r/NFLNoobs • u/Life-Profit4836 • 2d ago

Morning games running over into afternoon game

So, why am I having to sit through Washington vs NY overtime when I live on the west coast and the 49er and Seattle game is going on. Why do out of market people have to stay with a game (while a good game) running into an in market game. Why do all the morning games fox is showing have to be over before they go to their afternoon game of the week?

0 Upvotes

40% Upvoted

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23

u/Lane8323 2d ago

They don’t plan for overtime when games are scheduled

-14

u/Life-Profit4836 2d ago

Yeah, but why not just cut away? I live on the west coast. I don't care about the giants and commanders. I want to watch the niners

31

u/ericrz 2d ago

Most of the country (that doesn’t have a rooting interest) would rather see the end of a close (overtime) game than the very beginning of the next one.

14

u/StuffonBookshelfs 2d ago

Ever heard of the Heidi game?

3

u/Novel_Willingness721 2d ago

For those who don’t know…

https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/news/heidi-game-movie-jets-raiders-nbc-football/beb53d15f3f6745a110c8169

TDLR 1968 Close shootout game between raiders and jets. Was cut off to present Heidi on NBC. the Heidi rule was implemented to prevent this in the future.

4

u/YourGuyK 2d ago

The end of a close game is generally more entertaining than the beginning of any game.

4

u/PowerOfGamers01 2d ago

Heidi rule, basically networks have to show the game until the end because of the Heidi game

3

u/throwaway60457 2d ago

That's not how the Heidi rule works. The "Heidi rule" now says only that the end of a game may not be cut off in the teams' primary markets. It does not state that every market that saw that game from the start must stay with it to its conclusion.

1

u/Lane8323 2d ago

They’re contractually obligated to show the full game

1

u/hemppy420 2d ago

They cut to the washington/ny game after the green bay/Chicago game ended early here. They still broadcast the entire end of the game before cutting to the seattle/san fran game after it was 7-7

1

u/throwaway60457 2d ago

You're not in either of the Bay Area or Seattle television markets, which means Fox gets to dictate what your local Fox affiliate station shows.

1

u/throwaway60457 2d ago

Viewing population-wise, you are geographically out-numbered more than 3-to-1. 77% of the population lives in the Eastern or Central time zones, which is always going to skew broadcasting decisions toward the eastern half of the country. Unless you're in the Bay Area or Seattle, Sunday Ticket or sailing the high seas is the only way to guarantee that you can see a West Coast game in its entirety.

1

u/mahones403 2d ago

It's not about you. 

1

u/BananerRammer 2d ago

If you're not in the Seattle or Bay Area market, then they're gonna show the end of the prior game.

Cutting away from an overtime game to show the first quarter of a different game is going to piss off a lot of people.

7

u/Intrinsic_Factors 2d ago

Because the broadcasters believe they'll keep more eyes on the broadcast if they show the end of a close game than the beginning of another.

Broadcasters don't care that you live on the west coast or if you're in market or whatever. They have millions of people across the nation watching what you describe as "a good game" right now. They're taking a huge risk of losing viewers by switching to the early parts of another game.

1

u/hemppy420 2d ago

That would make sense if the washington/ny game was an in market game where I am. It wasn't. Green bay/Chicago was the in market game here. Still dont see why I had to watch the entire rest of the washington/ny game since the seattle/san fran game is the in market afternoon game here.

1

u/Intrinsic_Factors 2d ago

The broadcaster doesn't care about in-market/out-of-market in this situation. They care about viewers. There are 16 games being played today, most people are not in market for any given game. But they're still watching football, presumably because they are football fans.

In general, football fans (and sports fans in general) like seeing 1) their favorite team and 2) close games. Since there a larger pool of football fans than fans of any particular team in any given football game, Seattle or SF fans are going to be outnumbered by the people who would be interested in watching the end of a close game. The broadcaster is going to prioritize the group with the most viewers.

Green bay/Chicago was the in market game here. since the seattle/san fran game is the in market afternoon game here.

I believe you're using the terms wrong. You say that GB-Chi was in market "here" and then the SEA-SF game as well. You can't be in-market for the entire country.

You are in one media market. If you're not in the media market for one of the teams in that game, the network (Fox in this case), was already making a choice on what game to show you for each time slot. They made a decision to show the rest of the close game instead of the start of a new one because it will keep more viewers

1

u/hemppy420 2d ago

Yes I used in market incorrectly. I am in Austin and the other morning game was technically the in market game (Texans)

I totally get why they did it. My annoyance was because I am a huge Seahawks fan and we don't get many of them broadcast here.

I didn't want to wait!

3

u/MarcatBeach 2d ago

broadcasters have a choice, and they learned cutting off games in progress angers more people. but it is their choice.

3

u/Most-Artichoke6184 2d ago

Because you got to watch the most remarkable ending ever to an overtime game lol

1

u/ithuriels_spear 2d ago

Fox ruined the fucking game today!

1

u/throwaway60457 2d ago

Where precisely on the West Coast are you? I'm guessing the Los Angeles area, which would explain it perfectly. Only the primary markets -- in the case of the 49ers/Seahawks game, the Bay Area and Seattle Fox stations -- are under a requirement to leave a 1:00 ET/10:00 AM PT game to go to the start of a 4:25 ET/1:25 PT game. Elsewhere, that decision is up to Fox, which judged that viewers would be more interested in the late stages of overtime in the NY Giants/Washington game than the opening minutes of 49ers/Seahawks.

1

u/BlueRFR3100 2d ago

There is never any consistency about this. Sometimes they cut away for the markets and sometimes they don't.

1

u/alfreadadams 2d ago

There is a difference between being in the home market for a game or just having the game be on TV where you are.

They should have cut away for people in San Fran, Seattle, Detroit, and Atlanta.

The could not cut away in NY and DC.

Everywhere else it is up to them, and more people would want the end of a game than the start of a new one.

1

u/jsmeeker 2d ago

That Overtime was bonkers crazy. You should be glad you got to witness it.

1

u/SpiritualScratch8465 2d ago

They used to be really strict on this and cut away to the regularly scheduled game in the second of the doubleheader. They don’t seem to care now.

0

u/Upbeat_Call4935 2d ago

If you are actually in the market, then your broadcast starts on time. Simply being anywhere on the West Coast doesn’t necessarily put you in the Seattle or SF market.