The NFL's Broadcast Committee has "approved a one-year
experiment to expand the number of Sunday afternoon
doubleheaders that can be seen when local teams are playing
home games," according to Richard Sandomir of the N.Y.
TIMES, who notes the league has previously barred
doubleheaders from the same network in markets when the
local team plays at home. The change is "part of a league
plan to showcase games that would not ordinarily be seen,
which is especially important where home teams are playing
badly, and to help networks increase their ratings." Under
the change, a third game will be shown in a market "if the
local team's home game is sold out 72 hours in advance and
at a time that does not conflict with the home game."
Meanwhile, the Broadcast Committee also "approved the use of
tiny cameras mounted on the bill of the umpires' caps during
nine preseason games" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/26). In N.Y., Phil
Mushnick also reports on the league's "significant
relaxation of its previously inflexible" doubleheader
broadcast rule. He adds that while the N.Y. market "was
scheduled to see only five Sunday afternoon 'tripleheaders'
(two games on Fox, one on CBS, or vice versa)," this season,
it will now receive 11 tripleheaders (N.Y. POST, 7/26).
