FCC Could End Blackout Rule by Fall

[ArtistFormerlyKnownAsBKR]

But read the whole thing. Not necessarily a magic bullet.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/maurybrown/2014/08/13/to-the-nfl-and-beyond-fcc-will-vote-to-lift-sports-blackout-rule-by-early-fall/

[MakoShark]

But those TV contracts are not an annually reviewed and negotiated, so they (the leagues) would have to wait until re-negotiation time to install blackout rules. On the flip side those blackout rules could be re-negotiated and tweeked every few years, and I doubt they would be in the consumers favor. IE. areas subject to blackout could increase.

[Gilded Pickle]

But those TV contracts are not an annually reviewed and negotiated, so they (the leagues) would have to wait until re-negotiation time to install blackout rules. On the flip side those blackout rules could be re-negotiated and tweeked every few years, and I doubt they would be in the consumers favor. IE. areas subject to blackout could increase.

I wouldn't be surprised if the NFL added their "blackout clause" when the current contracts were negotiated. This "pressure" from congress on the FCC has been around for awhile and only now seems to have any kind of traction. You can bet that the NFL has some decent lawyers and they may have anticipated an FCC move.

When does the current contract with the broadcasters run out?

[Wheels]

I'd like to see the blackout rules tied to public subsides. Any public subsidy should nullify a blackout rule for a particular team.

[Gilded Pickle]

I'd like to see the blackout rules tied to public subsides. Any public subsidy should nullify a blackout rule for a particular team.

That's an awesome idea!

[RTPbolt]

I agree. If you as a taxpayer have contributed to building a stadium with PUBLIC funds then maybe some rights are in existence. Problem is the terms and conditions of the agreement of the stadium buildout really should have covered this. And TV rights might not easily be tied to property buildout rights IMO.

I think blackouts are bad for the league....its the whole penalty concept. It limits the fanbase seeing games.....how can that be good? I"m a fan for life not because I got to go to a few games as a kid....i am a fan because I was able to watch games on TV as a kid. Wouldnt owners want to brainwash us as children into their team by watching games? If not then im not loyal as they would want. Build fans for life.....any marketer would be salivating at an opportunity like that. Build the brand by adding masses watching not penalizing all locals if they cant fill a few thousand seats. Getting people excited about being a fan is much better IMO. I can't attend games now because im not local but i will buy official NFL Charger gear because I was able to see games as a youth.

[BlazingBolt]

That the blackout rule sells significant amount of tickets is a myth. If they had to negotiate blackouts in to a new contract maybe the NFL would do the math and actually realize how idiotic the rule is. What it does is significantly hurt television ratings for a particular game which is a bad thing.

Can you imaging how MLB attendance would spike if they blacked out non sell out games? Idiotic.

[6025]

That the blackout rule sells significant amount of tickets is a myth. If they had to negotiate blackouts in to a new contract maybe the NFL would do the math and actually realize how idiotic the rule is. What it does is significantly hurt television ratings for a particular game which is a bad thing.

Can you imaging how MLB attendance would spike if they blacked out non sell out games? Idiotic.

My interest in baseball waned and then spiked in direct correlation to the Time Warner blackout of Fox SD.

[ArtistFormerlyKnownAsBKR]

My interest in baseball waned and then spiked in direct correlation to the Time Warner blackout of Fox SD.

You mean it spiked when they went dark or have they now resolved that issue in SD? I don't recall seeing anything on it lately.

Here in Houston, they are having the same issue with the Astros and Comcast. I've lived here three years and have never seen one of their games on TV. I've been to about 12 live games. But that's not how you build your brand. I mean, just having the games on all the time and everywhere is how you attract people to it. It's not the soundtrack of summer here at all.

[bonehead]

My interest in baseball waned and then spiked in direct correlation to the Time Warner blackout of Fox SD.

Same here, I had DirecTV for years and never saw the games ...... My interest plummeted and I've never really gone back

[6025]

You mean it spiked when they went dark or have they now resolved that issue in SD? I don't recall seeing anything on it lately.

No, my interest spiked when they resolved the issue, which happened this year. Now I watch it all the time and have gone to several games. The past few seasons I rarely followed them. They were not on TV and I found I didn't really miss it.

[floydefisher]

Or this whole thing could backfire when broadcast rights necessarily skyrocket, resulting in fewer and fewer games on regular tv, and encouraging a move to PPV to see games on tv at all.

People need to stop tinkering with this stuff....it can get much worse if they don't.