Like many Wisconsinites, citizens of Madison are anxious to witness the 10-1 Green Bay Packers battle the 10-1 Dallas Cowboys at Texas Stadium tonight.
However, Madison cable subscribers won't have access to the game from home, as it is being featured exclusively on the NFL Network.
Charter Communications, which provides cable in the Madison area, has not as of yet been able to reach an agreement with the NFL Network, said Charter Director of Communications John Miller.
Miller explained the NFL has rejected an offer from Charter to carry the NFL Network on Charter's digital sports tier "so just those customers that are interested in NFL programming can have access to the games. But since the service is so highly priced, we have to protect those customers that aren't interested in it and don't want to absorb the cost for it," adding that the offer is still on the table should the NFL choose to accept it.
The NFL, however, did decide to make tonight's game available to local television in the Green Bay and Milwaukee areas of the state.
"The NFL has the authority to do that, (but) we're disappointed that they consider the Madison area not a home Packer market like they consider Milwaukee and Green Bay," Miller said.
Area Packer fans can take solace in the fact that most Madison sports bars have access to the NFL Network through satellite television and are preparing for large crowds of green and gold.
Local bars showing the Packers-Cowboys game tonight include, but are not limited to, the Nitty Gritty, Stadium Bar, Wando’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Lucky's Bar and Grille, Jordan's Big Ten Pub, State Street Brats, Hawk's Bar and Grill, and Buck's Madison Square Garden Tavern.
Even though there are alternative viewing options, Miller is concerned with what the NFL Network is doing to cable-subscribing football fans.
"All Packer games up until last year were available locally on Madison television," said Miller. "So it's unfortunate that the NFL Network has been created and has bought back a couple Packer games and now wants to turn around and re-sell them back to our customers at a much higher price.
"Sports bars, however, do not seem to mind the competition between satellite and cable spurred by the NFL Network.
Stadium Bar manager Ryan Hoelker says that Stadium Bar uses both cable and a satellite service in order to find the best high-definition viewing options for their customers — and it's worth every penny.
"What we try to accomplish as a sports bar is to provide the best atmosphere to watch a game in," said Hoelker. "To be able to show something like this so people can come in and experience what we're doing here is definitely worth the money that we pay for it."
Eric Suemnicht, assistant general manager for the Nitty Gritty agrees, saying that satellite access featuring the NFL Network and the Big Ten Network was a necessity for the Nitty Gritty.
"For the sports bar owner, it's a no-brainer," Suemnicht said. "DirecTV is a little more expensive than Charter, but just one game like this, one game of the year on the NFL Network, and you'll more than make your money back."
