Arena Football League to not broadcast week one games on NFL Network; moved to week two.
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ALBANY, N.Y. — The Arena Football League is experiencing unprecedented setbacks in its historic return.
The AFL announced late Thursday that it will not broadcast its highly anticipated week one games on NFL Network due to communication and equipment issues.
The league were scheduled to showcase three games this weekend on NFL Network beginning with the Orlando Predators against the Albany Firebirds on Saturday. The Georgia Force against the West Texas Desert Hawks and the Southwest Kansas Storm against the Salina Liberty were also planned to broadcast on Sunday.
Many fans on social media became skeptical this week after noticing the games were removed from NFL Network’s channel lineup.
“There have been some issues as far as getting people to talk together and we were having some equipment issues and stuff like that,” Rod Villagomez, host of the AFL podcast, said on the situation during its weekly episode Thursday night. “We want to make sure the quality of product is good for you and if it can’t happen, then we are not going to do it.”
Villagomez clarified Gray’s television deals are still in place and are not controlled by the league. Instead, teams will have more command over the broadcasts which includes setting prices for commercials.
Gray television is only offered in markets near the Georgia Force, Minnesota Myth, Nashville Kats, Louisiana Voodoo, West Texas Desert Hawks, Salina Liberty, Southwest Kansas Storm, Wichita Regulators and Rapid City Marshals.
“It’s a fluent situation. You know that at the beginning of anything, there’s going to be a lot of changes right off the back,” Villagomez said. “We definitely are aware of all of this and it’s not something we’re trying to keep from everybody. This is the first that a lot of people are going to hear of this change and it’s not even a bad change. It’s just a hang tight and wait.”
During the announcement, the league revealed its new website to stream games for free called AFL Live. Local broadcasts will be shown through the service and provided by each home team without blackout restrictions.
“This will [allow the league] to focus attention to other things going on and making sure the league runs smoothly,” Villagomez said. “This is a pivotal week for the league to put the best foot forward. We’ve seen so many leagues fold because they cant deal with these situations that come up… This league is thinking forward.”
The Arena Football League and NFL Network did not respond to Arena Insider’s request for comment. This remains a developing story and more details will be released as it becomes available.
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[…] AFL officials shared the announcement on its social media channels Saturday afternoon. The decision comes days after three week one games were removed from NFL Network over communication and equipment issues. […]
[…] week one, AFL podcast host Rod Villagomez, at the time stated the league was having trouble getting people to talk together and other equipment issues. The […]