|
I'm sure leagues will ask networks to keep blacking out non-sold out games but this is still probably good news for fans of teams with so-so attendance.
WASHINGTON — The Federal Communications Commission voted unanimously Tuesday to eliminate its sports blackout rule, which for nearly 40 years has prevented cable and satellite systems from televising some National Football League games.
The move is unlikely to eliminate the league’s attempts to blackout games, which it can do on local broadcast channels when tickets to a game are not sold out. Because of the sport’s soaring popularity, however, only two N.F.L. games were blacked out locally last season.
The N.F.L. strongly opposed the F.C.C. action. But Commissioner Ajit Pai, a Republican, echoed the sentiments of the five the commissioners by saying: “It is not the place of the federal government to intervene in the private marketplace and help sports leagues enforce their blackout policies. It is the commission’s job to serve the public interest, not the private interests of team owners.”
While the N.F.L. and its supporters argued that eliminating the blackout rule would endanger the availability of games on free over-the-air television, members of the F.C.C. staff and commissioners said they believed that was unlikely, in part because the current N.F.L. broadcast contract extends through 2022.
“I hope the N.F.L. will seize on this opportunity to repudiate blackouts,” Tom Wheeler, the agency’s chairman, said.
Decades ago, ticket sales were a much bigger part of an N.F.L. team’s overall income. The league instituted its blackout rule because it wanted to encourage people to pay for a ticket instead of watching free on television. In some markets, games were regularly blacked out on TV.
Now, television rights contribute a majority of teams’ revenue.
The N.F.L., under its agreement with broadcast networks, will still be able to blackout a game on broadcast TV. But because of the F.C.C. vote, a cable provider could show a blacked out game in a market where the broadcast version is blocked.
“For 40 years these teams have hidden behind a rule of the F.C.C.,” Mr. Wheeler said. “No more. Everyone needs to be aware who allows blackouts to exist, and it is not the Federal Communications Commission.”
The rule will officially be repealed 30 days after a notice of the F.C.C.’s action is published in the Federal Register, which generally takes about two weeks. So it will probably be about six weeks before the blackout rule is voided.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/01/technology/fcc-eliminates-its-sports-blackout-rule.html?smid=tw-nytmedia&seid=auto ----
NBA MOCK DRAFT #1 - https://thecourierclass.com/whole-shebang/2017/5/18/2017-nba-mock-draft-1-just-lotto-and-lotta-trades
|
Printer-friendly copy 
Email this topic to a friend
Okay Sports
