[August 06, 2011] Comcast sues DirecTV over NFL Sunday ticket ads Tweet Aug 04, 2011 (Chicago Tribune - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Comcast has sued DirecTV alleging that the satellite company is baiting consumers by advertising that its NFL Sunday Ticket service is available for free or at no extra charge. "Unfortunately for consumers, the claim of 'free' is an outright lie," according to the suit filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Comcast claims that DirecTV's strategy is to trap customers into the service, which requires a two-year contract with hefty termination fees and automatically renews itself in the second year. The service usually costs $66.99 per month for five months or $334.95 per month for one season. This information, Comcast claims, is not easily accessible to consumers. "DirectTV has gone to great lengths to conceal this fact from consumers," Comcast alleges in the suit. The cable company also claims that DirectTV is disparaging its services by falsely stating that cable subscribers cannot view multiple NFL games on Sundays during football season. DirectTV's ad campaign launched in early July and became more aggressive after the NFL Players Association and the league reached a 10-year labor agreement, which allowed the 2011 season to remain on schedule, according to the suit. The campaign also includes radio and Internet ads. DirectTV couldn't be immediately reached for comment. To see more of the Chicago Tribune, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.chicagotribune.com. Copyright (c) 2011, Chicago Tribune Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For more information about the content services offered by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services (MCT), visit www.mctinfoservices.com. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]