Sunday's noon Vikings and Cardinals game from the Metrodome will be televised on Fox and since Fox is an over-the-air network, there'll be no problem in watching the game.
That won't be the case next Thursday, however, when the Vikings host Tampa Bay.
That game, with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff, will be televised on the NFL Network. If you have access to the NFL Network or Twin Cities-based NBC affiliate KARE (channel 11), fine, you will have no problem.
KARE is the only non-cable station which will carry the game, and is not part of Charter Communications.
And through Charter, the NFL Network is available on a number of its digital tiers, including Digital View Plus, Sports View, Digi-Tier 1 and Digi-Tier 2.
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Charter subscribers can subscribe to any of these tiers for no more than $10 a month.
In August 2011, Charter and the NFL Network reached a long-term agreement to carry the channel.
The NFL Network is also available on DirecTV.
St. Charles native Brad Nessler will return "home'' to call the Vikings-Bucs game on the NFL Network.
• For a long time, Time Warner Cable, the country's second largest cable network with some 12 million subscribers, was the only cable TV provider that was not offering the NFL Network.
That changed earlier this week when the two sides reached an agreement to carry the channel.
The network will be a part of Time Warner's basic digital cable package.
The NFL Network was launched in 2003.
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Reportedly, the NFL Network charges 95 cents per subscriber per month in affiliate fees, one of the most expensive among cable networks. But it's still a long distance from ESPN, which charges $5.15 per subscriber per month.
This season, the NFL placed five additional regular-season games on the NFL Network. Previously, it had televised eight.
Around the tube
• Saturday's Minnesota at Wisconsin game will have a limited viewing audience as well. The kickoff is 11 a.m. on ESPNU, which is available on Charter Communications on Digital View, Digi-Tier 1, Sports View and Digi-Tier 2,
• The Green Bay at St. Louis game (noon Sunday on Fox) will not be available to watch locally. It airs the same time as the Vikings-Arizona game, also on Fox.
• Tim McCarver, who turned 71 on Tuesday, will be working a record 23rd World Series, which starts Wednesday on Fox.
With no rainouts, the seventh game of the World Series will be played on Thursday, Nov. 1.
• Atlanta Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez will be a part of the Fox NFL studio show on Sunday. The Falcons have a bye this week.
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• The Baltimore Ravens lost linebacker Ray Lewis for the season with a torn triceps. ESPN, it is said, is among the networks seeking his services as a studio analyst.
• The announcers for the Vikings-Cardinals game are Chris Myers, Tim Ryan and Jaime Maggio, and is available to 12 percent of the country.
• Bob Brenly won't be back in the WGN-TV booth next year, covering the Chicago Cubs. He says he is looking for another baseball broadcasting position. Brenly leaves the team after eight years and a 101-game losing season.
• The NBA season is right around the corner, and when it does start, ESPN and ABC will have a new-look pregame show. Bill Simmons and ESPN analyst Jalen Rose will join Magic Johnson and Michael Wilbon on the set. They make their debut on Friday, Nov. 2 preceding the ESPN doubleheader between Miami and New York and Clippers and Lakers.
Simmons and Rose are replacing Jon Barry and Chris Broussard, who are moving to other roles.
