NFL to Halt Blackout Rule for 2015 Games

According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, the National Football League is going to suspend its policy of blacking out games that are not sold out for the 2015 season. The FCC had voted in October 2014 to end sports blackouts on television, but that rule did not prohibit the NFL and other leagues from making private contractual arrangements that would have the same effect — to keep games off free TV in cities where the stadium is not sold out. The NFL fought the FCC action last fall on the basis that it still needed to protect the home game attendance for its teams. The league noted at the time it had made an effort to minimize blackouts, noting it was still the only league left that televised every game on free over-the-air TV.