Under review: the Blackout rule

[TJJackson]

from: http://money.cnn.com/2013/12/18/news/fcc-sports-blackout-rule/index.html?hpt=hp_t2

Partial text:

A collection of sports fan and consumer groups petitioned the FCC in January asking them to overturn the rule. David Goodfriend, chairman of the Sports Fans Coalition, told CNNMoney blacking out games was an "obnoxious anti-fan" process, and that the federal protection was akin to protecting a monopoly.

Ken Reed of the League of Fans, which supported the January petition, argues that taxpayers shouldn't be blacked out of games in stadiums that they helped finance.

A spokesman for the NFL did not immediately respond to CNNMoney's request for comment.

A group of economists from schools including University of Chicago and Vanderbilt back the fans' arguments. Their research has found that "local television blackouts have little or no effect on ticket sales or attendance for the game that is being televised. Local blackouts of home games harm consumers without producing a significant financial benefit to teams."

[HoosierCat]

I am all for reforming the blackout rule IF the result is to make teams broadcast game locally regardless of ticket sales. But that would take a non-blackout rule. The current blackout rules are actually in place to protect fans. Back in ye olden days, even if a home game was sold out it was NOT broadcast locally. Owners argued that televising away games was enough free football and if you wanted to see the team at home, buy a ticket. They even opposed lifting the blackout if the game was sold out on the basis that people would wait until the last minute to buy tickets, and they wanted the money ASAP to put in the bank and start earning interest.