Dishing Off: NFL to Scramble Satellite Feeds

The NFL will begin scrambling satellite feeds of its network-televised Sunday games, making the signals available only through a season subscription package.

NFL Enterprises on Thursday announced a five-year agreement with Group W Network Services, which will collect the feeds from regional games and transmit them to the C-Band back-yard market beginning with the 1994 season.

Viewers must subscribe for the entire season and cannot receive only one game or one Sunday’s worth of games, NFL spokesman Pete Abitante said. Prices have yet to be determined.

The service will include games on NBC and Fox, but not Sunday night games on cable networks TNT and ESPN, or Monday night games on ABC, Abitante said.

Abitante said the service should not be construed as a steppingstone to pay-per-view.

“The intention was to offer a service to dish owners that in a sense makes it easier to find games, to make it a complete package,” Abitante said. “We’re not taking any games away. All games will be available over the whole year.”

The NFL has vigorously guarded its satellite signals, taking court action against those who pirate signals.