MNF SOL?
Will Disney axe Monday Night Football, thereby proving its direct link to Satan? Dunno, but something has got to give.
ABC loses buckets of money on MNF, which costs the network $550 million a year now and likely more in 2006 under a new contract with the Niffle.
Meanwhile, big cable companies like Time Warner and Comcast are sniffing around DirecTV's exclusive NFL Sunday Ticket package, looking for a piece of the action. Sunday Ticket is a huge selling point for DirecTV that cable operators would dearly love to blunt. Hit the NFL's price, and that might happen.
In sum, the next NFL TV contract could radically alter the over-the-air, premium cable, and pay-per-view mix. MNF PPV, anyone?