The NFL's recent decision to “ease blackout requirements for home games is smart, but also a little scary,” according to John Clayton of ESPN.com. The move “should limit the last-minute scramble to find a local business or television station buying a couple thousand tickets to keep the games on live television.” It “takes a lot of pressure off franchises such as the Jacksonville Jaguars, who have been putting tarp on empty seats in order to meet the sellout requirements to prevent blackouts.” The Colts also now have “the pressure off to sell their remaining 1,900 empty seats,” allowing fans to watch QB Andrew Luck “grow with a rebuilt roster and get excited enough to buy the remaining tickets” However, it is the latest sign that despite the NFL's “increasing clout and popularity, ticket sales are in a downward cycle” (ESPN.com, 7/2). In San Diego, Michael Gehlken notes if a team “lowers the bar for blackouts, the number is fixed for the season.” Whenever the team “clears the mark, it will be required to share more ticket revenue than usual with other teams in the league.” Chargers Exec VP & CEO A.G. Spanos yesterday said, "Even if you went to 15 percent lower, hypothetically an 85 percent manifest, that doesn't necessarily guarantee you a lift of the blackout for every game. It's also important to understand that the manifest is set for the year for every game, whether it's a big game for us or a game with a less attractive opponent” (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 7/3).
HONEY, I SHRUNK...: In Cincinnati, Joe Reedy notes the new blackout rule means the Bengals “could reduce the listed capacity of Paul Brown Stadium by as many as 9,826 seats.” If they elected to “reduce listed capacity to 55,689, they would then have to sell all non-premium seats to have the blackout lifted.” In that case, they would “have to sell 46,000 seats that are not classified as club or suites.” The Bengals last season “had a league-high six blackouts and were one of four teams to average less than 85 percent of capacity for home games.” The team drew a league-low 75.2% capacity. Even if the new rules had been in place last year, it “would not have had much effect,” as blackouts “have been lifted for two games (Colts and Browns) at most.” Besides benefiting fans, the other “big winner in this would be the local stations.” WXIX-Fox “did not air any Bengals games last year,” and WKRC-CBS “had four blacked out.” A Bengals game for the station “is worth at least double in ad revenues” (CINCINNATI ENQUIRER, 7/3).
