Comcast Sues NFL For Breach Of Contract

Comcast has filed a lawsuit in New York Supreme Court accusing the National Football League of breaching its contract with the cable operator, according to the Sports Business Journal.

Comcast sent the league cease-and-desist letters November 19 and December 7, after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones encouraged fans to dump cable in favor of DirecTV or Dish Network.

Comcast has argued that the NFL should not be making such statements, since it has a signed affiliation agreement with the league. Earlier this year, a federal court ruled that the agreement allows Comcast to carry the channel on its sports tier.

The NFL Network commenced in 2003 to provide 24-hour coverage of the league. It began showing eight live games last season but is available in only about 35 million of the nation's 112.8 million homes with televisions.