Blackouts- Have they out lived their usefulness?

[Chris Blount]

I thought this was interesting article. Makes me wonder if blackouts should even exist this days.

http://www.billszone.com/mtlog/archives/2005/03/26/blackouts_have_they_out_lived_their_usefulness.php

[Mark Holtz]

Hmmm.... the salary structure and the ticket prices were also probably a lot lower in the 60s than they are now.

However, there have also been complaints as to how the stations have handled the out-of-market games and how it has caused complaints with subscribers to NFL Sunday Ticket.

[oblio98]

Blackouts are the most annoying thing about "modern" TV. If we pay, we should see.

[FTA Michael]

I like the sweeping history, but I can't follow along some with the conclusions:

In the NFL, gate revenue, although split with the visiting team, is gravy. The television money has always been shared equallyAt worst, here "gravy" means "additional profit". A properly run business, such as a good sports team, should maximize profit.

(A blackout) certainly does nothing to improve attendance, as evidenced by the 49ers, and Jaguars. San Francisco has been terrible, yet continues to sell out, while Jacksonville, a relatively new and successful franchise, continues to struggle to sell tickets.The idea that attendance is not entirely based on team success neither supports nor refutes the notion that some folks would not buy game tickets if they could watch the game on TV.

In a chunk too big to quote, he suggests that the added ticket and concession revenue of extra fans in the stands would be offset by increased TV revenue if the game were telecast. However, as he mentioned earlier, the regular-season TV money gets split evenly, so each local team would get only a tiny slice of any extra broadcast revenues. and equal slices would go to those teams that already pack the stands. Besides, the argument would require reworking the TV contract, somehow bringing in extra money from the networks in exchange for lifting this blackout restriction.

Finally, I'm most sensitive to his question:Don’t the owners realize that by limiting exposure they’re tuning out the next generation of fans?Except that (a) fans are already guaranteed to have at least half of their teams' games available, and (b) under the current blackout rules, NFL fandom has grown to the point of making it the most popular sport in America.

Blackouts are no fun, but I don't think viewers have a right to watch every local game on TV for free.

[Msguy]

I agree with a previous poster. If we pay for the subscription then we should have every game available.