NFL will not have local TV blackouts in 2015

  • To unlock all of features of Rams On Demand please take a brief moment to register. Registering is not only quick and easy, it also allows you access to additional features such as live chat, private messaging, and a host of other apps exclusive to Rams On Demand.

Prime Time

PT
Moderator
Joined
Feb 9, 2014
Messages
20,922
Name
Peter
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/03/23/nfl-will-not-have-local-tv-blackouts-in-2015/

NFL will not have local TV blackouts in 2015
Posted by Michael David Smith on March 23, 2015

The NFL’s longstanding blackout policy appears to be a thing of the past.

The league announced today that there will be no local TV blackouts for the 2015 season. That means every game will be televised in its local market, regardless of how many tickets are sold.

For decades, the NFL has insisted that it had to protect its ticket sales by enforcing the blackout rule, which meant that fans could only watch their local teams’ home games if the game sold out 72 hours before kickoff. But last year the Federal Communications Commission took a stand against the blackout rule, and there were no blackouts in 2014.

Now it appears that there may never be a blackout again. More and more, the NFL is a television sport, and the fans expect to be able to see their teams on TV. That will be the case this year regardless of how many fans are watching the game inside the stadium.
 

iced

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
6,620

Big Game

Living The Dream
Joined
Aug 1, 2014
Messages
1,044
wow this only took forever. But glad this rule is done away with (y):party:
 

DaveFan'51

Old-Timer
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
Apr 18, 2014
Messages
18,666
Name
Dave
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/03/23/nfl-will-not-have-local-tv-blackouts-in-2015/

NFL will not have local TV blackouts in 2015
Posted by Michael David Smith on March 23, 2015

The NFL’s longstanding blackout policy appears to be a thing of the past.

The league announced today that there will be no local TV blackouts for the 2015 season. That means every game will be televised in its local market, regardless of how many tickets are sold.

For decades, the NFL has insisted that it had to protect its ticket sales by enforcing the blackout rule, which meant that fans could only watch their local teams’ home games if the game sold out 72 hours before kickoff. But last year the Federal Communications Commission took a stand against the blackout rule, and there were no blackouts in 2014.

Now it appears that there may never be a blackout again. More and more, the NFL is a television sport, and the fans expect to be able to see their teams on TV. That will be the case this year regardless of how many fans are watching the game inside the stadium.
I just wonder if, by saying 'No Black-out.' This means they won't be blacked-out on DirectTV when their on the Local TV net!? they usually are!
 

iced

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2013
Messages
6,620
Didn't the FCC squash blackouts late last year?

Apparently it didn't matter since the NFL had it negotiated into their contracts with the tv providers - so congress warned them about their antitrust exemption
 

RhodyRams

well hung member
Rams On Demand Sponsor
SportsBook Bookie
Moderator
Joined
Dec 10, 2012
Messages
11,749
http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/eye-on...ts-heres-who-voted-against-it?ftag=YHR6f8d662



NFL owners voted 31-1 to end TV blackouts, here's who voted against it
By John Breech | CBSSports.com
March 23, 2015 11:42 pm ET
When NFL owners voted on Monday to lift the league's blackout policy for the 2015 season, the measure passed, but it didn't pass unanimously. The decision to suspend blackouts came after NFL owners voted in favor of it 31-1.

So who was the lone dissenter? That would be Cincinnati Bengals owner Mike Brown.

It's not a exactly a fan-friendly move to vote in favor of keeping a TV blackouts, but Brown had his reasons for being the lone objector.

The Bengals owner told the team's official website that his lone "no" vote had nothing to do with the blackout policy and everything to do with a clause that was connected to the vote.

"I didn't vote against lifting the blackout as much as I voted against they tied to it a requirement that teams that are low-revenue teams, teams that aren't selling out, have to pay a higher visiting team share," Brown said.

Brown's problem is that he doesn't think the rule that passed with the blackout policy is fair. Under the new rule, homes teams have to split their revenue with away teams based on the revenue generated from selling 85 percent of the home team's tickets.

Generally, the home team gets to keep two-thirds of the revenue, while the away team gets one-third.

However, with the new rule, if a team doesn't sell 85 percent of its tickets, then it has to make up the difference. So if the Bengals sell 75 percent of their tickets to a game, they'd have to get that number up to 85 percent, presumably by purchasing the extra 10 percent of tickets.

Mike-Brown-Bengals-blackout-03-22-15.jpg

Mike Brown was the only owner who voted in favor of keeping blackouts. (USATSI)
"This is the first time I believe that this has ever happened, that there's a selling floor," Bengals vice president Troy Blackburn told the team's website. "We just said if you want to suspend the blackout rule, suspend it, just apply the normal ticket sharing rules, then go on… (Now) your minimum visiting team payment is at least 85 percent. So if you have to share 80 percent, you are essentially buying five percent of the stadium."

The Bengals came close to being blacked out on several occasions last season, but overall, the team hasn't had a local blackout since November 2012.

Last year, the Bengals were helped by the fact that they took advantage of the NFL's relaxed blackout policy that allowed a team to declare a sellout if it had only sold 85 percent of its seats.

The catch there was that if the Bengals sold between 86 percent to 100 percent of their seats, they had to split their revenue 50-50 with the visiting team. If sales were 85 percent or under, the Bengals got their normal two-thirds home share, but the game would get blacked out on local TV.

If the Bengals don't sell at least 85 percent of their tickets to each home game, it's going to cost them money and Brown doesn't like it.

"I find that discriminatory. I object to it. I think all teams should pay the same visiting teams share," Brown said. "I asked if that could be separated out. There didn't seem to be any interest in separating it out. It was joined in the resolution on the blackout together with lifting the blackout rule. So just to be consistent with what I said, I voted against it on principle. If it had been just the blackout rule standing alone, I would have voted to terminate the blackout. But it wasn't."

Blackburn and Brown believe that the new policy is basically a "tax on smaller markets."

"We just said if you want to suspend the blackout rule, suspend it, just apply the normal ticket sharing rules then go on," Blackburn said. "It ends up being essentially a tax on the smaller markets. Is that a good thing?"

If the Bengals are right and the policy is a "essentially a tax on smaller markets," then you have to wonder why teams like the Jaguars, Chargers, Buccaneers and Raiders didn't side with Brown and vote against it.

Either those other teams don't agree with Brown's thought process -- or they do agree, but didn't want to take the PR hit that would come with voting to keep blackouts alive in 2015.
 

Rambitious1

Rams On Demand Sponsor
Rams On Demand Sponsor
Joined
Feb 4, 2013
Messages
4,446
Name
Tom
http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2015/03/23/nfl-will-not-have-local-tv-blackouts-in-2015/

NFL will not have local TV blackouts in 2015
Posted by Michael David Smith on March 23, 2015

The NFL’s longstanding blackout policy appears to be a thing of the past.

The league announced today that there will be no local TV blackouts for the 2015 season. That means every game will be televised in its local market, regardless of how many tickets are sold.

For decades, the NFL has insisted that it had to protect its ticket sales by enforcing the blackout rule, which meant that fans could only watch their local teams’ home games if the game sold out 72 hours before kickoff. But last year the Federal Communications Commission took a stand against the blackout rule, and there were no blackouts in 2014.

Now it appears that there may never be a blackout again. More and more, the NFL is a television sport, and the fans expect to be able to see their teams on TV. That will be the case this year regardless of how many fans are watching the game inside the stadium.


giphy.gif
 

RhodyRams

well hung member
Rams On Demand Sponsor
SportsBook Bookie
Moderator
Joined
Dec 10, 2012
Messages
11,749
sorry...didnt see this one on front page

20 lashes with a wet noodle
 

MrMotes

Starter
Joined
May 6, 2014
Messages
954
Ironically, there were zero blackouts last year.

But with 3 teams threatening to leave their home markets, maybe that would've been more of an issue in 2015.

As for the DTV thing, i think they'll still force you to watch on the local channel when that's an option in your area...