NFL fans will be able to watch their local teams on television throughout the 2015 season, no matter how many tickets are sold.
NFL owners voted Monday to suspend the league's blackout policy for one year. The change will apply to preseason and regular-season games.
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The NFL noted that there were no blackouts in 2014 and only two in 2013, but that didn't necessarily occur organically. Teams up against the ticket-sales deadline to avoid a blackout often have sponsors buy blocks of tickets to get them over the hump for a given game and redistribute those tickets to charities or other organizations.
Since 2012, teams have had to sell 85 percent of tickets for home games at least 72 hours before kickoff to avoid a blackout.
The NFL imposed its blackout policy in 1973 as a way to ensure continued ticket sales. Though the policy has come under attack for years from various quarters, the league's owners have stood by the necessity of keeping the rules in place.
Owners will monitor any effect on ticket sales this season that might be tied to the suspension of blackouts, but if fans keep showing up at stadiums on Sundays, the change could be here to stay.
