The right television to broadcast the National Football League (NFL) game is the most profitable and expensive right of any American sport. Television brings professional football to fame in the modern era after World War II. Since then, the National Football League broadcast has become one of the most watched programs on American television, and the financial wealth of the entire network has ceased to have NFL broadcasting rights. This has raised questions about the impartiality of the network game coverage and whether they can criticize the NFL without fear of losing their rights and revenues.
Since the 1960s, all regular seasons and playoff games aired in the United States have been broadcast by national television networks. Until the broadcast contract expires in 2013, CBS's terrestrial television networks ($ 3.73B), NBC ($ 3.6B) and Fox ($ 4.27B) - as well as ESPN cable television ($ 8.8B) - pay a combined total of US $ 20.4 billion to broadcast NFL matches. From 2014 through 2022, the same network will pay $ 39.6 billion for the exact same broadcast rights. The NFL thus holds broadcasting contracts with four companies (CBS Corporation, Comcast, 21st Century Fox and The Walt Disney Company/Hearst Corporation, respectively) that control most of the country's television product mix. The League's NFL network, on cable television, also broadcast a number of nationally selected games. In 2017, NFL games drew the top three for 30-second ads: $ 699,602 for NBC Sunday Night Football, $ 550,709 for Thursday Night Football (NBC), and $ 549,791 for Thursday Night Soccer (CBS).
Under current contracts, the games shown regionally on Sunday afternoon are broadcast on television on CBS and Fox, each of which carries the AFC game and the NFC team (road team conference deciding on an inter-conference gaming broadcaster). Regular national games broadcast nationwide on Sunday and Monday nights aired on NBC and ESPN, respectively, while NBC, CBS and NFL Network share matches Thursday night during the regular season. During the postseason, ESPN aired one game, NBC broadcast two, while CBS and Fox aired the rest of the AFC and NFC games, respectively. The Super Bowl has been rotated annually between CBS, Fox, and NBC since the 2006 season.
The pre-season NFL airs more in line with regular broadcasts of other major sports leagues: pre-season television broadcasts are more locally produced, usually by local affiliates of one of the terrestrial television networks above. Some pre-season games will be broadcast nationwide. Under the NFL's anti-siphoning rules for cable games, these stations will typically broadcast live ESPN Network and/or NFL Network games in their local markets if local teams play.
Video National Football League on television
Schedule overview
NFL regular season usually starts in September, and ends in December or early January. Each team plays 16 games over a 17-week period. Traditionally, the majority of games each week are played on Sunday afternoons. Sunday afternoon games are broadcasted regionally, where special games available on local television will depend on where the viewers are, and start at about 1 pm. or 4 pm Eastern time. In addition, there is usually one national television game each on Thursday night, Sunday night, and Monday night. The primetime game is broadcast across the country via a nationwide over-the-air broadcast or cable network, where there are no regional restrictions, nor other competing NFL contests.
All playoffs, Super Bowls and Pro Bowls nationwide are broadcast on Saturday or Sunday in January/early February, and either in the afternoon or in primetime time.
Scheduling over the NFL preseason is looser as most games usually begin based on local time. Thus, games on the West Coast are usually played after 7 pm. Pacific Time (10 am Eastern Time). However, some pre-season games broadcast nationally on television are still played around 8 pm. Eastern time.
Maps National Football League on television
Current broadcasting contract
The right television for the NFL is the most expensive right of not only American sports, but also American entertainment properties. With the fragmentation of the audience due to the increasing specialization of broadcast networks and cable TV, sport remains one of the few entertainment properties that not only can assure a large and diverse but lively audience.
The Super Bowl is often among the most watched shows of the year. Four of the top 10 Nielsen Media Research programs of all time are the Super Bowl. The network has purchased part of the broadcasting rights for NFL as a means to raise the profile of the entire network.
Under the current television contract, which starts during the 2014 season, regular season games are broadcast on five networks: CBS, Fox, NBC, ESPN, and NFL Network.
In the NFL season of 2012, the main network has invested more in audio descriptions because the FCC guidelines improve the requirements of opening audio channels of the second audio program to access audio descriptions, which are also used by some networks to provide their primetime programming Spanish audio. Therefore, all NFL broadcasting partners have added Spanish audio commentary from the game, either through a separate channel or via an SAP channel.
ESPN simulcasts Monday Night Football with Spanish commentaries and graphics of ESPN Deportes and since EFN's MNF move to 2006, although his Wild Card game brings ESPN Deportes comments on SAP in A B C.
NBC's brother, the Spanish-language cable network, mun2 (renamed NBC Universo in 2015) began simulcasting on Sunday Night Football matches in the 2014 season as part of a new television deal, while its Spanish-language partner Telemundo Deportes provided branding for NBC Comments Google Spain.
Fox's Spanish-language Fox distribution network Fox Deportes began broadcasting Fox games, including playoffs and Super Bowl XLVIII in Spanish during the 2013 season. Super Bowl LI for Fox features exclusive Spanish audio for Fox Deportes, with no over-the-air SAP components.
CBS, which has no Spanish-language outlet, still uses only SAP for its Spanish language. It relies on ESPN Deportes to simulate the Super Bowl 50 in Spain, although it still carries SAP Spanish audio on CBS broadcasts from the game.
Sunday regional games
Under current contracts, regional Sunday matches (1 pm "early" and 4 pm "late" Eastern time games) are divided into AFC and NFC "packages". Each packet is held by one network; in 2016, CBS holds the AFC package, and Fox holds the NFC package. These packages consist of Sunday afternoon games during each week of regular season, one game for each network on Thanksgiving, wild card games, division playoff games and conference championship games each for each network.
These games are classified as games "A", "B", or "C". Game "A" is usually the main game for each network, and if the network has a doubleheader, almost exclusively a 1:00 ET slot. Game "B" is usually the main game 4:25 ET. Game "C" is only displayed in the team play market and in some cases, the market if the game has playoff implications for the local team.
The size of the market and the success of the team play a big factor in determining the level of the game. For example, Green Bay has a city population of 205,000, one of the smallest cities with sports teams. But Packers usually have "A" or "B" games because of their long history and almost unparalleled success. (The team is actually two markets for NFL policy: Milwaukee is another major market for the team.)
In 1970, when the NFL and AFL joined, and home blackouts were put in place for AFC matches (some AFL teams have picked up this during the run; for example, most New York Jets home games in 1968 and 1969 were broadcast on WNBC -TV New York ), it is assured that all Sunday afternoon games will be seen on the same network. The current package allows CBS and Fox access to every stadium/market in the league for at least two games per season (unless the interference game is selected as a prime time national match).
In 1990, both home games Indianapolis Colts against New York Giants and Washington Redskins played in prime time. The Indianapolis Colts was the first NFL team to miss an interconnection game at home in the afternoon since 1978, the first year all teams (excluding the fifth-placed teams) secured two interference matches at home. In 1992, both Houston Oilers home games against the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers played at prime time. In 1993, both Buffalo Bills home games against the New York Giants and Washington Redskins and both San Diego Chargers home games against the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers were played at prime time. In 1999, both New England Patriots home games against New York Giants and Dallas Cowboys were played on Sunday night. In 2001, a home game of Jacksonville Jaguars against Green Bay Packers was played on Monday night instead. In 2003, both Miami Dolphins home games against the NFC team were broadcast on television at prime time, a rare occurrence that prevented Fox from broadcasting matches from the Pro Player Players' Stadium. This also happened in 1997, although Fox was scheduled to broadcast the Chicago Bears' game from Miami until it was moved to Monday night because of its coverage of the World Series; ESPN is already planning to cover the Detroit Lions match in Miami later. In 2005, Baltimore Ravens also had their second interconference game premiered in prime time instead, with matches against the Green Bay Packers at ABC and a contest against Minnesota Vikings on ESPN. In 2013, the Atlanta Falcons have their two-game matches premiered on prime time, with matches against the New England Patriots at NBC's Sunday Night Football and a contest against the New York Jets on Monday Night Football. The Atlanta situation affects CBS affiliate WGCL-TV, which is the lowest ranking of major network affiliates in the Atlanta market and has struggled to gain traction in the market since becoming a CBS market affiliate following the reorganization of television in the mid-1990s. By 2015, the Arizona Cardinals will have their two-game matches premiered on prime time, with matches against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football and a contest against Cincinnati Bengals on NBC's Sunday Night Football, although CBS is scheduled to broadcast the Bengals-Cardinals Game until it is moved to Sunday night (for the first time since 1997). Both Cardinals' inter-match matches in 2016 are also in primetime, with New England Patriots playing on Sunday Night Football and the New York Jets game on Monday Night Football, although CBS will be screening a team game in San Francisco as part of it's joint network Thursday Night Football coverage with NFL Network. Thus, banning crossflex from Cardinals Sunday afternoon games, CBS's solo production will not have Cardinals games for the second season in a row (probably for the first time such a scenario happened with a team in previous years). In addition, Fox did not broadcast any games from the O.co Coliseum in 2016 (prohibiting crossflexes) because both the Oakland Raiders' (versus Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers) matches were crossflexed to CBS, although Fox will broadcast the game road team in the New Orleans Saints crossflex from CBS.
The Seattle Seahawks did not appear on NBC in its inaugural season of 1976 despite not playing any matches Monday Night. Seattle's single-season interconnection match that season at franchise expansion fellow Tampa Bay and broadcast by CBS, since Seattle played at NFC West and Tampa Bay at AFC West. In 1977, Buccaneers did not appear on NBC (or on ABC), because their only interference game in Seattle, which was broadcasted by CBS. The Buccaneers and Seahawks exchanged the conference in 1977, with Tampa Bay moving to NFC Central and Seattle to AFC West. Seattle returned to NFC West in 2002.
After the Broncos-Viking game was transferred to Fox in 2011 because Fox had a game shortage as a result of NFL's flexible scheduling policy, the NFL permanently implemented a "cross-flexible" policy in 2014 that allowed Fox games to be transferred to CBS Games and CBS moved to Fox to protect every local market; this effectively guarantees every Fox and CBS affiliate in the team's primary market to bring at least one game from the team during the season. With CBS then also taking most of Thursday's games, which are not designated by the conference, CBS will show more NFC games than Fox will show AFC games. For example, when Fox aired an AFC game during the 6th week of the 2014 season, CBS had aired four NFC games up to that time of the season (two on Thursday and two on Sunday).
Doubleheaders and single game
Three matches (with some contractual exceptions, see below) are broadcast on one of the markets every Sunday morning/afternoon, with one network allocated a "doubleheader" every week:
- 1:00 pm ET (10: 00Ã, a.m. PT) "early" game and 4:25 pm ET (1:25 pm PT) "late" game
While other networks broadcast either :
- 1:00 pm ET Game (10: 00Ã, a.m. PT)
- Or at 4:05 pm ET Games (1: 05Ã, p.m. PT)
Sunday afternoon games in Mountain and Pacific time zones are always scheduled at 2:05 am or 2:25 pm. Mountain Time and 1:05 pm or 1:25 pm Pacific Time. (No match of 10:00 GMT or 11:00 GMT scheduled, in part to avoid conflict with religious services in those cities.)
The state of Arizona is entirely within the Mountain Time Zone, but does not observe summer time (excluding Navajo State), so Arizona is synchronized with the Pacific Summer Time from the second week of March to the first Sunday of November. Therefore, the home game for the Arizona Cardinals is scheduled at 1:05 or 1:25 before the end of summer time, and 2:05 or 2:25 pm (Mountain Standard Time) after the end of summer time. Similarly, every Cardinals home game in primetime is scheduled for 5:30 am. at the start of the season and at 6:30 am at the end of the season. Similarly, Indiana, almost all of it in the Eastern Time Zone, did not observe summer time before 2006 except for parts of the state in the Central Time Zone (some districts close to Cincinnati and Louisville, however, doing observing unofficial summer time, to keep sync with their larger city), so from their 1984 relocation to Indianapolis until 2005, the Indianapolis Colts home game is scheduled for 12:00 pm/3:05 pm/3: 15 pm local kickoff before the end of the daytime for the year and 1:00 pm/4: 05 pm/4:15 pm local at the end of season. With all of Indiana finally observing summer time in 2006, clock adjustments for local time are no longer needed for the Colts.
Since 1998, the initial game has an official 1: 01 start time right. ET, which allows for one network ad and NFL copyright teaser animation. However, the game time is usually advertised only as 1:00 noon starts. In addition, the league revised the last game starting at 4:05 pm. ET if it is the only game broadcast by the network that week and starting at 4:15 pm. ET if it is part of a doubleheader. An additional 15 minutes for doubleheaders allows the game an additional start time to be displayed until it finishes, and avoids continuing past the end game schedule. For a single game, only 5 minutes are added to allow network time for a short introduction (like three hours have passed since the pre-match show has aired) and one ad break before the game. In such cases, there is no need to avoid overlapping at the beginning of the game as no initial game is shown. In addition, it allows the games to end early.
Since the 2012 NFL season, the final game of the doubleheader has a 4:25 clock. ET start time, in an effort to avoid early game breaking with a captivating end before they actually end. The NFL study has found nearly 45 games in the initial window of the game cut out for viewers, especially in markets where their teams are in the final game window of the day. The League hopes that an extra ten-minute period will eliminate at least two-thirds of those instances in the future.
Doubleheader fractions
Fox and CBS each had an eight-week doubleheader during the first 16-week season, with each network receiving eight, but not necessarily alternating weeks. The network never runs three consecutive weeks of doubleheaders. Fox insisted on having a doubleheader on Sunday showing World Series games (usually Game 4), and using the flagship 4:25 game as the main character for the baseball game (though in 2014 Fox did not have a doubleheader today broadcasting Game 5 of the World Series 2014, for the first time since 2005).
During Week 17, the two networks are given doubleheaders; this has happened since 2006.
The designation of negotiations is often given with restrictions due to other network commitments. This happened during the Sunday of the US Open (September) (Week 1, CBS 1975-1993, 1998-2014), or Major League Baseball matches in October (NBC, usually during the League Championship Series from 1976 to 1989 , and again in 1996 and 1997, World Series 1978 to 1984, when Sunday's game was an afternoon game, and CBS, League Championship Series, 1990 to 1993). During the forbidden zone, AFC West and NFC West teams (depending on networks with restrictions) in Mountain and Pacific time zones can not play at home during the weekend, unless they also host interference games, or are scheduled at prime time (regardless of opponent ). This rule is effectively eliminated by the new cross-flexible rules in 2014, which means the NFL can apply new rules and assign games that will be on networks that are restricted to other networks. In 1991 and 1995, NBC did not allow their games to be played in the initial slot (1:00 pm ET) to cover the last day of the game at the Ryder Cup golf. However, the conference rules as used in the past are no longer applicable because the NFL can apply multiplication rules to allow games where NFC teams are visiting teams to broadcast on CBS at 1:00 pm. ET.
Restrictions on the number of games served
The NFL rules prohibit other NFL games from appearing on local television stations while local teams play home games sold outside the locally aired cities (there are exceptions to this rule, during Week 17, during a game in London, and if New York, Bay Area, or Los Angeles market team playing at the same time). The rules are designed to encourage ticket holders to appear in the stadium instead of watching other matches on television. However, each network is guaranteed to have at least one game broadcast in each market, so some exceptions are granted for this rule. Exceptions are usually when one of the two Sunday gaming networks has a 1 PM or 4:30 PM event, which has been used for golf, tennis and baseball, and possibilities for the FIFA World Cup in 2022, and Sunday 17.
When the home team is shown on the network with a single NFL game, the doubleheader station can only display one of its games. When this happens, there are only two games featured in the market. However, when the home team is shown on the network with an NFL doubleheader, all three games can air in the same market.
Exceptions to this rule occurred during the 16th week of the 2016 season when KCBS-TV in Los Angeles was given special permission to broadcast the Colts-Raiders game at 1:05 pm. PT late slot while Los Angeles Rams hosted 49ers at the same time at home in Fox. Although KCBS has a single game and is contractually required to bring the San Diego Chargers game at the Cleveland Browns at 10am early, the PT slot since Los Angeles is the official secondary market of Chargers, the Colts-Raiders game has playoff implications as well. shown as the top network game this week. It should also be noted that the match on Sunday 16 is played on Saturday, when Christmas Day falls on Sunday. Under the NFL rules, a traditional Sunday package is played on Saturdays if Christmas falls on a Sunday.
An unusual scenario occurs in the Los Angeles market during the 4th week of the 2017 season when the Rams (play in Dallas in the starting slot) and Chargers (hosting Eagles in the late slots) both have games on Fox. However, since CBS had a doubleheader that week and no games were loosened to CBS, a decision was made to make the Rams game broadcast on Fox in Los Angeles, with the Chargers game being transferred to KCOP-TV, a sister station to Fox-owned KTTV because of the last match which occurs during Rams matches which should be displayed as a whole.
Before the 2000 season, doubleheader rules were much more stringent. Pre-2000, only one game from each network can be shown in the market where home games are played, even if the home game is on a doubleheader network. Therefore, a market with two teams (like New York) rarely gets more than two matches, because the chances are that one of the two teams will be home on a particular Sunday.
The NFL also freed restrictions for the London match, which started in the morning in the Eastern time zone. Currently, one game is defined as territory and two are set as national.
On Sunday 17, both networks can display doubleheaders. Games assigned to local markets can involve playoff implications for local teams.
National game
National broadcast marquee matches occur on Thursday, Sunday, and Monday night. NBC has broadcasted the rights to Sunday night's game. It is broadcast under a special "flexible schedule" that allows Sunday afternoon matches to be moved to prime time starting with Week 5 of the season. NBC has also broadcasted the rights for the opening night of the opening night.
Other regular season games that are broadcast nationally include those on Thanksgiving Day. Until the cross-flexing legislation of 2014, the Thanksgiving games during the day reflect the previously mentioned AFC and NFC packages, with AFC long-distance games performed on the AFC network (CBS since 1998) and NFC's far away games conducted on the NFC network (Fox since 1994 ). Since Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys - the traditional hosts of the Thanksgiving Day game - both are NFC teams, one of the two games is an inter-conference game, and the other is an interference game. This arrangement provides one game each for Fox and CBS. From 2006 to 2011, the third game (no permanent team) was established on the NFL Network. Starting in 2012, the third game is the NBC game. In the future, the NFL can use flexible scheduling to allow Lions or Cowboys to host prime-time games, provided the Eastern timezone team is given an initial slot (12:30 pm).
The NFL anti-siphoning rules affect Monday Night Football and half of Thursday Night Football, which airs on cable (ESPN and NFL Network, respectively). In participating team markets, each cable channel is blacked out. ESPN air games via syndication broadcast to over-the-air station. Typically, the team's primary station for pre-season games will hold the right, as the team will usually sell pre-season, local ESPN, and if the CBS affiliate in that market rejects the option, the NFL Network game as a package. Only over-the-air stations in the participating teams market (with Green Bay Packers that have two such markets) can bid on this syndication package. Starting 2014, CBS affiliates in the primary market concerned have the main options for NFL Network games only; if the local affiliate declines the option (such as in Cincinnati), the NFL will apply the same syndicated package rule. In 2016 with the TNF package split between CBS and NBC, it now depends on which network is generating games for the NFL Network.
This led to controversy in 2007, when the New England Patriots were scheduled to play the New York Giants at the Giants Stadium at the end of their regular season at the NFL Network, in what became an opportunity to finish the first regular season 16-0 in NFL History. After the Senate Judiciary Committee threatens the antitrust liberation of the NFL if it does not make the game available nationally, the NFL relents and makes its first game in league history to be broadcast on three networks. Games are live on the NFL Network, as planned; on NBC, which usually has the right to prime time games; and, as the visitors are the AFC team, on CBS. (WCVB in Boston holds the rights to the NFL syndication package for the Patriots game, causing the game to be available on 3 over-the-air stations in the Boston TV market). This however, does not lead to NFL offering this packet to other channels; game stays at NFL Network in 2013, although it should be noted that NFL Network cable coverage has increased during the intervention period.
Since 2012, Thursday night matches have been in effect for every week of the season, for the exception of Sunday 17. Every game is shown on the NFL Network, with the exception of NFL Kickoff and Thanksgiving Day Week 1 games, aired on NBC. The season-kickoff game for the 2012 season was moved one day - to Wednesday, to avoid conflict with President Barack Obama's speech at the Democratic National Convention. Since 2014, Thursday night's game has been dominated by inter-division matches. Because the NFL tries to avoid scheduling matches Thursday night during the season which will require visiting teams to travel more than one time zone (excluding Kickoff Week 1), five teams in Pacific Time Zone - Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, Los Angeles Rams, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks - will have more limited scheduling options in the years that the AFC West and NFC West divisions are not facing each other in interference games. There are some notable exceptions: Head of Kansas City, based in the Middle Time Zone, playing against Raiders or Chargers; Rams, based in St. Louis until 2015, playing against 49ers in 2013; although Arizona Cardinals are based in Mountain Time Zone, they effectively observe the Pacific Summer Time until the first weekend of November for not observing summer time, and playing in St. Petersburg. Louis Rams at the start of the 2012 season; Raiders play in Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving in 2013.
Until 2014, teams playing on Thanksgiving for a given year usually do not show up on the NFL Network package that season, with the exception of 2007, when the Cowboys played the Green Bay Packers the week after their traditional Thanksgiving game. The Cowboys and Detroit Lions are not eligible to appear on the NFL Network, for hosting the annual Thanksgiving game. However, the Cowboys play a Thursday night game at the Chicago Bears in 2014, a week after the two teams play on Thanksgiving, while the Lions host Thursday night's game against the Packers in 2015, one week after their traditional Thanksgiving match. The "one game Thursday per team" rule does not include the Kickoff Game, so the team playing in that game will play at least one additional Thursday game in a particular season.
In 2014, CBS has simulcast matches Thursday night between Sunday 2-8 and broadcast in one of two Saturday's matches on Sunday 16, and every Thursday night game is an inter-division match, except for NBC Packers-Seahawks Week 1 and Cowboys - The game bears in Week 14. Two Saturday games on Sunday 16 - Eagles-Redskins and Chargers-49ers - starts at 4:30 pm ET. At 4:30 am ET games are broadcast on television by the NFL Network, while others start shortly after 8:00. ET, and aired on CBS.
NFL Week Ticket
The satellite broadcast company DirecTV offers the NFL Sunday Ticket, a subscription-based package that allows all Sunday afternoon regional matches to be watched. The only exception is that Sunday Ticket is subject to the same blackout rules as the broadcast network. This package is exclusive to DirecTV in the US. In Canada, the NFL Sunday Ticket is available on a per-provider distribution deal on cable and satellite, since Canadian law generally prevents one provider from offering packages exclusively.
Television policy
The NFL applies some television policies and blackouts to maximize rankings and optimize attendance at the stadium.
week coverage area
The regular season of Sunday afternoon games (1:00 in the "early" and 4:00 "late" afternoons) aired on CBS and Fox is distributed to affiliates by regional coverage. Each individual game is only broadcast to the selected media market.
Several factors determine which games are brought in each market. Each of the 32 NFL teams was given the "main market." Most teams also have a select number of secondary markets. The secondary market can be any size, and is usually determined by the area where every part of the market falls within 75 miles of the NFL stadium. Small markets that do not have clubs tend to be closely related to the closest or highly relevant teams geographically, but may fall outside the 100 mile area are not always considered secondary markets by the NFL. Generally, games are shown in the primary and secondary markets as follows:
- All away games are shown in the primary and secondary markets. This is the attitude to the old policy based on the ability of fans to attend the game. Away games are considered too difficult to travel and attend.
- All sold-out games are live in the main market. Games that are not sold out for at least 72 hours before kickoff are subject to local outages in the primary and secondary markets. ( see below )
- As mentioned above, no other games are allowed to air in the primary market at the same time as sold-out home games, as it encourages ticket holders to attend a match instead of watching another game on television. However, exclusions are made for shared markets . The secondary market is not subject to this rule, as it is less expected for fans of a potentially 100-mile market to attend every game.
The middle-game switch
During the afternoon game, CBS and Fox can turn the game market into a more competitive middle game, especially when the game is one-sided. In order for this to happen, one team must be ahead of at least 18 points in the second half.
Due to "Heidi Game", the mainstream media market should show the local team games as a whole and the secondary market usually follows for away games. In addition, the secondary market (for home games) or other where the popularity of a prominent team can require constant feedback from the game, and in that case will not be diverted.
If the local team is scheduled for the final match of the doubleheader, it has an interest over every early game. If 4:25 pm arrives, and the initial game is in progress, the main affiliates (all games) and the secondary affiliates (road games) are required to bypass the initial game and switch to the start of the local team game. Additional affiliates, including secondary affiliates for home games, may also request to stop early matches to start late for nearby teams. It's common in Texas where many affiliates are not considered a secondary market by the NFL still shifting from the initial game to get to the beginning of the Dallas Cowboys 4:25 game.
When the local team plays the early game of a doubleheader, the game plays an important role at the end of every game. If the initial game of the local team runs over 4:25 pm, the primary and secondary markets remain active until completion, and the match is late in the process.
For this reason, if two teams share the primary media market, their game is never scheduled on the same network on the same day (unless they play each other). Otherwise, the network should theoretically cut off the game of one team to show another. Currently, three pairs of teams are affected by this rule, and are subject to the additional rules described below:
- The New York Giants and New York Jets
- The San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders
- The Los Angeles Rams and Los Angeles Chargers
49ers and Raiders
The Los Angeles Chargers and Los Angeles Rams earned a marked status together, after the Rams' return to Los Angeles (from St. Louis) in 2016, followed by Chargers (from San Diego) in 2017. The same West Coast television policy applies to 49ers and Raiders (see above) is expected to apply to Chargers and Rams.
When both teams share the Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park starting in the 2020 season, one team must play at 1:00 pm. Time slot ET or in prime-time, while other teams play at home, forcing the NFL to schedule both teams for some prime-time matches, regardless of team records from previous seasons. (With the Raiders moving to Las Vegas in 2019, the extra night games they and 49er receive as a result of sharing San Francisco Bay will likely go to Rams and Chargers.However, the stadium plans can affect the Raiders movement still.)
For the 2017 season, the NFL arranged for Fox to bring the Rams and Chargers game in two weeks when CBS held the rights to a doubleheader. Scope of Fox split between two Los Angeles stations, KTTV and MyNetworkTV affiliate, KCOP-TV. Likewise, CBS receives double message recipients Rams/Chargers at two weeks of scheduled twin bills, divided between KCBS-TV and KCAL-TV sister stations. These examples necessitated cross-blurring of one NFC game (Rams hosted Seattle Seahawks on Week 5 on CBS) and one AFC game (Chargers hosted Buffalo Bills on Fox on Sunday 11).
Giants and Jets
To date, the league has hardly ever scheduled the Giants and Jets to play their games at the same time, with the exception of a head-to-head meeting. The league allows two exceptions during the 2009 season due to unusual scheduling logistics. These exceptions marked the first time since the 1984 season that the Giants and Jets played the game simultaneously. However, the league has scheduled the Jets and Giants to play their games at the same time on four occasions for the 2017-2018 seasons - Week 3, 5, 14, and 15. They are also scheduled for the same time slot for Week 17 but this is expected until the play season and the playoff implications have an impact on the schedule for the last week.
- 49ers & amp; the above mentioned Raiders 'and Chargers' & amp; Rams end time slot requirements are missing for Giants and Jets. Both New York City teams can play home games on Sunday either at 1:00 pm. or 4:05 pm p.m./4:25 time slots, as they are in the Eastern time zone.
- However, unlike 49ers & amp; Raiders and (until the new stadium is built) Chargers & amp; Rams, the two New York teams can not play home games on the same day as both teams play their home games at the MetLife Stadium. When both teams are scheduled at home during the same week, one team will play on Sunday, while the other will play matches Thursday or Monday at prime time. Therefore, the same conflict presented by inter-match games still exists, as having one team playing home interference games will mean that if other teams are also scheduled for home games over the same week to avoid a power outage policy. Unless one of the teams is involved in the International Series, this arrangement is not possible.
- In 2016, the Jets host the Seattle Seahawks and the Los Angeles Rams. The former game is scheduled for the same week in which the Giants play the Minnesota Vikings on Monday Night Football while the final game is scheduled for the same week where the Giants play the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football . In contrast, home-game games among other Giants players, vs. Baltimore Ravens, is scheduled for the same week when the Jets are playing on Monday Night Football .
- When the league does not schedule simultaneous games for the Giants and Jets, three Sunday afternoon games can be shown in the primary media market of New York if:
- One team has a prime time or bye game while another team plays its game on a network that has a scheduled doubleheader
- If teams play head-to-head on the network with scheduled doubleheaders or in prime time
- If a team plays a street game on a one header network, while another team plays its game in a dual header network
Theoretically, non-selling outages can allow alternative games to be displayed, but the Giants and Jets have continued to be sold out since 1975 and 1977, respectively, making this scenario impossible.
- In the 2012 season, the Giants hosted the Philadelphia Eagles in the final week of the season at the same time the Jets played at Buffalo Bills. Because no games are loosened out of 1:00 pm. EST time slot, must-event rule overrides the exclusivity rule in this case, and both games are displayed in the New York area simultaneously.
- In the 2013 season, the Giants hosted the Washington Redskins in the final week of the season at the same time as the Jets played at the Miami Dolphins. Like the previous season, no games were loosened out of 1:00 pm. EST time slot; since that happens, the must-event rule overpowers the exclusivity rule, and both games are displayed in the New York area simultaneously.
- As with 49ers & amp; Raiders and Chargers & amp; Rams, the new "cross-rolling" policy implemented in 2014 will allow a New York team to play on the road either at 1:00, 4:05 or 4:25 pm. ET (CBS or Fox) slot, while other New York teams host the interference.
A frequently complicated television package is an important factor why a schedule for a particular season takes a few weeks to develop.
Primary/secondary market conflict
Although close, Washington Redskins and Baltimore Ravens are served by separate media markets, and so they can play at the same time. If both teams play at the same time on the network as opposed to at least one at home, both games have been aired in each market on several occasions. Because Washington is the official secondary market for the Ravens but Baltimore is not the official secondary market for the Redskins, most of the second case of games involves the Ravens game going that airs against the Redskins home game.
R & D> Rams and Raiders in Los Angeles
When the Rams and Raiders shared the Los Angeles market from 1982 to 1994, the NFL was more lenient on shared media market policies. Like San Francisco today, the Rams or Raiders will often be scheduled to start PT 10:00 for the away game. But the league also schedules some of their home games at the same time. For example, during Sunday 17 of the 1994 season, their last home game in Los Angeles, the Washington Redskins game at Rams and Kansas City Chiefs at Raiders played at 1 pm. PT. Likewise, Sunday afternoon Sunday games during the 11th Week of 1993 season included both Kansas City Chiefs at Raiders and Atlanta Falcons at Rams. Both Rams and Raiders usually have trouble selling their stadiums each during their time in Los Angeles, so their home games are often blackened anyway.
Sunday bonus coverage
When a regional media television game ends before the other, the network (CBS or Fox) can switch to "bonus coverage" from the end of another game. However, the league imposed two restrictions designed to maximize the game rankings at the end of the doubleheader network, which tends to record most NFL viewers during the day, often beating spectators for Sunday night games.
Firstly, the bonus coverage offered after the initial time slot game can not be displayed after the start of the end time slot (either 4:20 ET for a doubleheader network or 4:25 ET for non-doubleheader networks). This prevents people from continuing to watch bonus coverage rather than seeing the start of the final doubleheader network game (which is usually the local team or network game play). Again, the network may show the highlight of the game, and it will usually be at the earliest opportunity. Networks that broadcast a single game will sometimes feature each game as soon as it ends as part of a post-game show. A station that initially gets the games displayed during bonus coverage will stick with it unless they go to show the local team.
Second, the bonus coverage can not be shown after a late game in a single game network as it will run contrary to the end of the final doubleheader network game (s) and NBC pre-match performances. However, a single game network usually schedules most of its top games in the 1:00 time slot of initial ET time (except for west coast team home games, and possibly Giants or Jets games), so this is not likely to be a big issue.
If the doubleheader network game is all finished before 7:30 ET, it's supposed to conclude a post-match event in 10 minutes to protect the NBC pre-match event. If a game finishes after 7:30, the post-game program can run until 08:00 ET. However, this restriction seems to apply only to match recordings; on several occasions Fox has run its post-game offer until 8:00 pm, although all games end before 7:30, with only broadcast panel discussions and interviews at the end of the show. On the other hand, CBS rarely show post-match events after doubleheaders or 4: 5 single-games. This is because 60 Minutes is one of his signature events, and CBS is trying to start almost 7:00 or 7:30 - broadcast time - maybe.
To maximize the TV ratings, as well as to protect the NFL's ability to sell TV rights collectively, games broadcast on ESPN or NFL Network are blacked in each of the two major market teams (Green Bay Packers has two major markets, Green Bay and Milwaukee, when they play a couple of home games in Milwaukee each season, see below) under the rules of exclusivity in the pitch when the league sells through a syndicated broadcast of a package featuring the team's play.
This station does not need to have an affiliate connection with the NFL game's national broadcasters, although ABC and Hearst Television stations that are owned and operated (even Hearst stations not affiliated with ABC, and including one independent station in Tampa-St. Petersburg Market) have the right of first refusal due to both ESPN and ABC's joint ownership by The Walt Disney Company (Hearst holds 20% of shares in ESPN). In recent years, ABC O & amp; Os has aired in the game, opting to air Monday night's schedule on a network that includes the success of Dancing with the Stars . In other markets, stations that are affiliates of MyNetworkTV or The CW (and, at least one case, independent station) have issued more offer of local broadcasters established in some markets. However, the home team market must be completely served by the station and the broadcast can only go on air if the game is sold out within 72 hours of the kick-off (see below).
Under the agreement for the 2014 season between CBS and NFL Network for Thursday Night Football simulcast during the first half of the season, local rights to such games that CBS did not bring were given to the CBS Affiliate market, not syndicated. If the CBS affiliates opt out of the deal, the NFL will offer packages via syndication, usually with Monday Night package. The CBS/NFL Network deal is extended for the 2015 season on January 18, 2015. For the 2016 season, the game's two midseason TNF games are NFL Network-exclusive but manufactured by NBC; NBC affiliates in the market with competing teams bringing those games on the market.
On November 8, 1987, the first NFL game ever aired on ESPN was played between the New England Patriots and the New York Giants. Technically, this game was only broadcast in the Boston market, with a separate broadcast produced for the New York market by ESPN sister property WABC-TV - at that time, WABC union contracts prohibited non-union workers (such as ESPN) working on live broadcasts broadcast on station. It marks the only time since the AFL-NFL merger that regular season games are produced locally for TV. WABC broadcasts featured WABC's own Corey McPherrin performing play-by-play, and Frank Gifford and Lynn Swann from Monday Night Football made color comments.
Flexible scheduling
Since the 2006 season, the NFL has been using a flexible "scheduling system" for the last seven weeks of the regular season. This is because at week 11, there are a number of teams that have been knocked out or almost eliminated from playoff battles. Flexible scheduling ensures that all Sunday night and in the doubleheader network, the final match set as the national game (broadcasting in the majority of the national market), has a playoff significance, regardless of whether the two teams compete for the playoff point. Two examples of this type of flexing involved the Carolina Panthers in 2008 and 2009. In the first example, the Panthers and the New York Giants saw the final game of the season buckled by the winner of the bout that captured the top seed and the NFC home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. The following season, the dissenting Panthers team will host 11-2 Minnesota Vikings, who have a chance to improve their playoff position and take top seeds in the NFC playoffs; therefore, this game is flexed despite the Carolina 5-8 record. Sometimes, the game will be straightened out because of the team's success; for example, the 2007 match between New England Patriots and Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium was straightened out because of the Patriots' potential to run in the unbeaten regular season they finally completed.
The system also allows teams that enjoy unexpected success to get a prime time spot that is not in their initial schedule. The Thanksgiving Games and all the games on cable channels (Monday, Thursday and Saturday) games stay in place and can not be converted into Sunday nights, just like games over the Christmas weekend whenever Christmas falls on a Sunday, as in the year 2011 (most games played on Christmas Eve Saturday instead). It also increases the potential for the team to play on Sunday night in a row, as Patriots 2007, 2007 Washington Redskins, Giants 2008 and 2012 49ers do it (the Patriots entertain the Philadelphia Eagles a week after the second battle with the Bills on schedule, the Redskins bent into battle with the Giants and played the Vikings in regularly scheduled games a week later, and the Giants hosted the Panthers a week after playing Dallas Cowboys at the Texas Stadium, 49ers playing Seahawks in Seattle one week after playing in the Patriots).
Under the system, Sunday's matches in the affected weeks in the Eastern and Central time zones will have a starting time of 1:00 in the afternoon. ET (10: 00Ã, PT). Those who play in Mountain or Pacific time zone will have a starting time while 4: 05/4: 25:00 ET (1: 05/1: 25 pm PT). Also, there will be one game scheduled for 8:20 pm. ET slot. On Tuesdays, twelve days before the game (probably sooner), the league will move one match to the prime time slot (or retain the original option), and may move one or more at 1:00 pm. slotted games to 4:00 noon slots.
Fox and CBS can each protect a total of five Sunday afternoon games, no more than one per week, during week 11-16 and NBC choose which games they want to show. For example, in 2011, NBC wanted a season-ending match between the Denver Broncos and the New England Patriots featuring Tim Tebow as the Broncos quarterback. CBS protects the game and NBC gets a game featuring the San Diego Fillers instead. The network has the option of removing the protection to allow for Sunday night views, as happened with a game between the unbeaten Kansas City Chief and one-loss Denver Broncos in Week 11 of the 2013 season. The contest is protected by CBS, who must air it at 4:05 regional mornings. timeslot because the game was in Denver and the network did not have a doubleheader right that week. CBS thus allows NBC to take broadcasts for national broadcasts.
FOX and CBS can not protect the game at week 17. In the years when Christmas falls on a Sunday (as in 2016) or on Mondays (as in 2017), the NFL schedules the main sequence of evening games on Christmas Eve (which will fall on Saturday or Sunday) without a prime time game , because the NBC match will be moved to Christmas Eve (see below). Thus, flexible Sunday Night scheduling can not occur at week 16; NBC was then given flexible scheduling in its 10th week instead. However, two other flexible scheduling changes - moving games from beginning to end, or changing networks - are still possible during those weeks. The NFL toured a ban on flexible scheduling procedures in the 2016 NFL season where Christmas falls on Sunday by scheduling two Sunday matches at 4:30 and 8:30 ET, respectively.
During the last week of the season, the league can reschedule the match for up to six days before the contest so as many television networks can broadcast games that have big playoff implications, and so some race divisions or Wild Card places are on the phone at the same time. The 17th week game on Sunday night was decided exclusively by the NFL; the network can not protect or choose during the last week. For this last Sunday night contest, the league prefers to soften the fight in which at least one team must win to qualify for the playoffs, regardless of what happened in the 17th week of the other match. Since 2010 when the NFL began scheduling just a division game at the 17th week, it is possible that the intradivisional games that appeared on national TV could be elected again. NFL will only select such games if no other options are appropriate. This example occurred in the 2011 season about the match between the Dallas Cowboys and the New York Giants. At week 14, both teams play a game with major playoff implications that could have rid the Giants of a playoff bout with losses. Instead, the match marked the start of a four-game winning streak to end a season that included a game in which the Giants got rid of Elang from a playoff clash (despite winning the Cowboys) with a win over the New York Jets. This victory flexed the game the following week, in which the Giants hosted the Cowboys, into the NBC slot, which decides the East NFC champions.
Individual teams can make no more than four appearances on NBC during the season (not including NBC's aired and/or manufactured Nighttime Football game). Only three teams can make as many as six prime time appearances (Sunday nights, Monday nights, Thursday nights, and Saturday nights combined). The remaining team can make a maximum of five prime time appearances. In addition, there is no limit between intra-division games that are "flexed."
Starting in 2014, the NFL will also be able to play cross-flex between Fox and CBS, allowing CBS to broadcast distant NFC games (including NFC vs NFC contests), and Fox to broadcast AFC away games (including AFC vs. AFC contest). The league can also "cross-flex" some of these games before the start of the season. For example, in 2014, the Carolina Panthers at the Atlanta Falcons game on Sunday 17, originally the Fox 1PM game, folded until 4:25 pm on CBS. Despite losing two teams, they play a game where the winner will become the NFC South champion and host the first round playoffs. Because Fox already has an important North NFC game with playoff implications, and CBS does not have any games with such a task at 4:25 PM (a game with AFC playoff implications has been set at 1 pm), the NFL redirects its game to CBS on 4:25 PM to provide game affiliation with playoff implications at the time.
Saturday NFL Game
Since the AFL-NFL merger of 1970, the NFL has taken an informal approach to game scheduling on Saturday after the end of the college football season, with scheduling policies changing over and over again. From 1970 to 2005, both broadcast networks Sunday afternoon (CBS and NBC from 1970-1993, Fox and NBC from 1994-1997, and Fox and CBS from 1998-2005) were given at least two national broadcasts Saturday afternoon in December, with ESPN also aired a Saturday match in primetime from 1998 to 2005.
In 2006, the schedule was trimmed into three Saturday matches, which aired in primetime and aired on the NFL Network in December. In 2008, this was changed to just one Saturday game, still airing in primetime on the NFL Network, which is a policy until 2011. For the 2012 season, ESPN aired Saturday's matches in primetime. There is no Saturday match scheduled for 2013, the first time since the 1970 merger that the NFL did not play regular season games on Saturday.
In 2014, the NFL returns to Saturday with a 16th Sunday doubleheader, with a Saturday afternoon game aired on the NFL Network and Saturday night's match airing on CBS. CBS Sports generates coverage for both games. By 2015, this schedule is changed again into one Saturday night game during Week 15 and Week 16, the game is only for cables and manufactured by CBS. By 2016, Christmas falls on Sunday, so a regional row of 16-week games will air on Saturday afternoon, with national matches also aired that night, along with the national week of 15 games Saturday the previous week, with CBS and Fox producing regional games and NBC produces a national game for cable.
Several important matches have taken place on Saturday, including a New England Patriots historical comeback from a 22-3 deficit in the fourth quarter against the New York Giants in 1996, a similar season game between the Philadelphia Eagles and the New York Jets in which the Eagles won dramatically over 1-13 Jets to keep their playoff hopes alive (they will eventually qualify), the last game at Three Rivers Stadium featuring Pittsburgh Steelers and Washington Redskins in 2000, another Patriots-Giants match in 2007 that saw the Patriot finish the 16- 0 and aired on three networks, a 2012 match between Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons where Calvin Johnson of the Lions set NFL records to receive the yard in a season, and a game 2015 between
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