The NFL blackout fallacy of “free TV”
Today’s story from Brooks Boliek at Politico quotes former Pittsburgh Steelers star Lynn Swann, who is acting as spokesman for the Protect…
Today’s story from Brooks Boliek at Politico quotes former Pittsburgh Steelers star Lynn Swann, who is acting as spokesman for the Protect Football on Free TV campaign thustly:
“The bigger loser becomes those 60 million people, and all the fans out there, who would not be able to get their football on free-over-the-air TV,” he said. “If you gave the sports coalition what they are looking for, then you’re looking at the gradual change of the value of the television package for the NFL’s broadcast partners.
”Let’s be honest and straightforward here: We want more people to see the game … but it still is a business. If the revenue generated from the broadcast television contracts becomes less valuable, that’s going to change.”
Ok, Lynn, let’s be honest. Greater than 90% of American citizens pay for the “free-over-the-air TV” broadcasts. The 1992 Cable Act permitted broadcast networks to negotiate retransmission fees for cable and satellite providers to carry their signal. Meaning, that signal is no longer “free” to consumers.