Like many in the Sunshine State, Ron DeSantis was looking forward to watching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ highly anticipated matchup with the New England Patriots on Sunday.
But even for the Florida Governor, doing so proved easier said than done.
Taking to X on Sunday night, DeSantis lamented the struggles he faced in finding a viable feed for the Buccaneers’ Week 10 game. Situated in Tallahassee, the Republican politician’s local CBS affiliate aired the AFC South showdown between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans. And even after signing up for Paramount+ as suggested, DeSantis found himself unable to watch the Bucs and Pats.
“It may have been for the best given the result, but the Bucs game was blacked out in Tallahassee,” DeSantis wrote on X, referring to the Patriots’ 28-23 victory. “It said to sign up for Paramount, so I did — and they only had the Jaguars-Texas game, which was already on CBS broadcast.
“What a joke!”
It may have been for the best given the result, but the Bucs game was blacked out in Tallahassee.
It said to sign up for Paramount, so I did — and they only had the Jaguars-Texas game, which was already on CBS broadcast.
What a joke! https://t.co/NyoAF95K0q
— Ron DeSantis (@RonDeSantis) November 10, 2025
While it’s unclear what message DeSantis received prompting him to sign up for Paramount+, it’s worth noting that the CBS streaming service doesn’t typically air out-of-market games. If somebody outside of the Buccaneers-Patriots viewing zone wanted to watch the game, he would have had to sign up for NFL Sunday Ticket — an admittedly expensive solution to view a game approximately 250 miles away.
Surely, DeSantis wasn’t the only person in Tallahassee to experience such struggles, which aren’t necessarily unique to Florida. Other states with multiple NFL teams such as Texas, California, Ohio and Pennsylvania often find themselves at the mercy of the networks’ coverage maps, with an $85 per month subscription to the Sunday Ticket package being the only (legal) solution.
Unfortunately for DeSantis, it appears he was either unaware or got some bad advice. So instead of suffering through Tampa Bay’s loss to New England, Florida’s top elected official was forced to watch the Jaguars blow a 19-point fourth-quarter lead to Davis Mills and the Texans.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.