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December
14, 2007
WMUR
to pick up Patriot's finale
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MANCHESTER
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Fear not, Patriots Nation, the regular-season finale should be available on most televisions in the Granite State.
The New England Patriots are 13-0 and their final regular season at the New York Giants on Dec. 29 carries with it the possibility of a 15-0 Patriots squad trying to become the first team to ever win 16 regular-season games.
That game is being carried on NFL Network, which could leave millions of fans out in the cold.
But ABC affiliates in Boston (WCVB Channel 5) and Manchester (WMUR Channel 9) have acquired the rights to the game and will broadcast it live.
That means that most fans in New Hampshire will be able to see the game one way or another, either on NFL Network, on cable with channels 5 and
12, or on the old-fashioned antenna if they can pick up WMUR
channel 9 over the airwaves.
The NFL and several cable companies have been locked in a bitter feud and the potential historic nature of the Patriots/Giants is serving as the lightning rod that will bring the situation to a head.
Now in its fourth year, the NFL Network is a 24-hour station dedicated to the NFL that shows daily news and highlight shows, full game replays and a handful of exclusive live games.
The NFL Network is available at no extra charge in the basic package for several of the large satellite providers such as DirecTV and Dish Network and in the sports tier for an extra charge on Comcast cable. NFL Network reaches approximately 35 million homes.
The NFL wants Comcast and other large cable providers such as TimeWarner and Cablevision to include the NFL Network in its basic packages so customers do not have to pay for a set of channels that they might not have any interest in.
For example, on Comcast, NFL Network is in the sports entertainment package and also comes with NHL Network, Tennis Channel, College Sports TV and Fox Soccer Channel.
The cable providers are claiming that the move to a basic tier for NFL Network would force them to increase the basic cable rate, thus making subscribers who do not have an interest in the NFL pay for it.
The NFL has been encouraging cable subscribers to drop their cable service and sign on with one of the satellite services. Legal action is being taken by the NFL in attempt to force cable companies to place the network on the basic packages. Even Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) weighed in on the matter yesterday.
But for now, the bottom line is that Patriots (and football fans in general) will be able to watch the Patriots and Giants game thanks to local stations in Boston and Manchester.
Our
prediction? Because of a nor'easter due to hit in
the midst of the game: Patriots 31, Jets 10.
Otherwise, we'd say the Patriots win 59-3.
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