The San Diego Chargers’ home opener will not be shown on local television.
The Chargers fell about 7,000 tickets short of selling out their non-premium seats for Sunday’s game against the Jaguars, and so the blackout that had been expected is now official.
If the Chargers had wanted the game on local TV, they could have purchased the remaining tickets at 34 cents on the dollar. If the average ticket price were $100, that would mean the Chargers could have had the game on local TV for $238,000. That’s not nothing, but it’s not a huge amount of money for an NFL team. Plus, it’s a write-off for them.
Instead, the Chargers will not be shown on local television for the first time since November 7, 2004. And more blackouts may be coming: The team says more than 10,000 tickets remain for its next home game, October 3 against the Cardinals.