Football 24.7 Texas: Countdown to Showdown

Football 24.7 Texas: Countdown to Showdown

Less than 30 Hours Until Millions of Fans Get Blocked by Big Cable Again

AUSTIN, Texas, Nov. 28 /PRNewswire/ -- Not since 1990 have two teams with records of 10-1 or better met on the field this late in the regular season. No game this season will have a greater impact on the NFC playoff race and home field advantage than the Packers vs. the Cowboys. And few rivalries can generate the same kind of heat as the Packers and Cowboys, two legendary franchises that have locked horns in classic battles in the last 40 years. But only one-third of the television sets in America will have access to Thursday Night's showdown for NFC supremacy between the Cowboys and Packers because Time Warner and Suddenlink are blocking NFL Network from their broad and affordable programming packages.

"Big Cable customers will find better luck tuning into cable owned programming that features home shopping, ice trucking, or cage fighting Thursday night than catching the Cowboys and the Packers," said former Oilers running back Ronnie Coleman. "It's a shame. With cable charging subscribers close to $100 a month, you would think fans could see the Cowboys and Packers.

"I can't believe the biggest game in the NFC between the Packers and Cowboys will be off limits to the majority of football fans," said former Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans backup quarterback Mike Quinn. "Apparently, the cable companies think there is no interest among their customers for NFL games."

In the Dallas Morning News (11/25/07, "Fans are losers in NFL Network impasse" by Barry Horn), Time Warner executive Ron McMillan said, "We're not hearing from our customers about this." Such a statement begs the question: then why are your advertisements attacking the NFL, and why are you making a full court press with the legislature if your customer base isn't concerned about the fact Time Warner refuses to offer the NFL Network without charging fans more than the high prices for basic services?

"I was a part of the generation of NFL players that helped make this game great," said former Packers player and Kansas City Chiefs coach Tom Bettis, now living in the Houston area. "As a former coach and player I'm as much of a fan as anyone, and it's disappointing when the cable companies forget about the fans and focus on their profits. Viewership numbers clearly demonstrate strong consumer demand."

Last year, 17 of the 20 most popular programs on cable were NFL games. Over the years, Cowboys-Packers clashes have been among the most memorable in league history. In 1996, the Cowboys won on Monday Night with seven field goals by Chris Boniol. In 1994, the teams played a Thanksgiving classic with a young Brett Favre dueling with Cowboys backup QB Jason Garrett. Playoff classics include Troy Aikman and Favre fighting for a place in the Super Bowl in the 1995 NFC Championship game, and a match-up so infamous it is known today simply as the "Ice Bowl": when Bart Starr sneaked in for the winning score on the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field.

"With 240 other cable companies making the NFL Network available in their broad and affordable packages, it is hard to believe that the big cable companies can't afford programming that costs two cents per subscriber a day," said Coleman. "It's clearly not an issue of cost, but profit, and they would rather push channels they own over those independently-owned to increase their profits without regard to customer demand. Customers deserve better."

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Source: Football 24.7 Texas

CONTACT: Bill Noble, +1-512-474-2005, for Football 24.7 Texas

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Profile: International Entertainment