll be fascinating to see how the league handles the Saints situation. Interim coach Joe Vitt is suspended for the first six regular-season games of the season, meaning he'll lose seven weeks of action if the Saints bye comes during that time.

Tags: Peyton Manning, Tim Tebow, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, New York Jets, NFL

View the original article here

Get NFL Network Online With The Satellite TV For PC

The NFL Network And NHL Network Are For True Fans

NFL Network Programming

Are you looking for a list of NFL Network shows? The NFL Network is a specialty channel available with some cable and satellite companies that is owned by the National Football League. The network first launched on November 4, 2003. The NFL invested 100 million dollars to fund this fledgling network. Who makes up the programming of the NFL Network? NFL Films is responsible for much of the network's programming, along with other ventures into commercials, TV productions and even feature films.

One of the most unique qualities of the network is its game highlights, game sounds, side line talk, and slow-mo instant reply. The network currently broadcasts out of Culver City, California. The network has earned its share of controversy in fearlessly dealing with such big name companies as Charter Cable, Dish Network, Comcast, Cox Communications and Insight Communications. In fact, five major cable providers have chosen not to carry the NFL Network, including Carter and Time Warner Cable. What is the major argument concerning? The NFL Network wants its channel placed on basic cable with a cost of .61 cents per subscriber. However, many of the major cable companies want to place the network on a sports tier, believing that the channel is only of moderate interest to NFL fans, since it has few live games and a long "off-season." However, it is currently available on Comcast, Cox and Insight along with satellite providers Dish and DirecTV.

What kind of shows does the NFL Network broadcast? There are many shows that are broadcast, some of which appear periodically or even once a year. Annual events that are highlighted on the network include the Hall of Fame Game, Inside Minicamp and Inside Training Camp, NFL Draft, NFL Preseason, NFL Scouting Combine, Live from the Owners Meeting, Live from the Pro Bowl, Live from the Rookie Symposium and Live from the Super Bowl. Lastly, there's the Pro Football Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies. Some of the network's current shows include America's Game: The Super Bowl Champions, College Football Now, NFL Classics, NFL Follies, NFL Game of the Week and Put Up Your Dukes. Put Up Your Dukes is a popular show and is a sports television talk show that features Jamie Dukes as well as contributors like Deion Sanders, NFL.com writers Adam Schefter and Pat Kirwan and FOX commentator Brian Baldinger. The focus of the show is to debate NFL news, though it also has an interactive system that lets viewers send questions to the host to be answered on the air.

Another popular show is Hard Knocks, a reality sports show that follows a select National Football League team through its training camp through an up close and personal perspective. The series covers the team's preparations as well as inside jokes, pranks, family matters and game strategy. It has won an Emmy Award for its outstanding achievement.

The NFL Network has plenty of great shows on all year round. If you love the NFL then ask your local provider about the NFL Network!

Catch every NFL game on DIRECTV NFL Sunday Ticket Visit DirectStarTV today for the best DIRECTV Packages DIRECTV is the exclusive provider for the NFL Sunday Ticket and NFL SuperFan.