The broadcast blackout rule, which blocks US sports events from being shown live on television in their local market unless all tickets to attend the event have been sold, could be scrapped under a proposal being considered by the Federal Communications Commission, the country’s media regulator.
The New York Times said the commission would consult the public on whether to eliminate the regulation. Five fan groups teamed up in November to form an umbrella group, the Sports Fans Commission, which filed a petition to the FCC against the rule, which they said “supports anti-fan, anti-consumer behaviour by professional sports leagues.”
Brian Frederick, executive director of the Sports Fans Coalition, said: “We’re asking the government to get out of the business of propping up sports blackouts. The FCC has had the rule since the 1970s and has never taken a comprehensive look at it.”
American football’s National Football League supports the existing regulation, which prevents local and national broadcasters from televising its matches in the home team’s market unless all tickets have been sold 72 hours before kick-off. The NFL claims the rule ensures a team’s “ability to sell all of its game tickets” and makes televised games “more attractive to viewers through the presence of sell-out crowds.” There were 16 NFL blackouts in 2011.
The commission will accept comments from the public on the issue until the middle of February.