Morning Update (Gameday Edition)

I just went to their website to check. It works fine for me. I’m using Firefox3.

Since 1973, the NFL has maintained a blackout policy that states that a home game cannot be televised locally if it is not sold out within 72 hours prior to its start time…the NFL defines “locally” as within a 75-mile radius of the stadium. Therefore, a TV blackout affects any market whose broadcast signal penetrates into the 75-mile radius. Some primary media markets, such as Denver and Phoenix, may cover that entire radius and so the blackout would not affect any other markets.

If a home game is blacked out locally because it is not sold out before the 72-hour deadline, one of the following things will happen:

-If the blacked out home game is a nationally televised game on a broadcast network, like NBC Sunday Night Football, where no other NFL games are played at the same time, all local stations inside the 75-mile radius must broadcast alternative programming (the stations have to program the time themselves, since other affiliates are carrying the game).
-If the blacked-out nationally televised game is on a cable television network like ESPN or the NFL Network, all cable and satellite television providers in the affected markets must black out the cable network’s signal to customers in the affected markets during the game (this is a condition of the channels’ agreements with both the league and the providers). In addition, the game is not simulcast on a local broadcast station in the blacked-out markets. Local stations would still be able to show highlights on their newscasts after the game has concluded.
-If the blacked-out home game is played on a Sunday afternoon, all local stations inside the 75-mile radius must show a different NFL game during that time slot (the network typically chooses the game). Also, NFL Sunday Ticket cannot offer the game into that area. As stated earlier, the doubleheader network can broadcast only one game into that team’s primary market (usually the #1 game), which is also designed to prevent people from opting to watch the other locally televised NFL games instead of going to the local team’s game. Again, the secondary markets would still carry a doubleheader. Sometimes, the networks will switch time slots so that the doubleheader network can still show its featured 4:15 game.

If you’re in Arkansas, you’re fine.

The only time you will not get a game on Sunday Ticket is if you are getting it on one of your basic channels (CBS, FOX, whatever). It doesn’t matter if it is blacked out locally or not.

Sunday Ticket does not carry the following:
-Games Broadcast exclusively on NFL Network – i.e. the Thursday and Saturday night games that start around Thanksgiving.
-Any game that is rescheduled due to weather or other reason. I missed the KC v. Miami game a few years back when a hurricane was en-route to Miami and they bumped the game up to Friday.
-Any preseason game, period.

Other than that, you will not miss a game ever. It will either be on S.T. or it will be on a local prime time channel.