You’ve probably been there. It’s 1:00 PM on a Sunday, you’ve got your wings ready, and you flip to FOX or CBS expecting to see a high-stakes divisional matchup. Instead, you’re greeted by two teams with losing records playing in a stadium halfway across the country. You check the schedule, and it says your team is playing right now. So why aren't they on your TV?
Basically, it all comes down to the nfl games televised map.
Most fans think the NFL just picks the "best" game and shows it to everyone. Honestly, that couldn’t be further from the truth. The process of deciding which zip code sees which quarterback is a messy mix of corporate contracts, local affiliate greed (or strategy, if you want to be nice about it), and weird historical rules that date back decades.
How the NFL Games Televised Map Actually Works
Every Wednesday during the regular season, a site called 506 Sports releases these color-coded maps that look like a preschooler’s art project. These maps are the holy grail for NFL fans. They show exactly which regional games are going to be aired in every corner of the United States.
If you're in a "primary market"—meaning you live in the city or immediate surrounding area of an NFL team—you are guaranteed to see your team's game if it’s on a Sunday afternoon. No exceptions. If you live in Cincinnati, you're getting the Bengals. But what happens if you live in a "secondary market" or a "neutral market" like Louisville or Orlando?
That's where things get interesting.
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Local TV stations (the affiliates) usually get to choose which game they want to air from the slate provided by CBS or FOX. They aren't looking for the most "exciting" game in a vacuum. They are looking for ratings. If a station in Iowa thinks more people will tune in to see Brock Purdy (who played college ball at Iowa State) than a matchup between two Top-10 teams, they’ll take the Purdy game every single time.
The "Broadcast Island" Phenomenon
If you ever look at an nfl games televised map and see a tiny blue dot of coverage in the middle of a sea of red, you’ve found a broadcast island.
These usually happen for one of three reasons:
- The Alma Mater Factor: Northern California often gets Pittsburgh Steelers games because Aaron Rodgers went to Cal. Parts of Wyoming will drop everything to show the Buffalo Bills because of Josh Allen.
- The Rivalry Spoiler: Sometimes a station will air a divisional rival's game because the outcome directly affects the local team’s playoff seeding.
- The Corporate Owner: Occasionally, a large company like Sinclair or Nexstar that owns dozens of stations will make a "group buy" for a specific game, forcing it onto all their affiliates regardless of local interest.
It’s frustrating. I know. But these "islands" are a reminder that the map is a living document, not a static schedule.
The Rules No One Tells You About
There are these "hidden" rules that govern the nfl games televised map which often leave fans scratching their heads.
For instance, did you know about the "Singleheader vs. Doubleheader" rule? Every week, one network (either CBS or FOX) gets the right to air two games (a doubleheader), while the other network can only air one. This rotates. If your local team is playing on the "singleheader" network at 1:00 PM, that network cannot show you a game at 4:00 PM. You just get a blank window or infomercials.
Then there’s the "Home Market Blackout" (not to be confused with the old ticket-sales blackout). If the local team is playing at home and the game is being televised on one network, the other network is sometimes prohibited from airing a game at the same time in that specific market. They don't want to split the audience.
Streaming Hasn't Killed the Map Yet
With the rise of YouTube TV’s NFL Sunday Ticket and various streaming "workarounds," you’d think the regional map would be dead. It’s not.
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Local broadcasts still command the highest ad rates. CBS and FOX pay billions for the right to be the exclusive provider of those regional windows. Even if you have a streaming sub, your "local" game on Paramount+ or the FOX Sports app is determined by your GPS location. You are still a prisoner of the map.
If you want to beat the system, you basically have two choices: pay the $400+ for Sunday Ticket or find a bar that has it. Otherwise, you’re at the mercy of whatever the station manager in your city decided was "good for the locals" back on Tuesday morning.
Practical Steps for Sunday Morning
Don't wait until kickoff to find out if you're stuck watching a blowout.
- Check 506 Sports on Wednesday afternoon. This is when the maps are usually finalized. Look for your specific city on the map to see which color you fall under.
- Verify with your local listings. Occasionally, a station manager will make a "late switch" on Friday if a major injury happens or if a game suddenly becomes a "win-and-in" scenario for the playoffs.
- Know your "cross-flex" games. The NFL now "cross-flexes" games, meaning an all-NFC game might show up on CBS, or an all-AFC game might be on FOX. Don't just check one network and give up.
- Have a backup. If you're out of market, NFL+ (on mobile) or a specific team-focused stream is your best bet, but remember that blackout rules still apply to your local televised game.
The map is a puzzle. Once you understand that it's driven by local ratings and college ties rather than "national importance," Sunday mornings become a lot less confusing.