KIRO Seattle has announced it will simulcast the Monday night game (Niners/Seahawks) with ESPN. This follows the longstanding policy of the NFL allowing local stations to air cable games in the home market only. HOw long has this policy been going on? How are the stations picked? And have there been any cases of local stations not showing a cable broadcast?
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Cable NFL Games on local TV
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I am no expert on this, but I believe this is an NFL rule that goes way back to when cable networks were not as prominent as they are today, and back then OTA broadcasts were more prominent. Couldn't give you an exact date, but would guess sometime in the 80's. Cheers to KIRO for knowing this rule and picking up on it. Why KIRO? Don't know, perhaps they were first to claim? You would think this would be a KCPQ pickup, due to a pure NFC matchup. I am positive someone has more complete info than I do...
For those outside the area, KIRO is the Seattle CBS affiliate and KCPQ is the FOX affiliate. However, an all-NFC Seattle/NO matchup did air on CBS earlier this season.
Yes, you are correct. The biz calls it "cross-flexing", but I think it is more a "balancing" that goes on with the network telecasts. But, generally, KCPQ runs the NFC games.
It dates back to 1987. That was a policy Pete Rozelle (the former NFL commissioner) put in so every home team NFL game would be available in the home market OTA.
Yeah, that is what I thought. Didn't realize it was '87, thought it might have been a bit earlier. I'm not sure when the first NFL game was on cable only, but this was indeed an issue in the 80's. I even vaguely remember when Seattle viewers were left out of a game because of this, they complained, and the rule was put in place. But a bit hazy on that...(30+ years later!).
I was guessing 1985, but it began when ESPN and TNT started airing Sunday night games. TNT gave their half-season to ESPN a few years later. It is to assure that a game on cable airs in the two teams' home (but not secondary, other than Milwaukee for Packers games) markets. The rights are available to any station willing to pay, but IIRC, the ABC (games on ESPN) or Fox (games on NFL Network) O&Os have first priority in those cities that have them.
I know KGO-TV San Francisco the Disney owned station airs 49ers games as part of a simulcast with ESPN's Monday Night Football coverage as of 2019.
I also understand that KABC-TV Los Angeles has aired Rams and Chargers games whenever ESPN does Monday Night Football too and these are Disney owned stations that have pre-empted ABC programming for Sports
I also understand that KABC-TV Los Angeles has aired Rams and Chargers games whenever ESPN does Monday Night Football too and these are Disney owned stations that have pre-empted ABC programming for Sports
KABC will have MNF simulcasts in back-to-back weeks in the second half of this month--Chiefs vs. Chargers on November 18th, Ravens-Rams on the 25th. KGO is airing next Monday's game with the 49ers and Seahawks, and have already simulcast two other MNF games this season. KABC has handled the local MNF simulcasts since the Rams came back to town in 2016, and the Chargers the year after.
As far as preemptions, with the earlier start times for MNF versus that of ABC's primetime in the Pacific time zone, it's pretty minimal if anything--the only programs that would normally be affected for the both stations are the newscasts, the encore airing of World News Tonight (both already air WNT live at 3:30pm PT, in addition to the "Western" edition airings), the Jeopardy-Wheel hour, and the first hour of primetime. Last year, KABC aired that epic Chiefs-Rams MNF game, and a new episode of Dancing with the Stars was also airing that night, plus an episode of The Good Doctor (not sure if it was also new); DWTS aired on a hour delay (9-11pm), and The Good Doctor aired after Nightline.
ABC O&O stations or Hearst owned stations get first right of refusal for ESPN games. NFL Net games FOX O&O get first right of refusal
Other markets its the highest bidder
KCPQ runs the NFL home games. If a game is between an AFC & NFC team **in most cases** (ie: before crossflexing was used) the road teams network carried the game
Indeed, a somewhat complicated formula. Generally, the Fox station will cover about 75% of any NFC's team schedule. The same for CBS with the AFC. This excludes NBC and ESPN for Sunday and Monday night.
ESPN aired its first regular season NFL game on November 8, 1987, so the local OTA simulcasts date back that far.
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Banned
KMBC.
the game also aired on WFAA the local ABC station in Dallas for the home market of the Cowboys.
I don't know how long the policy has bene in place, but I don't get why they did it, can't be too many homes without cable. And I would imagine that the two main ESPN channels which are ESPN and ESPN 2, even if they don't carry the rest of the ESPN channels which are ESPN News, ESPN U and ESPN Classic. In Chicago when the Bears were on Monday night football, WGN TV carried the game, which was the same week that they were say goodbye to sports all together, as it was the last week for Cubs and White Sox, and Blackhawks and Bulls had already ended their run with the 2018-19 seasons for the two teams. Not sure how they are picked, or if they decide if they want to carry the games.
The NFL wants as many eyeballs as possible, and Football on OTA statios outperform games on cable every time.
Doesn't the road team have the right to be on broadcast TV too?
The road team likely IS on local TV in its market. Example--If New Orleans is playing at Seattle on ESPN Monday Night Football, the game should be available in New Orleans & Seattle on local affiliate stations (in addition to the ESPN broadcast)...
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