Local TV Blackouts
In the 2009 season, the Lions had four of their 8 home games televised on local TV. The Lions sold out their home opener against the Vikings, as well as a week 5 match up against the Steelers, the Thanksgiving Classic against Green Bay, and their season finale against the Bears. Both of the Lions wins in 2009 were blacked out on local television (the Detroit, Flint/Tri-Cities, Lansing/Jackson and Toledo markets) because the game didn't sell out by the 72 hour deadline. In the games that Detroit didn't sell out, the attendances were announced at just over 40,000 and quite often, the stadium looked only half full. Since the Lions 0–16 season in 2008, popularity in the team has decreased and the Lions have struggled to sell tickets.
Read more about this topic: 2009 Detroit Lions Season
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