Tampa Bay Buccaneers officials said they expect Sunday's regular-season opener against the Cleveland Browns to be blacked out on local television.
The game, scheduled for regional telecast at 1 p.m. on CBS, must be sold out 72 hours before kickoff for the blackout to be lifted.
Local CBS affiliate WTSP, Channel 10, is scheduled to show the Miami Dolphins-Buffalo Bills game if the Bucs-Browns game is not available.
Both of the Bucs' preseason home games were blacked out live in the local market and shown on tape delay the following morning. No taped broadcast would be scheduled for regular-season games.
The preseason game against Kansas City on Aug. 21 marked the first Tampa Bay home blackout since the Bucs moved into 65,000-seat Raymond James Stadium in 1998. The team announced a paid attendance of 41,386 for that game, and 42,640 for the Aug. 28 Jacksonville game.
The blackout is expected to cover a 10-county area that falls within the Bucs' designated market area, or DMA, that is centered in Hillsborough and Pinellas. The DMA runs along the state's west coast, from Citrus to Sarasota counties and also includes Polk, Highlands and parts of Orlando.
Since March, Bucs management has brought up the possibility of blackouts after last season's 3-13 record. A struggling Florida economy and uneasiness about the team's direction have contributed to the lack of ticket sales.
The Bucs are not the only team having difficulty selling tickets. Blackouts are possible in as many as 11 markets this season, according to reports.
There were 22 blackouts leaguewide last season. Cities affected were Jacksonville, Kansas City, Oakland, Detroit and St. Louis.
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