Does Comcast really WANT to make money?

I know it's now verboten to speak of illegal streaming of games here, and I hope this post doesn't violate that policy. However, a recent development caught my eye, and it got me thinking: Why is Comcast so opposed to cashing in on the Blazers' success? Read past the jump for my advice to Comcast. Heck, I'm even giving it for FREE, so I'm making them money right away!

Without divulging my means of coming by this knowledge, I know of a certain video streamer, using a certain video streaming service, who, in just a few weeks, managed to pull in over $1,000 in donations just so people could get a password to see the game. A password that usually showed up here (until it was forbidden) within a few minutes. So, if you could get in for free, why pay? Apparently for guaranteed re-entry when the stream was inevitably pulled by The Man, otherwise known as Comcast the Copyright Holder.

So if a fly-by-night operation, using a free online service to stream the game (and reportedly in much better quality and reliability than the Blazers themselves have been able to do) could pull in heavy cash in suggested donations, why is Comcast so blind to this untapped revenue stream?

It's endemic of the old guard of media these days, it seems, to completely lambaste the piracy of copyrighted material, while doing nothing to take the temptation away.

Earth to Comcast: The Blazers' fanbase is RABID. They would pay dearly for the chance to watch their team on a nightly basis. Globally, not just in the local broadcast area. I bet they'd buy online broadcast packages instead of going to an illegal website just for a chance to catch some of the game. I bet they'd even pay a few bucks per contest, or they'd buy package deals, or... I don't know, a whole freakin' season!

I'm not hip to the legal ramifications, and it could be some NBA rule keeping this from happening, but as far as I know even NBA.com's streaming broadband games are blocked out in the team's local area, so I'm pretty sure Comcast is the one in the way, not the other way around.

If you can't get the Satellite companies to see it your way, why not go around them? You still make the money, Blazer fans perhaps don't hate you quite so vehemently, and you look like you actually care about the teams you cover, as opposed to coming off as a big corporate giant, too concerned with your subscriber numbers to realize the bottom line is passing you by.

Just my two-cents worth. Or my $3.99/game worth. Whichever you prefer, Comcast.