Once again this week, there are no blackouts in the NFL, and every game will be broadcast on local television.
That makes it 12 weeks in a row, every game this season, that games will be shown on local TV. According to NFL spokesman Greg Aiello, it’s the first time since the blackout policy was implemented in 1973 that there haven’t been any blackouts in the first 12 weeks of the season.
That doesn’t mean every game has been sold out. Some teams are taking advantage of the rule that allows them to set an 85 percent threshold, rather than having to sell all of their tickets to lift the local TV blackout. Other teams have taken advantage of the rule that allows owners to buy back their own unsold tickets at 34 percent of face value. And in some cases sponsors have purchased the last remaining tickets needed to lift the blackout.
But whatever the reasons, for fans the news is good: Whatever city you live in, your local team is on local TV.