The chance of a Bengals game not being seen in the Cincinnati market will be slimmer this season as the team is opting in to a new NFL policy.
The Bengals have accepted the NFL's proposal that allows a blackout of local TV to be lifted when 85 percent of non-premium tickets are solid for a home game.
"The thought process is simple -- we want the games sold out for local TV so as many fans as possible can watch," Andrew Brown, Bengals director of ticket sales, said in a statement. "Having games on TV locally does not benefit the club financially, but it's in the best interest of the fan base, and we believe it's in the club's best interest as well to make local broadcasts more achievable."
As a result of accepting the option, if ticket sales for the 55,449 seats at Paul Brown Stadium, not including club and suite seats, exceed the 85 percent threshold, the team will receive a lesser share of revenue.
All eight Bengals home games will be included in the standard. The first of those comes Sept. 14 against the Falcons.
