The NFL Schedule: Sundays Are for Football

And now, Part IV.

Sunday Afternoon

As far as TV scheduling, all that's left are the Sunday afternoon games. We know the NFL picks these games to air on Sunday to maximize ratings. CBS airs the AFC road games, and FOX airs the NFC road games. Each week, that leaves a total of somewhere between five and eight games each Sunday to air on either network.

1pm ET / 10am PT


Both networks start by scheduling the majority of their matchups for this time slot. The majority of teams and viewers are located in the Central and Eastern time zones, and the NFL has a rule that requires teams playing at home in these time zones to start at the above time, with kickoff coming about a minute later.

Now this rule is more of a guideline. FOX/CBS may move one or more of these games to the later time slot to make good on a minimum number of games available for the later time slot.


4pm ET / 1pm PT


The games scheduled for this time slot are almost always games played in the Mountain and Pacific time zones. The NFL has a rule (this is not a guideline) requiring all day games played in these time zones to be in this time slot. Kickoff in these games starts at either 4:05 ET or 4:15 ET, depending on which games are for solo broadcast that day or part of a doubleheader, respectively. In this way, no games will start before 12pm local time.


Doubleheaders

Doubleheaders are Sunday game coverage, where FOX/CBS air two games in full, back-to-back, to a national audience. The NFL allows FOX & CBS to have an equal number of "doubleheaders" during the season, where the two networks alternate which weeks one has the doubleheader. These do not have to be every other week, so long as each gets eight. FOX & CBS usually figure this out during this month.

Usually, FOX has the doubleheader in Week 1, due to CBS coverage of the tennis U.S. Open.
In Week 17, both FOX & CBS have doubleheaders, to maximize the number of still significant matchups in the final week.

Flex-Scheduling


NBC, FOX, & CBS, as broadcasters have the rights to change which games they air, or what time they air them during the season. Up to ten days before the game, NBC has the right to trade their Sunday night game with either CBS or FOX, starting in Week 11 and through Week 16. FOX & CBS have one game each week they can protect from NBC, but NBC picks the game they want. This way, FOX may end up with an AFC road game, or CBS might end up with an NFC road game. However, according to NFL rules, only three teams may make as many as six prime time appearances. The remaining teams may make a maximum of five prime time appearances.


FOX & CBS have up to ten days before the game during Week 11 to Week 16 to change game start times to their own games. Once again, this is all to maximize ratings.


And as late as six days before Week 17, the NFL can change start times for any games for that final week.


Blackouts / No opposing games

The NFL used to have a rule that forced a station carrying the day game to not air it in the market where the game was being played, to encourage tickets sales. But if a game was sold out, the game was still blacked out. The NFL changed the rule on an appeal to where games are only blacked out now if they are not sold out. The stadium has up to 72 hours before kickoff to sell out or risk blackout. If there's only a few thousand or hundred seats left, they get 48 hours. Most NFL games are sold out. The markets that are affected by blackout are all markets within 70 miles of the team's stadium.

Also, due to home team coverage rights, the NFL requires that every time a team is playing at home, the network that is not airing that game cannot air another game at the same time. This increases ratings and team awareness. This is also why the Bay Area market never has 49ers/Raiders games at the same time if at home. Jets/Giants in New York City are also like that, although, neither team can play in NYC at the same time, unless they are playing each other.

Regional Games (esp. Bay Area/NYC)

FOX/CBS arrange the games they promote for each week, based on how many potential viewers they get. The "Game of the Week" is always the game that reaches the most viewers. You can check the games airing in your area each week at sites like this.

I'll have more details on regional game coverage in my final blog, coming early tomorrow.