It’s a big “Bah, Humbug” from the NFL to New England Patriots fans living in Western Mass. Because of the league’s broadcast rules, the game won’t be on local TV in much of Massachusetts.
That’s because the league decided to move the Patriots’ Week 17 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers to Saturday and have it air on NFL Network.
That puts Western Mass. in a bit of a blind spot when it comes to the TV rights.
Because the game will air nationally on NFL Network, the game will also air on TV in the Patriots’ home media market as part of NFL broadcast rules.
What does that mean? If you live near Boston (or as far west as Worcester County), you can also watch the game on conventional TV via WCVB Channel 5. The game is also available in parts of New Hampshire and Vermont.
However, that TV broadcast will not be available in Western Mass.
Trying to sort out whether this applies to you? Here’s a guide on how to figure it out:
1) Do you get WCVB Channel 5 on TV? If so, you get the game on TV.
If you live in Eastern Mass., Central Mass. or anywhere in New England that gets WCVB-TV Channel 5 through your TV, cable or streaming provider, you can watch the game normally on TV via WCVB-TV Channel 5.
Most viewers who live in Eastern Mass. and Central Mass get WCVB-TV. However, viewers in Western Mass. — namely most of Hampden County, Hampshire County, Franklin County and Berkshire County are left in the lurch, according to maps from the FCC.
Viewers in northwestern Worcester County and part of Cape Cod may also be out of range for WCVB. However, some viewers in southern New Hampshire, much of Rhode Island and northeastern Connecticut may get WCVB, per FCC maps.
Not sure if you get WCVB where you live? You can check here on the FCC website. Check there before you commit to any streaming apps.
Viewers who get WCVB can also watch the game with streaming services like fuboTV, which has a free trial.
2) Do you live in the “Boston/Manchester TV Market?” You may have other options
So what about the “Boston TV market?” Officially, that’s known as the Boston/Manchester Designated Market Area. If you live in one of the following counties, you live in the Boston/Manchester DMA:
Massachusetts Counties: Barnstable, Dukes, Essex, Middlesex, Nantucket, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk, Worcester
New Hampshire Counties: Belknap, Cheshire, Hillsboro, Merrimack, Rockingham, Strafford
Vermont Counties: Windham
If you live in one of those counties, you may be able to watch the game with streaming services like fuboTV. But you’d have to check your listing with that service.
A better method would be to see if you can watch via the NFL’s streaming service, NFL+. That service is also limited to the Boston TV market. However, you can easily check which games are available to you by visiting this link on the NFL website.
What can you do if I live in Western Mass?
If you leave outside the Boston TV market, you can watch normally on TV via NFL Network or streaming services like fuboTV. You can also watch the national broadcast via NFL+.
What about in streaming options near Boston?
If you live in the Boston/Manchester TV market, you can visit this link on the NFL website to see if the game is available via NFL+.
If those options don’t work — which is the case for Western Mass. — you’ll have to watch via NFL Network.
- BETTING: Check out our MA sports betting guide, where you can learn basic terminology, definitions and how to read odds for those interested in learning how to bet in Massachusetts.
