Originally Posted by
footiefan
This is a message from Alistair Kirkwood:
At the start of the year, one of our objectives at NFL UK was to complete the 2009 TV contracts early and communicate them to fans promptly. Sadly this has not been achieved – partly given the challenging nature of negotiations and partly due to the aim of providing the best possible outcome for everybody. I appreciate the frustration that must be felt by the lack of information and apologise that we haven’t been able to do a better job of alleviating it.
The broadcast landscape has changed since our TV rights were last up for renewal. A combination of the international economy, as well as the shifting sands of the broadcasters, has meant that several curve balls have been thrown over the past few months. As yet, the contracts for the 2009 season have not been totally finalized, and until they are, we are not at liberty to announce anything concrete. Suffice to say that we will have this completed in the next two to three weeks, and the first place you will hear about these finalized deals will be here on nfluk.com.
I can tell you that, despite the difficulty of negotiations, some advances in our broadcast situation have been made, which I think will be exciting to fans here. Having said that, with the economy and TV landscape in mind, we have also seen some elements of our presence on British television disappear – the first casualty of which is the preseason, which will not be shown this season on Sky Sports.
Looked at as a whole picture, I think you’ll see that the sport is in a better situation once these contracts are signed and sealed. I think a top line view is that we have probably taken three steps forward and a couple of steps back. However, it is apparent for us as fans of a relatively niche sport with plenty of growing still to do, we have no ‘divine right’ to expect wall-to-wall coverage of the NFL in the UK.
Over the next two to three weeks, in addition to the announcement of the TV broadcast contracts, you can expect some other exciting announcements to come from NFLUK.com. We will have finalized ticket sales dates for the final part of the sales process for this year’s International Series game at Wembley. We will also have information on a very new, and exciting Tailgate Party concept that will bring some major attractions for hardcore NFL Fans. We also have a brand new website that will stand alongside NFLUK.com featuring 600+ pieces of exclusive tailored video content. As the season approaches, it will also be time to launch this year’s new Fantasy Football competition, as well as some other new interactive elements for this website.
Thanks as always for your ongoing support and of this website. It never goes unnoticed and is truly appreciated.
Alistair Kirkwood
