NFL Rant

by David Fucillo on Jul 2, 2007 2:26 PM PDT in San Francisco 49ers News

I just came across an article at Deadspin.com that I wanted to share with everyone out there. For those that don't know, Deadspin is a site that takes an irreverent look at the sports world and is definitely a site I'd recommend checking throughout the day.

Anyways, the article discusses a new NFL rule that will, "...limit media outlets to no more than 45 seconds of NFL related video content on the Web every day."

In a move designed to protect the Internet operations of its 32 teams, the pro football league has told news organizations that it will no longer permit them to carry unlimited online video clips of players, coaches or other officials, including video that the news organizations gather themselves on a team's premises. News organizations can post no more than 45 seconds per day of video shot at a team's facilities, including news conferences, interviews and practice-field reports.

I can see why they would want to protect their internet resources. However, the 45 second rule seems a bit of a limitation. As long as you are citing your sources correctly I don't see why there should be such a limited time rule in place.

As I've been typing this, The Sports Guru over at Mile High Report passed along a press release the Broncos issued with the rules in place:

45 seconds max per day (90 seconds for 2-team markets, 45 per team)
Can't be live video
Can only be available for 24 hours, no archiving
Links back to NFL.com and the inidividual team sites
Must be editorial context
The 45 seconds includes any footage of team practice.

Anyways, just thought I'd pass it along and get it off my chest. It's just another case of money over-taking sensibilities. Of course if I was the one cashing those checks I suppose I'd be in favor of this.

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Oh dear lord

Frankly, it's not even financially sensible. The NFL isn't getting a very large percentage of its revenue from its online hits for video streams.

For crying out loud, you get the money from the fans who buy the tickets and the jerseys. Probably about 99% give or take a reasonable margin of error. To get the fans who do that, though, you have to allow for certain minor losses, such as internet hits for video streams because most fans are not hardcore and need easy and massive access to media and information just to stay interested.

By making the internet harder for fans you just make it harder for yourself to keep fans. Though, I imagine, massive as the NFL audience is, the effective loss will be pretty damn minor and they won't even realize they've made a bad business move.

But come on. It's god damned marketing 101. Be available! Better than that, these kinds of things are like having free billboards all across the internet. Instead of paying $5000 to put up two pieces of wood with giant Jaguar helmets by the freeway, let somebody else put up hundreds of banners and videos on heavily frequented sites with proper sourcing at no expense whatsoever and get all of the visibility you'll ever need.

I mean, am I wrong? I know the NFL isn't losing fans by the thousands by doing this, but it makes it harder for converting fans and new fans...

It's just so totalitarian over something that could be a pretty useful marketing tool of they'd just embrace it and find ways to use it rather than trying to control it and limit what it can accomplish.

The internet is the marketing wave of the future, of the now! It is not the fearful money-taking monster from in-my-day-we-used-paper-sville. Ugh.

Am I wrong? Did all those years I spent not studying business just completely lead me down the wrong path here?

I keep reliving the moment when Steve Young almost fell down... over and over...

by howtheyscored on Jul 2, 2007 3:16 PM PDT reply actions

Letter from Der Kommissar

Dear HowTheyScored,

You are wrong. You have been led down the wrong path. Such refusals will not be accepted in my NFL.

Best Regards,

Der Kommissar
Roger Goodell

Niners Nation - The premier 49ers blog on the Internet!

by David Fucillo on Jul 2, 2007 3:25 PM PDT up reply actions

Wow, they are prompt!

I wonder if he's in town...

I keep reliving the moment when Steve Young almost fell down... over and over...

by howtheyscored on Jul 2, 2007 3:26 PM PDT up reply actions

Goodell

I'm sure he's keeping an eye out on all the football sites at SB Nation. Can't allow us to get too full of ourselves. I'm sure the boots will come crashing down...I mean...uh...Goodell knows all! Long live the Commish!

Niners Nation - The premier 49ers blog on the Internet!

by David Fucillo on Jul 2, 2007 3:36 PM PDT up reply actions

NFL.tv?

Is there anything like MLB.tv provided by the NFL? If not, then perhaps this is the first stepping stone to the realization of a similar product. If fans are able to see their team's highlights from any given game in some 2-minute clip, then why pay for the package?

If highlights were abundant (and thorough), only diehard (out-of-market) fans would be buying such packages. If the NFL limits the highlights, however, it opens the door for those "on-the-bubble" fans that would consider an online streaming package to actually buy in as well.

The NFL doesn't need to make moves for popularity. They can make moves that are very unpopular and it really won't hurt their ratings. They know this, so why not try to make as much money as they can while they're at it?

by sfgfan on Jul 2, 2007 4:33 PM PDT reply actions