Slumping economy may mean more NFL TV blackouts this season
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From USA Today:
If the economy is slowly rebounding, ticket sales for many NFL teams have yet to take the corresponding bounce for the upcoming season.
Two teams — the San Diego Chargers and the Jacksonville Jaguars— say it's likely they will have home TV blackouts this season due to an inability to sell out their stadiums. At least 10 other teams could also face blackouts.
The Jaguars, in the northern Florida economy that was hit hard by the housing crunch, are bracing for a worst-case scenario in which all eight of their home games fail to sell out. NFL rules require local TV blackouts for any games that fail to sell out 72 hours prior to kickoff. That blackout also extends to DirecTV's premium package. There were nine such blackouts league-wide last season.
"People are having it tough down here," Jaguars senior VP of business development Tim Connolly said. "People are watching their dollars and they're being tighter than ever."
At least 12 teams, including stalwart franchises such as the Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, New York Giants and Washington Redskins, have sold out stadiums for the season. Twenty-four teams kept their 2009 ticket prices steady with last season.
Chargers COO Jim Steeg, after acknowledging earlier this month that "blackouts are likely," even for the defending AFC West champs, said his organization will "think outside the box and pull out all the stops" in sales efforts.
The sluggish economy, poor performance in recent seasons and the high cost of tickets (which averaged more than $72 last season) all can contribute to slow ticket sales, said David Carter, a sports business professor at USC. "You add those things up," Carter said, "and it results in empty seats for those teams that don't have a compelling offering."
The demand for tickets in some cities has resisted the down economy. The Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers have sellout streaks that date back to the 1970s, and fans who cancel their season tickets would quickly be replaced by those on a waiting list. But in cities where there's less demand, there's less pressure to prioritize spending on tickets.
Connolly said fans are "taking a breather" from anything that's not essential to their budgets. "There are a lot of people saying, 'Well we're a year away,' " he said, "and they'll put off this purchase."
If the economy is slowly rebounding, ticket sales for many NFL teams have yet to take the corresponding bounce for the upcoming season.
Two teams — the San Diego Chargers and the Jacksonville Jaguars— say it's likely they will have home TV blackouts this season due to an inability to sell out their stadiums. At least 10 other teams could also face blackouts.
The Jaguars, in the northern Florida economy that was hit hard by the housing crunch, are bracing for a worst-case scenario in which all eight of their home games fail to sell out. NFL rules require local TV blackouts for any games that fail to sell out 72 hours prior to kickoff. That blackout also extends to DirecTV's premium package. There were nine such blackouts league-wide last season.
"People are having it tough down here," Jaguars senior VP of business development Tim Connolly said. "People are watching their dollars and they're being tighter than ever."
At least 12 teams, including stalwart franchises such as the Green Bay Packers, New England Patriots, New York Giants and Washington Redskins, have sold out stadiums for the season. Twenty-four teams kept their 2009 ticket prices steady with last season.
Chargers COO Jim Steeg, after acknowledging earlier this month that "blackouts are likely," even for the defending AFC West champs, said his organization will "think outside the box and pull out all the stops" in sales efforts.
The sluggish economy, poor performance in recent seasons and the high cost of tickets (which averaged more than $72 last season) all can contribute to slow ticket sales, said David Carter, a sports business professor at USC. "You add those things up," Carter said, "and it results in empty seats for those teams that don't have a compelling offering."
The demand for tickets in some cities has resisted the down economy. The Denver Broncos and Pittsburgh Steelers have sellout streaks that date back to the 1970s, and fans who cancel their season tickets would quickly be replaced by those on a waiting list. But in cities where there's less demand, there's less pressure to prioritize spending on tickets.
Connolly said fans are "taking a breather" from anything that's not essential to their budgets. "There are a lot of people saying, 'Well we're a year away,' " he said, "and they'll put off this purchase."
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