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Currently, five American Television Networks ( CBS , NBC , FOX , ESPN , and the NFL Network ) are paying a combined total of US$ 3.1 billion per year to broadcast NFL games. However, the league imposes several strict television policies to ensure that stadiums are filled and sold out, to maximize TV ratings, and to help leverage content on these networks. CURRENT BROADCASTING CONTRACTS The TV rights to the NFL are the most lucrative and expensive rights not only of any American sport, but of any American entertainment property. With the fragmentation of audiences due to the increased specialization of broadcast and cable TV networks, sports remain one of the few entertainment properties that not only can guarantee a large and diversified audience, but an audience that will watch in real time. Annually, the Super Bowl often ranks among the most watched shows of the year. Four of Nielsen Media Research 's top 10 programs are Super Bowls Nielson's Top 10 Ratings: Top 10 Network Telecasts of All Time . Networks have purchased a share of the broadcasting rights to the NFL as a means of raising the entire network's profile. McKenna, Barrie "NBC hoping NFL, Internet will lead comeback", globeandmail.com, retrieved on October 30, 2006 Under the current television contracts, which began during the 2006 season, regular season games are broadcast on five networks: Regional games With these current contacts, the regional Sunday day games are broadcast on CBS and FOX. CBS has broadcast rights to all regional AFC intraconference games, and FOX has all rights to regional NFC intraconference games. Interconference games are given to the network that is the normal broadcast partner for the ''away'' team. In 1970, when the blackout was in place, this assured that the Sunday road games would all be seen on the same station, while still allowing each network access to every stadium in the league. Three games are broadcast in any one market each week, with one network getting a "double-header" each week (the 1:00 p.m. and 4:15 p.m. ET/1:15 p.m. PT games) while the other network broadcasting ''either'' the 1:00 p.m. ET or the 4:15 p.m. ET game. The double-header network alternates each week for the first 16 weeks, with both networks having a double-header in week 17. "NFL agrees to 6-year extensions with CBS, Fox" ESPN.com, Nov 9 2004 NFL TV and Radio Broadcast Partner Schedule, NFL.com Since 1973, the NFL has what is known as a "Blackout Rule" that has been part of its standard broadcast contract. A regionally broadcast game is "blacked out" in its home market if it does not sell out within 72 hours of its air time, and it will ''not'' be shown in the local market; another game will be substituted in its place. This is to encourage ticket sales at stadiums. "Please explain the NFL Broadcast rules in NYC area", October 23, 2005 Ask MetaFilter, Retrieved November 3, 2006 . The rule is specifically exempted from U.S. anti-trust law (Title 15, Sec. 1292 of the U.S. Code), as it would normally not be allowed under standard laws. Sports bars and taverns in various places in the U.S. have been sued by the NFL for attempting to circumvent this rule. "NFL Sues California Bars for Violating 'Black-out' Rule, November 10, 1999, Sports Law News, Retrieved November 2, 2006 Maloney, Rick, "NFL blackout crackdown aided by spurned taverns", February 14, 1997, Business First of Buffalo, Retrieved November 2, 2006 National games National broadcasts of marquee match-ups usually occur on Sunday and Monday nights, and later in the season (after the completion of the , 4:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. PT, or 4:15 p.m. ET/1:15 p.m. PT. to the prime-time slot, and possibly move one or more 1:00 p.m. ET slotted games to the 4:00 p.m. ET slots. This is to have the best game of each week broadcast on national over-the-air television. During the last week of the season, the league could also re-schedule games as late as six days before the contests so that all of the television networks will be able to broadcast a game that has playoff implications. Both FOX and CBS have the right to "protect" 5 games (each) when flexible scheduling for Weeks 11-17 are in place. This allows FOX and CBS to protect at least one marquee game to show on a national scale. Both networks are also allowed to move a 1:00 p.m. ET slotted game to 4:05 p.m. ET or 4:15 p.m. ET during this time of the season. [http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/sports/15867908.htm] NBC also has broadcast rights to the opening Thursday Night game, which replaces a game taken away when the league omits a Sunday night game during the opening weekend of the '' has been moved from longtime partner ABC to ESPN (though it should be noted that both are properties of Disney ). Additionally, the recently created NFL Network will broadcast eight Thursday and Saturday night games for the league starting with a newly-created third Thanksgiving Day game. [http://www.nfl.com/nflnetwork/story/9398370 "Bryant Gumbel, Cris Collinsworth to announce NFL Network games", NFL News, NFL.com, April 26, 2006] NFL TV and Radio Broadcast Partner Schedule, NFL.com NFL Sunday Ticket Also, satellite broadcast company DirecTV offers NFL Sunday Ticket, a subscription-based package, that allows most Sunday daytime regional games to be watched. NFL Sunday Ticket is subject to the same blackout rules as broadcast networks. NFL Sunday Ticket NFL Sunday Ticket This package is exclusive to DirecTV in the USA. In Canada, NFL Sunday Ticket is available on a per-provider distribution deal on both cable and satellite. TELEVISION POLICIES The NFL imposes several television and blackout policies to maximize TV ratings and to ensure that stadiums are filled and sold out. Sunday regional coverage Except for '' Monday Night Football '', '' Sunday Night Football '', games aired on the NFL Network , and other selected contests, most of the regular season games are regionally televised on Sunday afternoon by CBS and FOX . In other words, each game is only broadcast to certain Media Market s in the United States instead of the entire country. Normally, all media markets receive three games during each Sunday of the regular season: two games by the television network (either CBS or FOX) showing the " Doubleheader " and one single game by the network showing the single game. The network with the doubleheader televises one game in the "early" time slot (1 p.m. ET /10 a.m. PT ) and the other game in the "late" time slot (4:15 ET/1:15 p.m. PT). The network with the single game is also assigned contests in both the early and late time slot but can only show one game in each market. Because of that, the single-game network airs the late time slot games ten minutes earlier at 4:05 ET/1:05 p.m. PT. The designated "doubleheader" network for each Sunday is determined by the league when it creates the regular season schedule, but it is generally roughly split equally between CBS and FOX. In determining this selection, the NFL has traditionally honored the networks' other major broadcasting commitments. For the past few decades, the league has always let CBS be the single-game network (and only show 1:00 games) during the week it televises the Men's when Fox has had to telecast a baseball game at 4:00 p.m. ET. Starting in the 2006 NFL Season , both CBS and FOX are given eight total doubleheaders during the first sixteen weeks of the regular season. Both networks will air doubleheaders in the last week of the season to provide national coverage of contests with playoff implications (excluding the markets guaranteed their local teams). Which games get shown in what particular markets are determined by the following factors: First, each home team's "primary media market," the market in which the team is physically located, must televise all of the away games involving the local team (a vestige of the days when ''only'' road games were shown), and all of the home games, provided that they are sold out at least 72 hours prior to kickoff (or else, they are subject to blackout, '' See Below ''). In addition, the league also designates "secondary markets," media markets adjoining primary markets (generally penetrating within 75 miles of a stadium but ''not'' having their own team) that are also required to show the local team. Generally, these secondary markets must show the road games but are not obligated to show the designated team's home games. Their decision on whether to show home games typically depends on whether or not the NFL-designated local team is perceived to be the most popular in the market. In all other markets, the networks are the sole arbiters of what game gets shown where. However, they usually make their decisions after consulting with all of their local affiliates. In some rarer occasions, some affiliates are offered a choice of a few games for a given time-slot, if there is not one game that stands out as appropriate. In those cases, sometimes affiliates allow viewers to vote on which game will air. During the afternoon, CBS and FOX may switch a media market's game to a more competitive one, particularly when a contest becomes one-sided. For this to happen, one of the teams must normally be ahead by at least 18 points in the second half. However, due to the incident involving the " Heidi Game ", a primary media market must show its local team's game in its entirety, and secondary markets usually follow suit. Additionally, if the local team's game is in the late time-slot on the doubleheader network, the primary and secondary markets may be required to switch coverage from the early game to the start of the late game regardless of how long the first game still is, so that the local team's contest can be shown in its entirety. This is usually accompanied by an apology that the NFL's TV contract does not allow them to show any more of the early game live. The network usually shows updates and highlights as soon as they happen. NFL Sunday Ticket viewers are unaffected, except to the extent that game blackouts might change as a result. For this reason, the New York Giants and New York Jets are never scheduled on the same network on the same day (unless they play each other) because they both share the same primary media market. The San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders are treated likewise. Otherwise, the networks could theoretically have to cut away from one team's game to show the other team. In general, the league never schedules the Giants and the Jets to play their games at the same time (except for a head-to-head meeting), and the same usually goes for the 49ers and the Raiders, though this can mean one of those teams will play a road game at 10:00 AM PT. 1 The same principles which apply to the New York and San Francisco markets were also in effect when the Rams and Raiders shared the Los Angeles market from 1982-94. Like San Francisco, this often meant the Rams or Raiders would be scheduled for a 10 a.m. PT start when on the road. The Washington Redskins and Baltimore Ravens are served by separate media markets, and so they can play at the same time (and if at home, viewers in that team's market will only see that game). Sunday bonus coverage When a media market's regionally televised game ends before the others, the network (CBS or FOX) may switch to "bonus coverage" of the ending of another game. However, the league imposes a couple of restrictions that are designed to maximize the TV ratings of the late games on the doubleheader network, which tend to record the most NFL viewers during the day (often beating the audience for Sunday night games). First, bonus coverage offered after any early time slot games cannot be shown past the start of the late time slot (either 4:05 or 4:15 ET). This prevents people from continuing to watch the bonus coverage instead of seeing the beginning of the late doubleheader network's game (which is usually either their local team or the network's featured game). Again, the networks may show highlights of the game after the fact, and usually will at the earliest convenience. The single-header network will sometimes show each play as soon as it ends as part of its post-game show. Second, bonus coverage cannot be shown after a late game on the single game network because it will run in opposition to the ending of the late doubleheader network's game(s) and NBC's pre-game show. However, the single-game network usually schedules most of its top games in the early 1:00 ET time slot (except for West Coast teams' home games, and possibly either a Giants' or Jets' road game), so this does not tend to be a major issue. If the doubleheader network's games all finish before 7:30 ET, it is supposed to conclude the post-game show within 10 minutes to protect NBC's pre-game show. If any games finish after 7:30, the post-game can run until 8:00 ET. However, this restriction seems to apply to game footage only; on several occasions FOX has run its post-game to 8:00, despite all games ending before 7:30, by airing only panel discussions and interviews in the latter portion of the show. On the other hand, CBS very rarely airs any post-game show after its doubleheaders, because '' 60 Minutes '' is one of its signature shows, and every effort is made to start it as close to 7:00 (its traditional airtime) as possible. The rule generally seems targeted at FOX, which heavily promotes its ''O.T.'' show to compete with NBC (or ESPN prior to 2006). These restrictions may not apply during the one week NBC does not have a Sunday night game. Flexible-scheduling Starting with the 2006 Season , the NFL will use a "flexible-scheduling" system for the last seven weeks of the regular season where there is a Sunday night game. The system is designed so that the league has the flexibility in selecting games to air on Sunday night that will feature the current hottest, streaking teams. Under the system, all Sunday games in the affected weeks will tentatively have the "early" start time of 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT, except those played in the Pacific or Mountain time zones, which will have the tentative start time of 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT. On the Tuesday 12 days before the games, the league will move one game to the prime-time slot, and possibly move one or more 1 p.m. slotted games to the 4 p.m. slot. During the last week of the season, the league could re-schedule games as late as six days before the contests so that as many of the television networks as possible will be able to broadcast a game that has playoff implications. Nationally televised games on cable To maximize TV ratings, games televised on ESPN, the NFL Network, or any other cable station are simulcast on a local broadcast station in each of the primary markets of both teams. Stations in secondary markets may sometimes also offer these games. In recent years, the NFL has changed to a syndicated package for games on ESPN and the NFL Network, to be bid by television stations in those markets. To date, the league has never awarded broadcasting rights of a playoff or Super Bowl game to any cable television network or DBS service, though many league owners and executives have suggested that this will happen in the not-too-distant future. Blackout policies Since 1973, the NFL has maintained a blackout policy that states that a home game cannot be televised locally if it is not sold out within 72 hours prior to its start time. Prior to 1973, all games were blacked out in their city of origin regardless of whether they were sold out. This policy, dating back to the NFL's emerging years on television, resulted in home-city blackouts that even extended to championship games. For instance, the 1958 "Greatest Game Ever Played" between the Baltimore Colts and New York Giants was not available on TV to New York fans despite the fact that tickets were out of reach to most. For years, Giants fans would migrate to Connecticut motel rooms every home weekend where they could watch the games beamed on Hartford / New Haven 's CBS affiliate WTIC (Channel 3). Although that policy was successfully defended in court numerous times, Congress passed legislation requiring the NFL to impose the 72-hour deadline. However, the league will sometimes extend this deadline to 48 hours if there are only a few thousand tickets left unsold. Alternatively, some NFL teams have arrangements with local TV stations or businesses to buy-up unsold tickets (or tickets that the visiting team returns) to ensure a sellout. Tickets in premium "club" sections have also been excluded from the blackout rule in past years. The Jacksonville Jaguars have even gone further and closed off a number of sections at their home Jacksonville Municipal Stadium to reduce the number of tickets they would need to sell (Jacksonville Municipal Stadium is one of the largest in the NFL, as it was built to also accommodate the annual Florida-Georgia Game and the Gator Bowl , but Jacksonville is the smallest market in the league). However, the NFL requires that this be done for every home game in a given season if a team elects such an option, so that they can't try to sellout the entire stadium only when they expect to be able to do so. The NFL defines "locally" as within a 75-mile radius of the stadium. Therefore, a TV blackout affects any market whose broadcast signal penetrates into the 75-mile radius. Some primary media markets, such as Denver and Phoenix, may cover that entire radius and so the blackout would not affect any other markets. An exception to the 75-mile rule is the market area for the Green Bay Packers , which stretches out to both the Green Bay and Milwaukee television markets (the team's Radio Flagship Station is in Milwaukee, and two Packer home games a year were played at Milwaukee County Stadium until 1994). However, blackout rules rarely come into effect for the Packers, due a four-decade long streak of sellouts and a years-long season ticket list. Another policy to ensure a filled-up stadium is that no other NFL games can air on local TV at the same time as a team's home game in the club's primary market. This is to prevent ticket-holders from opting to watch the other locally televised NFL game instead of showing up at the stadium. Thus when a team's home game is on the network showing a single game, the network televising the doubleheader can only broadcast one game into that club's primary market; instead of showing a second game in the same time slot as the home game, the doubleheader network's local station must broadcast alternative programming (often movies or infomercials). When the doubleheader network has a team's home game, the other station might program the time themselves or air some other network programming scheduled for the non-NFL time-slot. Each TV market, including one hosting a non-sold-out game, is assured of at least one televised game in the early and late time slots, one game on each network, but no "network doubleheader" in a market originating a non-sold-out game. The New York and San Francisco Bay Area media markets typically get fewer doubleheaders than other markets since each has two teams, and one of them is at home virtually every week. The main exception is when one of the teams is idle, has its home game televised on the doubleheader network, or is chosen for a prime-time game. This policy affects only the club's primary market, not others with signals that penetrate inside the 75-mile radius. It also does not affect viewers of NFL Sunday Ticket in the primary market; all other games remain available. If a home game is blacked out locally because it is not sold out before the 72-hour deadline, one of the following things will happen:
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