Okay, so, I’ve been trying to figure out this whole NFL TV regional map thing, and let me tell you, it’s a bit of a doozy. Basically, I wanted to know which games were going to be shown in my area, so I started digging around.
First, I found out that the NFL broadcast map changes every week. Yeah, you heard that right – every single week! So, the map for Week 10, for example, is not going to be the same as the map for Week 12 or Week 17. It’s a constant game of “where’s Waldo?” but with football games.
I began looking into all this stuff about coverage maps. The coverage map tells you what games are available in your area. Every week the map is a little bit different. For example, if I looked at the map for Week 1, it was totally different than the map for Week 12 or Week 15. I started to understand the frustration!
I went down this rabbit hole, reading about how these maps are put together. Apparently, Fox gets a bunch of games in the early time slot, like 1 p.m. Eastern Time, and they’re spread out all over the country. Then there’s CBS, and they do their own thing. It’s like a big puzzle, and they’re trying to make sure everyone gets a decent selection of games.
Then I stumbled upon something about antennas and local stations. Apparently, if you’ve got a good old-fashioned antenna and you’re in a decent reception area, you can just watch the games on your local Fox, NBC, or CBS station. I even checked out these Federal Communications Commission TV reception maps to see what stations I could get. It’s like going back in time, but hey, free football!
- Streaming services were the next step. I found out you need to pay to stream NFL games, and there are so many options: YouTube TV, DirectTV, Xfinity, Spectrum, Hulu, Dish, Sling, Fios, Fubo… It’s overwhelming, to be honest.
Finally, I learned that all the playoff games, the Super Bowl, and the Pro Bowl are shown nationwide. Those are easy to find. The preseason is a bit more relaxed, with games usually starting based on local time.
So, yeah, that’s my journey through the wild world of NFL TV regional maps. It’s complicated, it changes all the time, but at least now I have a better idea of how to find the games I want to watch. And I’m going to enjoy the game!
