The so-called blackout rule was designed to prevent sports fans from staying home and watching a local game on TV, instead of buying available tickets. So when a game is not sold out, television outlets cannot show that game in the home team's market
The FCC is reviewing its rule that applies to satellite and cable companies. It is based on a separate federal law that applies to broadcast television.
In practice, the rule applies to National Football League games, and has roots in the 1950s and 1960s when ticket sales were a significant portion of team revenue. But broadcast revenues now dwarf ticket sales, and the NFL has become more popular, so there are fewer games that aren't sold out.
As a result, the blackout rule doesn't come into play much any more.
The FCC said only 16 games were affected by the blackout rule in 2011, involving just four teams: The
Cincinnati Bengals, the Buffalo Bills, the San Diego Chargers and the Tampa Bay Bucaneers. In the mid 1970s, as many as 59% of NFL games were blacked out, it said.
The FCC has asked the public for feedback on whether the rule is still necessary.
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