Time TBD? Here is how to plan your evening

The matchup is there. The start time is not. Before rearranging dinner, separate the question of when a game will happen from whether it will happen at all.

Time TBD: leave the clock open

Treat a listing marked “Time TBD” as an unconfirmed start time. Do not turn a date into a midnight appointment or borrow the time from another game in the series. Check the team or league’s latest announcement before setting your evening around it.

“If necessary” answers a different question: whether that game will be needed. A listed date alone is no guarantee that a conditional game will take place.

Delayed or postponed: look for the next announcement

For a delay, look for an announced start or restart time. Avoid building a countdown from how long the interruption has already lasted.

For a postponement, look for the replacement date and time. Keep the original matchup handy, but use the updated announcement when making a new plan. If there is no replacement time yet, choose something else to watch and check back.

Suspended: check where play resumes

In MLB, a suspended game continues later from the point where play stopped. MLB explains the term here.

For another sport, use that competition’s announcement to understand what happens next. Do not apply a baseball rule to every interrupted event.

Recheck the watch option, too

Once a new time is announced, confirm the date, matchup and current broadcast listing together. Do not assume an old screenshot still describes the rescheduled game, or buy another subscription just because a broadcast has not started.

For two meetings between the same teams, check the game number as well. The right teams on the wrong listing can still send you to the wrong game.

Return to the TV Guide when you are ready to pick something to watch.