NFL Relaxes Local TV Blackout Rules
NEW YORK (CBS SPORTS) - Over the weekend, CBS Sports passed along the report that the NFL would relax local blackout rules for the 2012 NFL season. That report is now fact, as the NFL confirmed that it is indeed easing back on ticket-sales requirements for teams to avoid a blackout.
According to the league, teams now have the option to sell 85 percent in order to avoid a blackout, as opposed to needing a full-blown sellout in order to avoid the blackout. "It's optional if clubs want to do this and would only affect a few teams," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in an email. "Last year, only six percent of games were blacked out in a local market. This figure is down significantly from 15 to 20 years ago, when 25 to 30 percent of games were routinely blacked out."
As a part of the decision to lift the blackout rule at 85 percent capacity, teams will then hand over more revenue to the visiting team if the additional 15 percent of tickets are sold. "If a team chooses to do so, it may set its capacity number needed for a blackout to be lifted at 85 percent of overall capacity," McCarthy added about the new rule. "More revenue than usual will be shared with the visiting clubs for tickets sold above that base number."
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