Barred from television

http://www.baltimoresun.com
November 24, 2007

Here's some advice from your friends here at O, by the Way. If you want to watch Thursday's game between the Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys, both 10-1, at Texas Stadium, you might want to think about getting yourself to your favorite sports bar.

Even though it's a prime-time game at 8:15 p.m. and the second most hyped game of the season - after the New England Patriots vs. Indianapolis Colts a few weeks back - it won't be carried over the air or on standard cable TV channels in many areas.

The Packer-Cowboys game is one of the NFL Network's games, and, as many fans know, the league and the heavyweights in the cable TV industry have been in a shootin' war over how the NFL Network will be carried.

Those with satellite TV and the NFL Season Ticket package will be able to see the game and the local TV markets - meaning Dallas and Green Bay - will receive the game on over-the-air broadcast channels.

But folks with standard cable or over-the-air in out-of-town markets will mostly be out of luck unless, as we mentioned above, you camp out at a sports bar that has TV service that gets the full schedule of games.

bill.ordine@baltsun.com