The NFL is the most watched television franchise in the world right now, dominating the ratings every week. Networks are tripping over one another to acquire the rights to air games.
That was not always the case, however. For decades, the NFL had blackout rules that prevented local TV affiliates from airing games that didn’t sell a sufficient amount of tickets. Many games went untelevised in local markets. (Before that, in the 1960s, all NFL games were blacked out in the local TV markets.)
