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The television rights to broadcast National Football League (NFL) games are the most lucrative and expensive rights of any sport. It was television that brought professional American football into prominence in the modern era of technology. Since then, NFL broadcasts have become among the most-watched programs on American television, and the fortunes of entire networks have rested on owning NFL broadcasting rights.
Currently, three American terrestrial television networks (CBS, NBC and Fox), as well as cable television's ESPN are paying a combined total of $21.4 billion to broadcast NFL games. However, the league imposes several strict television policies to ensure that stadiums are filled and sold out, to maximize TV ratings, and to help leverage content on these networks. League-owned NFL Network, also on cable television, broadcasts 7 games per season nationally.
NFL preseason telecasts are more in line with the other major sports leagues' regular season telecasts, in that there are more locally-produced telecasts, usually by a local affiliate of one of the above terrestrial television networks. Some preseason games will air nationally, however.
The TV rights to the NFL are the most lucrative and expensive rights not only of any American sport, but of any American entertainment property. With the fragmentation of audiences due to the increased specialization of broadcast and cable TV networks, sports remain one of the few entertainment properties that not only can guarantee a large and diversified audience, but an audience that will watch in real time.
Annually, the Super Bowl often ranks among the most watched shows of the year. Four of Nielsen Media Research's top 10 programs are Super Bowls [1]. Networks have purchased a share of the broadcasting rights to the NFL as a means of raising the entire network's profile. [2]
Under the current television contracts, which began during the 2006 season, regular season games are broadcast on five networks: CBS, FOX, NBC, ESPN, and The NFL Network.
With these current contracts, the regional Sunday afternoon games are broadcast on CBS and FOX. CBS has broadcast rights to all regional AFC intra-conference games, and FOX has all rights to regional NFC intra-conference games. Inter-conference games are broadcast by the network that is the normal broadcast partner for the away team's conference. In 1970, when the NFL and AFL merged, and home blackouts were put into place for AFC games (the AFL had lifted these during its run), this assured that all Sunday road games would be seen on the same network, while allowing both networks access to every stadium in the league. Three games (with some exceptions, see below) are broadcast in any one market each Sunday afternoon, with one network getting a "double-header" each week (the 1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT and 4:15 p.m. ET/1:15 p.m. PT games) while the other network broadcasting either a 1:00 p.m. ET or a 4:05 p.m. ET game.
During the first sixteen weeks of the schedule, both FOX and CBS are given eight double-headers apiece. The two networks alternate double-headers, but not necessarily week-in and week-out. For example, in early October, CBS typically airs two or three consecutive double-header weekends, while FOX opts for single-headers those weeks due to their concurrent coverage of the Baseball playoffs. Due to CBS's annual coverage of the U.S. Open, FOX has usually had exclusive double-header coverage of opening weekend since 1998. Starting in 2006, both networks air a double-header in week 17National broadcasts of marquee match-ups usually occur on Sunday and Monday nights, and later in the season (after the completion of the NCAA football season) on Thursday and Saturday nights as well. NBC has broadcast rights to Sunday night games. These are broadcast under a special "flexible schedule" that allows Sunday games (on the last seven weeks of the season that contain a Sunday night game) to be moved from the normal start time of 1:00 p.m. ET/10:00 a.m. PT, 4:00 p.m. ET/1:00 p.m. PT, or 4:15 p.m. ET/1:15 p.m. PT. to the prime-time slot, and possibly move one or more 1:00 p.m. ET slotted games to the 4:00 p.m. ET slots. This is to have the best game of each week broadcast on national over-the-air television.
During the last week of the season, the league could also re-schedule games as late as six days before the contests so that all of the television networks will be able to broadcast a game that has playoff implications. Both FOX and CBS have the right to "protect" five games each when flexible scheduling for Weeks 11-17 are in place. This allows FOX and CBS to protect at least one marquee game to show on a national scale. Both networks are also allowed to move a 1:00 p.m. ET slotted game to 4:05 p.m. ET or 4:15 p.m. ET during this time of the season. [5] NBC also has broadcast rights to the opening Thursday Night game, which replaces a game taken away when the league omits a Sunday night game during the weekend of the World Series (starting in 2007, the one weekend where Games 3-5 are held). [4] [6] Monday Night Football has been moved from longtime partner ABC to ESPN (though it should be noted that both are properties of Disney). Additionally, the recently created NFL Network will broadcast eight Thursday and Saturday night games for the league starting with a newly-created third Thanksgiving Day gameExcept for Monday Night Football, Sunday Night Football, games aired on the NFL Network, and other selected contests, most of the regular season games are regionally televised on Sunday afternoon by CBS and FOX. In other words, each game is only broadcast to certain media markets in the United States instead of the entire country.
Which games get shown in what particular markets are determined by the following factors: First, each home team's "primary media market," the market in which the team is physically located, must televise all of the away games involving the local team (a vestige of the days when only road games were shown), and all of the home games, provided that they are sold out at least 72 hours prior to kickoff (or else, they are subject to blackout, see below). In addition, the league also designates "secondary markets," media markets adjoining primary markets (generally penetrating within 75 miles of a stadium but not having their own team) that are also required to show the local team. Generally, these secondary markets must show the road games but are not obligated to show the designated team's sold out home games. Their decision on whether to show home games typically depends on whether or not the NFL-designated local team is perceived to be the most popular in the market. In all other markets, the networks are the sole arbiters of what game gets shown where. However, they usually make their decisions after consulting with all of their local affiliates. In some rarer occasions, some affiliates are offered a choice of a few games for a given time-slot, if there is not one game that stands out as appropriate.
During the afternoon, CBS and FOX may switch a media market's game to a more competitive one, particularly when a contest becomes one-sided. For this to happen, one of the teams must normally be ahead by at least 18 points in the second half. However, due to the incident involving the "Heidi Game", a primary media market must show its local team's game in its entirety, and secondary markets usually follow suit for road games. Also, secondary markets (for home games) or any others where one team's popularity stands out may request a constant feed of that game, and in that case will not be switched. If the local team's game is in the late time-slot on the doubleheader network, the primary and secondary markets (usually only for road games in the latter case) may be required to switch coverage from the early game to the start of the late game just before kickoff, so that the local team's contest can be shown in its entirety. The network can show updates and highlights of the early game at its discretion. NFL Sunday Ticket viewers are unaffected, except to the extent that blacked out channels might change as a result.
For this reason, the New York Giants and New York Jets are never scheduled on the same network on the same day (unless they play each other) because they both share the same primary media market. The San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders are treated likewise. Otherwise, the networks could theoretically have to cut away from one team's game to show the other team. In general, the league never schedules the Giants and the Jets to play their games at the same time (except for a head-to-head meeting), and the same usually goes for the 49ers and the Raiders, though this can mean one of those teams will play a road game at 10:00 AM PT. Also, either the 49ers or Raiders will typically be scheduled for a prime-time game, regardless of their records during the previous season.[10] The often complicated television package is a significant factor in why the NFL schedule for a particular season takes several weeks to develop.
The same principles which apply to the New York and San Francisco markets were also in effect when the Rams and Raiders shared the Los Angeles market from 1982-94. Like San Francisco, this often meant the Rams or Raiders would be scheduled for a 10 a.m. PT start when on the road.
The Washington Redskins and Baltimore Ravens are served by separate media markets, and so they can play at the same time. However, if one team is at home and the other is on the road, both games have aired in each market on a few occasionsWhen a media market's regionally televised game ends before the others, the network (CBS or FOX) may switch to "bonus coverage" of the ending of another game. However, the league imposes a couple of restrictions that are designed to maximize the TV ratings of the late games on the doubleheader network, which tend to record the most NFL viewers during the day (often beating the audience for Sunday night games).
First, bonus coverage offered after any early time slot games cannot be shown past the start of the late time slot (either 4:05 or 4:15 ET). This prevents people from continuing to watch the bonus coverage instead of seeing the beginning of the late doubleheader network's game (which is usually either their local team or the network's featured game). Again, the networks may show highlights of the game after the fact, and usually will at the earliest convenience. The single-header network will sometimes show each play as soon as it ends as part of its post-game show. Of course, any station originally getting the game featured during bonus coverage will stay with it unless they are leaving to show a local team.
Second, bonus coverage cannot be shown after a late game on the single-game network because it will run in opposition to the ending of the late doubleheader network's game(s) and NBC's pre-game show. However, the single-game network usually schedules most of its top games in the early 1:00 ET time slot (except for West Coast teams' home games, and possibly either a Giants or Jets game), so this does not tend to be a major issue.
If the doubleheader network's games all finish before 7:30 ET, it is supposed to conclude the post-game show within 10 minutes to protect NBC's pre-game show. If any games finish after 7:30, the post-game can run until 8:00 ET. However, this restriction seems to apply to game footage only; on several occasions FOX has run its post-game to 8:00, despite all games ending before 7:30, by airing only panel discussions and interviews in the latter portion of the show. This does include reveal of the latest BCS Standings on most weekends FOX has the doubleheader. On the other hand, CBS rarely airs any post-game show after its doubleheaders. This is because 60 Minutes is one of its signature shows, and CBS makes every effort to start it as close to 7:00 (its traditional airtime) as possible. The rule generally seems targeted at FOX, which heavily promotes its The OT presented by Lowe's show to compete with NBC.
These restrictions may not apply during the one week NBC does not have a Sunday night game because of the World Series, which airs on Fox and usually follows the late game on that Sunday.