NFL On CBS - Market Coverage and Television Policies

Market Coverage and Television Policies

See also: List of CBS affiliates, NFL on television, and Primary NFL television stations

As with Fox's coverage, the network's stations are divided into different groups based on the most popular or closest team to that market or, if that does not apply, based on the allure of a particular game. Each football game is rated as an "A", "B", or "C" game, with "A" games likely being televised nationally and "C" games only in the two teams' home television markets. Significantly more behind-the-scenes resources are dedicated to "A" game coverage.

By NFL broadcasting rules, CBS must broadcast all regional games in the visiting team's home market (and, if sold out, the city the game is being played in), in its entirety, regardless if the game has a close outcome or is a blowout. However, if the game is a blowout, it is allowed to cut to a game with a more competitive outcome in a market that is within the 75-mile blackout radius without it being the home market itself. If a local game is blacked out, the local CBS affiliate is not allowed to show any other football game during the scheduled time of the home team's game.

As an example, if the Buffalo Bills are losing to the New England Patriots by over 20 points in the fourth quarter, most of the CBS stations carrying that game can be switched to another game; however, WBZ-TV Boston and WIVB Buffalo must carry the New England/Buffalo game to conclusion as they are in the two markets whose local teams are playing.

CBS carries all afternoon games in which an AFC team is on the road, so NFC teams will make only a maximum of two appearances on CBS each year. Similarly, Fox covers all games in which the visitors are from the NFC, meaning AFC teams get only up to two Fox-aired games each year. This policy goes back to the 1970 NFL/AFL merger, when home games were not broadcast, and the policy allowed every Sunday afternoon road game to be seen on the same TV station in the visiting team's home market.

For more details on this topic, see NFL_on_television#Sunday_regional_coverage.

For the past few decades, the NFL has always let CBS be the "singleheader" network during the week it televises the Men's U.S. Open Tennis final at 4:05 pm ET around the country (CBS has said that it cannot justify putting the Men's U.S. Open Final on Sunday night in terms of ratings; the women's final, broadcast on a Saturday night, often outrates the men's final by a considerable margin, except when at least one American plays in the men's final). However due to weather delays since 2009, this has ended up being the women's final on Sunday afternoons.