Mike Florio wants the NFL to fix a growing NFL Sunday Ticket problem. The Pro Football Talk founder says late-game blackouts make no sense for fans paying $400 a season for the NFL subscription service.
What We Know: When an early NFL game runs long, networks keep it on air as “bonus coverage” into the 4:25 p.m. ET window. Meanwhile, NFL Sunday Ticket keeps the late game blacked out for customers because it will eventually air on local FOX Sports or CBS Sports stations. As a result, many fans missed most of the first quarter of 49ers-Seahawks on Sunday. That broadcast finally began with 4:47 left in the quarter, after the 70-minute Giants-Commanders game ended. Florio called on the NFL to address this issue as it withholds customers from the content they pay for.
What They Said: (All quotes via PFT Live):
Mike Florio says the NFL needs to do better with bonus coverage blackouts: “This is 2026. The last I checked. We’ve got super intelligence. There has to be a way to lift the blackout. So that people who have paid their $400 because they have no choice but to pay for the whole season to watch all the games that aren’t on in their market. If there’s a game that’s happening that’s not on in their market, they should be able to watch the first ten plus minutes of the first quarter on Sunday ticket.”
Mike Florio says blackouts on NFL Sunday Ticket could end up as part of antitrust challenges by Congress: “I know the NFL’s got plenty of stuff going on as it relates to antitrust challenges directed at Sunday ticket. This is another one just waiting to happen. I pay $400. Why can’t I watch the first 10 minutes or Seahawks 49ers? We don’t know what’s going to happen in those first 10 minutes. It could have been the greatest first ten minutes of a game in NFL history. You never get to see it. It’s inexplicable that this would happen.”
What Remains Unclear: So far, the NFL and YouTube have not fixed the problem, despite multiple cases this season. Oddly, fans in Lions-Cardinals markets still watched all of 49ers-Seahawks on Sunday Ticket. However, it remains unclear whether any fix will arrive this season.
What It Means: For Florio, the solution seems simple. The league could lift the blackout until bonus coverage ends on local channels. Otherwise, he believes the NFL invites a class action from frustrated subscribers. Ultimately, the issue adds pressure to a product already facing antitrust scrutiny.
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