CBS cut to another game before Pats - Fins was over in the LA market

[SoCal Bong]

With about 30 seconds or so to go in the game, an announcement (not Dierdorf or Gumbel) comes out that "due to NFL contractual obligations we now leave this game to bring you the Chargers - Giants game".

We were able to switch over to the NFL Ticket channel and see the end of the game but I was still curious about how this works. Would they have done the same thing if this game was "more undecided" or possibly going to overtime?

Say the Pats were playing the late game, I would be fine with missing the first few minutes of it if another game was running long and I think most of the viewing public would agree.

Isn't this policy just asking for public outrage when something unexpected happens such as the "Heidi Game"?

Heidi Game - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

 

[farn]

Say the Pats were playing the late game, I would be fine with missing the first few minutes of it if another game was running long and I think most of the viewing public would agree.

Heidi Game - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Completely DISagree... I want to watch the Patriots when they are on... I want the local affiliate to cut to the opening kickoff... I chose my dish subsciber here in Canada based on the one (of two possibilites in my rural area) that has Boston network affiliates.

Cutting good for me.

 

[SoCal Bong]

Remember that it cuts both ways meaning you'd miss the end of Pats games too just as we did.

 

[Patjew]

I was watching it on a NY channel and they switched as well for the same reason.

 

[TruthSeeker]

When the home team plays, the network must show that game (unless it's blacked out). Sounds like the Chargers were the home team in your market.

 

[BelichickFan]

On the local channels I guess you're stuck. With Sunday Ticket you should never miss anything. Given the choice, I'd rather miss the first few minutes than the last.

 

[MetalBleachers]

I was watching it on a NY channel and they switched as well for the same reason.

Ditto. (10)

 

[ctpatsfan77]

We were able to switch over to the NFL Ticket channel and see the end of the game but I was still curious about how this works. Would they have done the same thing if this game was "more undecided" or possibly going to overtime?

If it's "contractual obligations," then, sadly, yes.

 

[jmt57]

SoCal, what game did they cut to?

It's my understanding that the policy is to show the entire game in the markets of the teams that are playing - in this case television stations from Boston, Providence, and Miami.

The other part of that is that it is also pretty much set in stone that they will show the opening kickoff of a local game that is about to start, regardless of what is happening in that early game.

So for example if you get your broadcast from a San Diego station and they switched to the Chargers game, then yep - that switch is going to happen every time. I believe it has to do with contracts with the local advertisers in that market that bought advertising time from the local (San Diego in this case) station.

 

[Bill B.]

There is no LA team. San Diego is 100 miles away, yet they claim LA as their market. We get the damn Chargers televised every week. Good thing I go to the sports bar to watch the Patriots or I would go crazy. Most people here hate the Chargers. Missing the end of the Patriot game for that "classy" team makes me hate them more.

 

[mosslost]

I was just glad we could switch over to the Sunday Ticket channel. Someone had mentioned before that this happened to them and the 700 channel was still blacked out one week. THAT would piss me off.

 

[tombonneau]

There is no LA team. San Diego is 100 miles away, yet they claim LA as their market. We get the damn Chargers televised every week. Good thing I go to the sports bar to watch the Patriots or I would go crazy. Most people here hate the Chargers. Missing the end of the Patriot game for that "classy" team makes me hate them more.

I live in LA as well, and I'm actually surprised this is the first time I've ever noticed them do that whole "Contractual obligation" voiceover and switch to a Chargers game.

I'd be very curious as to how the NFL defines LA county as "local" for TV programming purposes. Doesn't really seem right.

 

[BelichickFan]

I was just glad we could switch over to the Sunday Ticket channel. Someone had mentioned before that this happened to them and the 700 channel was still blacked out one week. THAT would piss me off.

I think they have changed a few rules. Last year if the game was on local TV then the Sunday Ticket channel would be blacked out and you'd have to watch it on the local channel. Then if this situation occurred you were stuck - I missed the start of the Pats-Colts game in 2006 or 2007 because of that. This year if the game is on your local channel you can still watch on the Sunday Ticket channel which solves the problem.

 

[bradydaman29]

I was asking about this the day before the game came on because I knew if the game went long they would switch over to those critical first few minutes of the 49ers game. I usually tape the game so even if Sunday Ticket picked up the game where it left off, I'd be sol. Luckily in this case, I didn't miss much. That's why I hate to see when they have the Pats on local television, there's always the possibilty of missing the ending. The response I got a few days ago was that Sunday ticket does not pick up the game if it gets cut off before the end, but since I taped the game, I didn't get a chance to find out for sure.

 

[jmt57]

I remember a few years ago the Pats were scheduled to be on local (to where I lived) TV; as a result the game was blacked out on the Sunday Ticket. Problem was that the local television station decided late in the week to show a different game instead. Net result was no game on either channel. Called DirecTV and after being on hold until into the 2nd quarter, they essentially told me I was wrong and that it was on local TV. After convincing them that it was not, their customer service person told me there was nothing they could do as their contract forbade them from showing the game, even in this circumstance; her suggestion was for me to call the local tv station and have them switch back to the Pats game.

Afterwards I wrote letters to the station, the network, DirecTV and NFL; got nothing other than the expected 'we're sorry for the inconvenience', 'due to mis-communucation', 'you are very important to us', blah, blah, blah. I also asked what they had set up in case this happened again and got nothing other than the usual corporate doublespeak.

Although I no longer have the Sunday Ticket I am glad to see the networks and DirecTV have finally worked out a plan to insure all the games do get shown. With all the switching of games due to blowouts, having to show the local game, and neutral-area stations opting for one game over another, it is something that should have been worked out long ago.

 

[TheComeback]

At least they didn't cut to Heidi.

 

[lapatsfan]

Purchase the Directv NFL package and you won't have these issues.

 

[jmt57]

Purchase the Directv NFL package and you won't have these issues.

Not entirely true - see comment #15.

Earlier this year when the Pats beat the Titans, the networks switched to a 'more competitive game' - the Jets game as I recall - and the switch was also made on the Sunday Ticket. Directv eventually did switch back, but the other game was on for several minutes.

 

[BelichickFan]

Not entirely true - see comment #15.

Earlier this year when the Pats beat the Titans, the networks switched to a 'more competitive game' - the Jets game as I recall - and the switch was also made on the Sunday Ticket. Directv eventually did switch back, but the other game was on for several minutes.

Sunday Ticket most certainly did not switch off from the Patriots-Titans game, not where I live anyway. Are you sure you were watching on the 700s and not on a local broadcast ?

 

[jmt57]

Sunday Ticket most certainly did not switch off from the Patriots-Titans game, not where I live anyway. Are you sure you were watching on the 700s and not on a local broadcast ?

Yep, I was in a sports bar - it wasn't on regular tv where I live.