CBS' NFL Coverage

[TFoA]

I remember I used to live in Mississippi, and without question, we'd get the Brett Favre game... I guess because Favre is from Mississippi, but come on, we live nowhere NEAR Green bay

[pagan696]

if you're not in a "home team" district or area, the local stations can choose what to put on for the "game of the week".

doubleheaders usually alternate Fox - CBS, but NFL rules will not allow double headers opposite when a home team game is shown locally (ie: when my Panthers play in Charlotte, the other network cannot run any game at the same time as the home game is on). now when home team's game is away, the other network may show their game opposite as part of the weeks doubleheader.

[blueclad]

As far as the secondary teams in a market go, have you considered that the stations play teams inside your primary market's division? I don't know if that's a national standard, but the stations here in southeast Kansas do a great job of showing the AFC West teams when the Chiefs aren't playing.

[wheateater]

Living in Canada, I pick up games from CBS and FOX stations in Seattle and Boston (I have this fancy time-shifting thing going on here). I do get a variety of games (usually), but the most common games are those involving the Pats, Jets, Giants and Iggles, along with the Broncos, Raiders and Seahawks. I'm a fan of the Titans, so I usually have to cross my fingers and hope maybe once or twice a season that my local Global station will pick up the CBS feed from the Dirty. Maybe not this year, but I usually want to see them play (1-3? Come on!).

[fiasco!]

i live exactly halfway between charlotte and atlanta (my town is called Central, oddly enough, for that reason).... and i always get both teams games.

gotta love directv and the sunday ticket, bitches!

[See Red]

eh, I don't have direct TV. Wish I did, though. For some reason --

it seems CBS ALWAYS plays the Raiders or Chiefs games -- Sure, Broncos fans hate the Chiefs and Raiders but it doesn't mean we want to see them get their asses kicked. I always thought the reasoning was because they were in the Broncos division, but I guess it's not. And it may just be the coverage the game itself, but it seems like the games on CBS are always boring -- they're dreadful to watch. And I don't know why but it seems like Fox always plays the Buccaneers games here -- and those are usually just as bad of games to watch.

I also hate the fact that Fox can't show a game while the Broncos are on CBS, that kills me. I would've given anything to be able to flip back and forth between Chargers/Broncos and Colts/Packers.

[pagan696]

Blackout Policy

To ensure an NFL club's ability to sell all of its game tickets, and to make televised games more attractive to viewers through the presence of sellout crowds, the following policy is observed by the NFL:

For a home game to be aired locally in the franchised market and in any secondary blackout market(s), the game must be sold out 72 hours in advance of kickoff. If the game is not a sellout by the 72 hour cutoff, both the home franchised market and the secondary markets of the carrying network will air an alternate game.

Number of Games in a Market

With regard to the number of NFL games seen in a particular market on a Sunday afternoon, there are three different situations.

1. An NFL franchised market (i.e. New York, Chicago, Dallas, etc.).

On a week when the NFL team (or teams) in a market is on the ROAD Sunday, Monday or Thursday night or Saturday afternoon, the market will receive three Sunday afternoon games... two telecasts by the network with the doubleheader week and one game by the network with the single game week. When an NFL team in the market is playing at HOME on Sunday afternoon, the market will receive two games... one game on FOX and one game on CBS, regardless of which network has the doubleheader week. Unless 1) the home team's assigned telecaster that day (CBS or FOX) is also on the doubleheader network and 2) the game is sold out 72 hours in advance. Then the three games would be the home team's and two other games in the remaining early or late window.

2. All other television markets (including secondary blackout markets).

Network affiliates in these markets will receive three games on Sunday afternoon, two on the doubleheader network (one early and one late) and one game on the single game network (either early or late).

Selection of Games to be Telecast Regionally

By network contract, all team road games must be telecast back to that team's home territory (franchised market and secondary blackout markets).

Other than the above requirement, the televising network is the sole selector of which game(s) will be aired in all markets.

Key points about blackouts:

1. Blackout restrictions can apply to professional or college sports. They are imposed to protect the in-market rights holder on an out-of-market or national broadcast feed.

2. Regional sports networks (RSNs) do not provide professional sports from outside their local coverage areas. They do provide professional sports within their own regions. Of course, they also provide non-professional sports events.

3. If a national broadcasting service such as ABC, NBC, CBS, or FOX has the national rights to broadcast a pro basketball, hockey, or baseball game, customers will be unable to receive that game through their DIRECTV subscription(s). But if a service that DIRECTV carries, such as ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, TBS, WGN or USA has the national rights to broadcast a game, subscribers will be able to receive it through their subscription, although some of these games are also subject to blackout. Regional sports networks do not obtain national broadcast rights to professional sports.

4. If a local over-the-air broadcast channel or local cable system has the rights to broadcast a pro game in a certain region, customers in that area will be unable to receive that game through their DIRECTV subscription(s). If a regional sports network that DIRECTV carries has the local rights to broadcast a game, customers within the region will receive it through their DIRECTV regional sports network subscription. Customers outside of the region will receive it through the appropriate out-of-market pro sports subscription.

5. All sold-out NFL games are televised locally and on NFL SUNDAY TICKET. The only time a game is blacked-out, is if it fails to sell out at least 72 hours before the game. If it is blacked out on your local broadcast station and on cable, it will also be blacked out in your area on NFL SUNDAY TICKET. Each stadium's local blackout area is defined by the broadcast signal of the local affiliate carrying the game, not by the mileage surrounding the stadium. To find out if your home is inside the local broadcast area, call DIRECTV at 1-800-GET-SPORTS, and ask one of our entertainment consultants to check your zip code against our master list.

Reasons for NFL blackouts:

To make sure the team benefits from a stadium full of enthusiastic fans.

To protect home game attendance of the teams.

To assure the entertainment value of a full stadium -- for people in the stands and for people watching TV.

6. If you live in a zip code that is within a team's territory, you will not see that team's games with a MLB EXTRA INNINGS subscription. For example, residents in Oklahoma City are in four teams' home territories: Astros, Rangers, Cardinals and Royals. These residents will see these teams on their local RSN, and on two additional local RSNs they can receive with the Total Choice GOLD or PLATINUM packages.

Here are two important things to remember:

In market definition: Your zip code is in a Major League Baseball designated home team territory. (This correspond with the home team territory assigned by your in-market RSN. Therefore, in certain parts of the country, a subscriber may have to upgrade to Total Choice GOLD or PLATINUM to receive additional in-market RSNs, and thus view additional home teams). You can find out what home teams you are eligible to view by calling 1-800-GET SPORTS.

Out of Market definition: If your zip is not in a team's home territory (as defined by MLB) you will see that team's games if they are included in MLB EXTRA INNINGS. If the team you are trying to watch is playing a team in whose territory you reside you are considered to be in-market for that game.

In-market subscribers can see Major League Baseball games on their local RSN or their local over the air broadcast stations.

You can see out-of-market Major League Baseball games with MLB EXTRA INNINGS. If a subscriber lives in the home team boundaries of a team that is not featured on their in-market RSN, they will see that team through additional in-market RSNs available via a Gold or Platinum upgrade and not on MLB EXTRA INNINGS. A good rule to remember is a subscriber will not see a team that claims that subscribers zip code as part of the team's "home team" territory play on MLB EXTRA INNINGS.

A blackout will be applied to both home and away teams -- even when the team is not being televised locally. MLB EXTRA INNINGS blackouts are consistent throughout the year -- the definition of the blackout remains the same no matter what carrier broadcasts the game.

Two national networks also have rights to broadcast Major League Baseball games: ESPN and FOX (the national network - not FOX Sports, which may be your local RSN).

ESPN has national broadcast rights for Major League Baseball games on Wednesday an Sunday nights after 5:05 p.m. ET (2:05 p.m. PT). Look for Wednesday and Sunday night games on ESPN, or on your local Regional Sports Network.

Beginning May 30, FOX will broadcast Major League Baseball games on Saturday afternoons. So, while you will not be able to see Saturday mourning or afternoon games on MLB EXTRA INNINGS, you will be able to see games that begin after 7 PM ET on Saturday evening.

Games on WGN, which feature the Chicago Cubs, an on TBS, which feature the Atlanta Braves, will be seen on Total Choice, Total Choice Plus Encore, or Total Choice Gold, Silver or Platinum.

Sports blackouts may seem confusing, but the concept is simple. Blackouts protect the in-market rights holder from the out-of-market coverage coming into the local area. Remember, blackout restrictions apply so not all customers receive every game in every subscription. But through a combination of subscriptions, customers can come closer than they ever thought possible to viewing their game of choice.

[rockchalk]

I've always lived in the same market as blueclad and I agree, they do a great job of always putting on AFC West games when the Chiefs aren't on, but, like InTheEnd, that isn't always a great thing, especially when the division is horrible, or a game is completely meaningless. This year, I moved to KU, where we have KC stations and I'm still getting used to blackout rules when the Chiefs are out of town.

[mac]

In columbus the local network has a choice of which game they wish to air, 90% of the time they'll show the browns if the bengals and browns arent playing each other and are playing other teams at the same time, although they aired the last two bengals games over the browns which made me happy.