DirecTV Creates Its Own Blackout Of Sorts On Sunday Ticket

DirecTV customers who subscribe to NFL Sunday Ticket with the Superfan add-on package last weekend were "greeted with screens showing them a 721 error code instead of the game they wanted to see" when they attempted to watch games in HD, according to Scott Greczkowski of MULTICHANNEL NEWS. Many customers reported "calling DirecTV and being on hold for over 30 minutes only to be hung up on by the system." After receiving complaints via Twitter, the company “quickly fired back with messages by first telling customers they should try sending their receivers a reauthorization signal via the DirecTV website.” After that “did not correct the problem,” DirecTV then put out a message via Twitter that read, “We are working on the issue with SuperFan authorizations right now and hope to have an update soon.” Greczkowski wrote DirecTV "could have handled this much better." The company should have had a “recording for people calling DirecTV explaining there was an issue and that they were working to fix it,” as well as posting a notice on the homepage of its Web site (MULTICHANNEL.com, 9/21). In N.Y., K.C. Joyner reported DirecTV is "trying to move all of its broadcasts to MPEG 4, and as part of this process, they are no longer going to send out the MPEG 2 signals," which "may have affected tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of NFL fans." Joyner: "What I don't understand is why the league would allow such a thing to happen. It is almost as if DirecTV put out its own blackout policy -- upgrade to newer equipment or we aren't going to let you see the games" (NYTIMES.com, 9/21).

IN THE ZONE: In Houston, David Barron wrote under the header, "Give A Green Light To NFL RedZone Channel." Barron: "I could really get accustomed to watching NFL Network's RedZone Channel every Sunday" (CHRON.com, 9/20).