The “sports TV guys are winning -- big time,” as Cablevision “finally caved and agreed to carry the NFL Network and RedZone channel,” according to Claire Atkinson of the N.Y. POST. Under pressure from “both competitive marketing and a vocal subset of sports fans, Cablevision will add two more sports channels to the 15 already available on the same tier.” Although “no financial terms were disclosed, the NFL Network alone is expected to tack on about a buck to customers’ monthly bills” (N.Y. POST, 8/17). NFL Net President Steve Bornstein, discussing the lack of a deal with Time Warner Cable, said, “Unfortunately, we’re nowhere with them. We’ve had no productive conversations with them in months.” In. N.Y., Richard Sandomir notes, “The Cablevision deal, after six years of on-and-off talks, came together over the summer and gives the NFL Network more than 60 million subscribers.” Bornstein said Cablevision CEO James Dolan “decided that the time was right to do a deal” (N.Y. TIMES, 8/17). PRO FOOTBALL TALK’s Josh Alper noted with TWC yet to add NFL Net, it “leaves a rather sizable market still without the NFL’s television properties and there’s no sign of thawing in the frosty relationship” (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 8/16).
