Okay, so, today I wanna talk about something I’ve been messing around with lately – NFL football TV maps. Yeah, sounds kinda boring, but trust me, it’s been a bit of a headache and I figured I’d share what I learned.
So, picture this: It’s Sunday, and you’re all set to watch some football. But wait, which game is on in your area? That’s where these TV maps come in. They’re supposed to show you what games are being broadcast where, based on your location. Sounds simple enough, right?
First Steps
First thing I did was try to find these maps. Turns out, they change every week, which makes sense ’cause the NFL schedule is always shifting around. I found out that there’re a bunch of sites that post these maps. They usually show up a few days before the games. Week 18, that’s where it’s at this weekend, so I started digging into those maps specifically. I tried to make sure the coverage maps I’m looking at were for Week 18.
Getting into the Details
The maps themselves are pretty straightforward. They’re color-coded to show which game is playing in each region. For example, I saw that for Week 18, there were games on ESPN and ESPN2. But here’s the catch – you gotta have access to these channels through something like Foxtel, Kayo Sports, Fetch TV, or SKY NZ. Or, you can use the ESPN App. Makes sense. They gotta make their money somehow.
I also noticed that most of the playoff games, including the Super Bowl and the Pro Bowl, are nationally televised. That’s good news for most of us, ’cause you don’t have to scramble to find out where to watch the big games. They’re usually on in the afternoon or primetime on Saturdays, Sundays, or Mondays during January and February.
Diving Deeper
What really got me was how the NFL decides which game goes where. It’s all based on your local time for most games, especially during the preseason. But for the regular season, it gets a bit more complicated. They’ve got deals with different networks like CBS and FOX, and each network gets to show certain games in certain areas. Like this week, CBS has four games, and they’re showing different ones in different parts of the country. For instance, the Jets-Bills game is in the pink areas on the map, while the Panthers-Buccaneers game is in the blue areas.
I also learned that the 2024 NFL season is the 105th season. Man, that’s a lot of football! It started on September 5, 2024, with the Kansas City Chiefs beating Baltimore. And the regular season is gonna wrap up on January 5, 2025. So we’re getting close to the end now.
Experimenting
- Tried different websites: I checked out a few different sites that post these maps just to see if they were all saying the same thing. Most of them were pretty consistent, which is good.
- Compared maps: I looked at maps from previous weeks, just for kicks. It was interesting to see how much they change from week to week.
- Checked my local listings: I even cross-referenced the maps with my own TV listings to make sure they matched up. They did, which was a relief.
Wrapping It Up
So, after all this messing around, what did I learn? Well, first off, these NFL TV maps are super useful, especially if you’re like me and just wanna know what game you can watch without flipping through channels all day. Second, they’re pretty accurate, at least in my experience. And third, it’s kinda cool to see how the NFL manages to broadcast different games to different parts of the country each week.
Anyway, that’s my little adventure with NFL TV maps. It might not be the most exciting thing in the world, but hey, it’s something I’ve been doing, and I thought it was worth sharing. Plus, now I’m all set for Week 18. Hope this helps someone out there!
