The NFL doesn’t want the sports blackout rule changed but...
The NFL doesn’t want the sports blackout rule changed but does seek changes to program access rules, Commissioner Roger Goodell and other league executives told the FCC’s three members in separate meetings last week. The sports blackout rule bars pay-TV…
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companies from showing games that don’t sell out when they're not broadcast on TV, and the NFL was expected to lobby the commission to keep the rule as some groups including one backed by subscription-video companies want it junked (CD March 16 p14). “Those rules serve the public interest and are working for the benefit of fans, sports leagues, and the broadcast industry,” the NFL said in an ex parte filing (http://xrl.us/bmyvhr). Program carriage “reform” is needed, the filing posted Friday to docket 12-3 said. “Changes to streamline the complaint process would benefit independent programmers and also improve the Commission’s process."