Tom Wheeler, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission in the United States, has said the media regulator will vote on September 30 on a proposal to end the ‘blackout’ rule that blocks certain sports events from being shown live on television in their local market if they fail to meet a specified level of ticket sales.
In 1975 the FCC enacted rules barring cable television from airing a game that has been blacked out on the local television station because it was not sold out – strengthening the blackout policy of the NFL American football league.
Under NFL rules, a game is ‘blacked out’ in the local television market unless it has sold out 72 hours before kick-off. The league is fighting to retain the policy, but Wheeler has said the rules “make no sense at all” in the current marketplace.
Writing in a column in the USA Today newspaper, Wheeler continued: “The sports blackout rules are a bad hangover from the days when barely 40 per cent of games sold out and gate receipts were the league's principal source of revenue. Last weekend, every single game was sold out. More significantly, pro football is now the most popular content on television.
“NFL games dominated last week's ratings, as usual, and the Super Bowl has effectively become a national holiday. With the NFL's incredible popularity, it's not surprising that last year the League made $10bn (€7.75bn) in revenue and only two games were blacked-out.”
Wheeler said the blackout policy remains a “real concern” for teams and fans, citing last season’s examples of the Cincinnati Bengals, Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts having to rely on local businesses to buy blocks of tickets during the playoffs to meet the 72-hour cut off point for a ‘sell out’.
He added: “The most egregious case was in Green Bay, where the weather forecast called for a low of minus-15 degrees. Despite decades of unbelievable fan support and loyalty – Green Bay had sold out every regular season game since 1959 – local Packer fans were effectively told that if more people didn't buy tickets to go freeze, the rest of the community wouldn't be able to watch the game on TV.
“Today, we are blowing the whistle on this anti-fan practice. The NFL should no longer be able to hide behind government rules that punish loyal fans, which is why I am sending to my fellow commissioners a proposal to get rid of the FCC's blackout rules once and for all. It fulfils a commitment I made in June. We will vote on the proposal on September 30.”
Wheeler concluded: “The bottom line is the NFL no longer needs the government's help to remain viable. And we at the FCC shouldn't be complicit in preventing sports fans from watching their favourite teams on TV. It's time to sack the sports blackout rules for good.”