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NFL Finally Suspends Outdated Blackout Rule

For forty years now, regulators have enforced a rule that blacks out local NFL games on television if locals didn't buy enough tickets to see the games. The idea at the time was to aid a young and struggling league, but as time has passed the rules have proven burdensome on communities, and an unnecessary "subsidy" for a hugely profitable NFL.

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Some four decades later and the FCC last fall, uncharacteristic fashion, voted unanimously 5-0 to end the rules, declaring the rare-show of partisan cooperation a "victory for sports fans."

While the FCC ended the rules, the NFL was still able to maintain the policy via broadcast contracts. But this week the NFL stated they'd be eliminating the blackout rule for at least this season. Political pressure from the FCC and Congress makes a return to the rule unlikely.

The decision puts a hopeful end to a practice that had long ago outlived its usefulness.

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fg8578
join:2009-04-26
San Antonio, TX

1 recommendation

fg8578

Member

Hold your horses

Since when does a one year suspension = "ending" the blackout rule?

davidc502
join:2002-03-06
Mount Juliet, TN

1 recommendation

davidc502

Member

Re: Hold your horses

There were 2 games blacked out last year, and just a few the year before that. Yes, there is money selling seats, so don't get me wrong, but CBS and FOX spend BILLIONS a year to broadcast NFL games.

I don't know how important it is to the NFL anymore.

NFLGuy
@att.net

NFLGuy to fg8578

Anon

to fg8578
He didn't say end. He said suspend.

"...suspension of the sports #blackout for 2015."

hamburglar
join:2002-04-29
united state

hamburglar

Member

Re: Hold your horses

Says "Ends" in the article title...

edit: and now "Suspends" after a refresh

fg8578
join:2009-04-26
San Antonio, TX

1 recommendation

fg8578 to NFLGuy

Member

to NFLGuy
That was not the original headline, and Bode should note that he changed it after I asked the question.

Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02

Karl Bode

News Guy

Re: Hold your horses

Thanks, yes you made a good point and so I changed the headline. Though I think it's unlikely they return to the ban given the backlash to it.

fg8578
join:2009-04-26
San Antonio, TX

fg8578

Member

Re: Hold your horses

said by Karl Bode:

Thanks, yes you made a good point and so I changed the headline. Though I think it's unlikely they return to the ban given the backlash to it.

Agreed. Don't get me wrong -- I never liked the blackout rule, but I understood why it was needed.

If local broadcasters had to blackout a game (because of the network contract with the NFL), why should cable companies be allowed to show it? That is what the FCC rule prohibited. As the copyright holder, the NFL should be able to determine who distributes their product, and on what terms. The FCC felt the NFL could dictate those terms to the cable companies just as they do the broadcast companies, so a government rule was not needed.

After this one year suspension, I guess we'll see if the FCC was right.

Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02

Karl Bode

News Guy

Re: Hold your horses

Please note I only did it because you're a fellow Cowboys fan.

fg8578
join:2009-04-26
San Antonio, TX

2 recommendations

fg8578

Member

Re: Hold your horses

said by Karl Bode:

Please note I only did it because you're a fellow Cowboys fan.

Damn, Bode -- are you a Cowboy fan? Now I gotta start being nice to you???

Karl Bode
News Guy
join:2000-03-02

1 recommendation

Karl Bode

News Guy

Re: Hold your horses

Yes, sorry to tell you. Have family in Texas and the Cowboys are in my blood.

fg8578
join:2009-04-26
San Antonio, TX

fg8578

Member

Re: Hold your horses

said by Karl Bode:

Yes, sorry to tell you. Have family in Texas and the Cowboys are in my blood.

I suppose next you'll tell me you're a Republican and a closet corporatist? All kidding aside, feel free to join my FB Cowboy page at:

»www.facebook.com/DallasC ··· ooksBlog

We talk about more than just books!

telcodad
MVM
join:2011-09-16
Lincroft, NJ

telcodad to NFLGuy

MVM

to NFLGuy
The "suspension," in this case, is effectively the end of it:
quote:
Political pressure from the FCC and Congress makes a return to the rule unlikely.

fg8578
join:2009-04-26
San Antonio, TX

fg8578

Member

Re: Hold your horses

said by telcodad:

The "suspension," in this case, is effectively the end of it:

quote:
Political pressure from the FCC and Congress makes a return to the rule unlikely.

That's an opinion, not a fact. The original headline stated it as if it were a fact -- it isn't. It might be eventually, but it isn't a fact right now.
96964493 (banned)
join:2015-01-09
USA

96964493 (banned) to fg8578

Member

to fg8578
Very true. But the FCC has to take credit for something they didn't do. Especially when they gotta pat themselves on the backs.

This blackout will be back when they find out they lost more money than they have over the last few years on ticket sales.

telcodad
MVM
join:2011-09-16
Lincroft, NJ

1 edit

telcodad

MVM

And the London game will air online

NFL to Air Game Online, Not DIRECTV Ticket
By Phillip Swann, TVPredictions.com - March 24. 2015
quote:
The National Football League this year will sell the rights to one regular season game to an online distributor rather than airing it on DIRECTV's NFL Sunday Ticket, the Wall Street Journal reports.

The newspaper writes that the decision was made yesterday at the league's owners meeting. It will be the first time the NFL will air a Sunday regular season game online rather than on the Ticket or a network or cable channel.

The game, which will feature the Jacksonville Jaguars and Buffalo Bills in week seven of the 2015 season, will be played in London and will start at 9:30 a.m. ET. It's unclear which online distributor will carry the game, but WSJ notes that YouTube and Facebook are possible candidates.
 
EDIT: Karl has a separate news item up about this now: »NFL Takes Baby Step Toward More Game Streaming Options [7] comments
moonpuppy (banned)
join:2000-08-21
Glen Burnie, MD

moonpuppy (banned)

Member

And watch for teams to start folding.....

Teams (like Jacksonville) never fill their seats and will end up either moving or folding. They simply will not have the money from seat sales to bring in a retain athletes.

hamburglar
join:2002-04-29
united state

hamburglar

Member

Re: And watch for teams to start folding.....

Seats and merchandise. When you suck and have a weak fan base, that spells trouble. Some teams like the (Cl)Browns have a die hard fan base, so even though they suck, they still make money.

trparky
Premium Member
join:2000-05-24
Cleveland, OH
·AT&T U-Verse

trparky

Premium Member

Re: And watch for teams to start folding.....

And Cleveland fans are idiots for supporting the team. Time and time and time again they do stupid crap. Do you have any idea how many coaches we've fired? Too many!

Listen up Cleveland! The coach isn't the problem, it's the players! And no one single Quarterback is going to fix the problem! You can't put all your eggs in one basket and hope for the best! Guaranteed plan for disaster.

I don't even watch them anymore. They're not called the Cardiac Kids for nothing. Heartache, heartache, and more heartache. That's all they deliver.
elefante72
join:2010-12-03
East Amherst, NY

elefante72

Member

Re: And watch for teams to start folding.....

Thats ok Manziel has a target on his back.

trparky
Premium Member
join:2000-05-24
Cleveland, OH

trparky

Premium Member

Re: And watch for teams to start folding.....

Throw the ball, turn around, get sacked. Lather, rinse, repeat.

Reminds me of old Bernie Kosar.

bockbock
@hcs.net

bockbock to trparky

Anon

to trparky
Sounds like being a Cleveland Browns fan is very very similar to being a Miami Dolphins fan. Those 'morons' have been supporting their football team since the early 70s and the team has done virtually nothing since Marino retired. 7-9 7-9 6-10 7-9 8-8 8-8 were the last records since they had that fluke 11-5 season. Oh, then there was that 1-15 season. They're called the Flukefins for a reason. lol
elefante72
join:2010-12-03
East Amherst, NY

2 recommendations

elefante72 to moonpuppy

Member

to moonpuppy
There was a big hubub in my local paper on the team ownership changes and apparently the owners make very little money on the actual seats, and that seat revenues are shared by the teams across the board. The money is made by concessions and licensing and broadcast contracts (otherwise known as the $150 cable bill). Even stadium building costs are shared. So the MO is to slam club seats at 10x the cost in there and charge for corporate. If "regular" seats are unsold while suboptimal is not the real goal of the NFL or directly the owners.

To me selling "regular" seats is like filling the Colosseum back in the roman days for background noise. The real money is in corporate, team value, ad selling, merchandising, TV/streaming contracts.

The money in sports in America is so enormous, if the average fan knew well they may not care, but $10/hr at McDonalds is minor compared to this fleecing.

bockbock
@hcs.net

bockbock to moonpuppy

Anon

to moonpuppy
Jacksonville can't fill their seats because the product stinks. Then again, even if Jax had a winning team, I highly doubt they would still fill the seats. The product is just in a piss poor market.
itguy05
join:2005-06-17
Carlisle, PA

itguy05 to moonpuppy

Member

to moonpuppy
said by moonpuppy:

Teams (like Jacksonville) never fill their seats and will end up either moving or folding. They simply will not have the money from seat sales to bring in a retain athletes.

Good riddance then. If something is not profitable then shut it down. I'm tired of subsidizing these primadonnas with taxes, higher bills, etc.

MemphisPCGuy
Taking Care Business
Premium Member
join:2004-05-09
Memphis, TN

MemphisPCGuy to moonpuppy

Premium Member

to moonpuppy
LA wants a Team, Leave my RAAIDERS alone ... take Jacksonville
existenz
join:2014-02-12

existenz

Member

Re: And watch for teams to start folding.....

STL Rams more likely.
devolved
join:2012-07-11
Rapid City, SD

devolved

Member

Re: And watch for teams to start folding.....

And LA will likely get the Chargers.

Mark_Venture
join:2000-05-31
Coatesville, PA

Mark_Venture

Member

So what impact does this have on non-local games?

Verizon's NFL mobile app has fine print stating... "Local Sunday and Primetime Games only, blackout rules apply."

If the blackout rule is lifted, does that mean we might be able to watch any game?

fg8578
join:2009-04-26
San Antonio, TX

fg8578

Member

Re: So what impact does this have on non-local games?

said by Mark_Venture:

Verizon's NFL mobile app has fine print stating... "Local Sunday and Primetime Games only, blackout rules apply."

If the blackout rule is lifted, does that mean we might be able to watch any game?

You shoud probably ask VZ that question. Most of us would be speculating (and uninformed speculation at that).

NFLzenith
@comcast.net

1 recommendation

NFLzenith

Anon

The NFL is at its zenith; all downhill from here

The NFL is worried. Lawsuits over concussion injuries; players quitting for fear of mental deterioration; rules changes reducing violence for mayhem loving fans have all started to make NFL watching less compelling. Anything that would reduce the number of fans watching on TV will be changed. Hence the end of the blackout rule.

More and more high schools and non-major conference colleges are ending football programs. As younger people become less exposed to organized football, the fewer football fans for the NFL there will be in the future.
96964493 (banned)
join:2015-01-09
USA

96964493 (banned)

Member

Re: The NFL is at its zenith; all downhill from here

NFL and NASCAR both have started to see a decline in people going to the events and supporting them. It's been going on for a few years now. The new generation does not care to support a multi-million dollar player to throw a foot ball, or support that multi million dollar race car driver to drive 100+ mph around a track 500 times. It is no sport.

••••

Flyonthewall
@teksavvy.com

Flyonthewall

Anon

Does the NFL share resources like the NHL?

Maybe that's what is needed, take some of the income and share it around.

fg8578
join:2009-04-26
San Antonio, TX

fg8578

Member

Re: Does the NFL share resources like the NHL?

said by Flyonthewall :

Maybe that's what is needed, take some of the income and share it around.

The NFL shares TV revenue equally, as well as sales of licensed merchandise through NFL Properties (31 teams only; the Cowboys share some, but not all of their merchandise sales revenue). Gate receipts are split 60/40, with the home team keeping the lion's share.

Concessions, parking, and luxury box revenue are kept by the stadium owner (i.e., not shared). Sales from special events (concerts, tractor pulls, etc.) are not shared. Revenues from stadium naming rights are not shared.

For a bunch of greedy capitalists, it sounds almost socialist!
SanJoseNerd
Premium Member
join:2002-07-24
San Jose, CA

SanJoseNerd

Premium Member

Original Purpose of the Rule

Before the blackout rule was enacted, the NFL blacked out all its games on local television, whether sold out or not. You never got to see any of your local NFL team's home games, unless you got a ticket. And for many teams tickets were impossible to get, because there was a waiting list ten years long. The NFL was definitely not "young and struggling" back then.

The original purpose of the blackout rule was to end blackouts in cases where the game was sold out -- which was almost all the games. I don't know why people are now saying that the purpose of the rule was to create blackouts. That just isn't so.