New York ? The NFL has offered one free week of its network programming to two cable TV operators who do not carry the channel in hopes of breaking a deadlock.

Commissioner Roger Goodell told the Associated Press on Tuesday that the week of Dec. 24-30 would be offered as a “free view” for customers of Cablevision and Time Warner Cable, two of the nation’s largest cable carriers. The NFL Network would be offered on the expanded basic levels of the two carriers.

Neither Cablevision nor Time Warner carries NFL Network. Three regular-season Thursday night games already have not been available to those customers – except in the markets of the participating teams, where the games aired on broadcast stations.

It is not unusual for cable channels such as HBO and Showtime to offer such free weeks to increase their subscribers.

Although the free view will not include the Saturday night game between the New York Giants and Washington Redskins, it will include the Texas Bowl featuring Rutgers vs. Kansas State on Dec. 28 and the Insight Bowl with Minnesota vs. Texas Tech on Dec. 29.

“This morning we are communicating to Time Warner and Cablevision that we are going to give them an opportunity for what we call a free view,” Goodell said. “Cable operators do it all the time. It’s so that the consumer can experience our network for a week and get the two college bowl games.”

The Texas Bowl not being available to many viewers in New York has become a contentious issue because Rutgers is coming off its best Big East season and has become a popular team in the area. The NFL Network owns the rights to the Rutgers-Kansas State bowl game at Reliant Stadium in Houston.