Fans sue NHL over broadcast access

[Ravin]

If those games were on Versus or NBC Sports or whatever they are calling it now, or on national TV in Canada, that may be why they were blacked out.

When MLB or NBA games are on ESPN, they are blacked out on the packages here.

Unless a Canadian team is involved (or playoffs) Canadian stations rarely play American vs American teams, unless of course it is a huge reason like Crosby is back.

But that is my point. KG is a Sharks fan, so if he wants to watch San Jose vs Los Angeles in a division battle, he is going to have to buy something for it because he lives in Toronto. If he buys the NHL game channel, why should he be blacked out because that game is on an American national TV channel that he doesn't have. He should get that game because he paid for the NHL channel.

If those games were on Versus or NBC Sports or whatever they are calling it now,

Only quote this to say, LOL @ an West coast team on NBC Sports games. Atlantic division + Detroit/Chicago/Washington or GTFO. lol

[leaffan]

There is a "region free" option...ordering Center Ice (or any other sports package) in conjunction with your local cable or sat service that carries the local team you are interested in. You won't miss a single local game in that scenario.

These networks pay big money for these broadcasting rights, so they don't want people circumventing them to watch the games on a package or the internet. They would lose ratings, and thus revenue, if that were to happen. So the leagues protect the TV partners.

Maybe one day one of the leagues will figure out a way to offer a-la-cart while offering a fair split to the networks. Don't hold your breath, though. The networks and cable companies want people to subscribe, and sports is a popular carrot.

This doesn't work. I had center ice through my cable provider when I had it. Every leaf game was still blacked out on that channel and thats when I bitched about it to the provider and they ended up giving me the rest of the month free and refunded my subsciption for it.

I still had blackouts in effect for ottawa and some montreal games as well through center ice and it was complete bullshit.

[killgod]

That happends with the Jays up here. Sportsnet Ontario is the only one that shows all 162 blue jay games. I've never had MLB TV to see if the local blackout is the same as the NHLs though.

It's actually worse now because of SportsnetONE which is not available in many markets or by many providers.

They put about 30 Jays games on that channel and many people couldn't watch it via MLB.tv or via TV service because it just wasn't available.

[Warner2BruceTD]

This doesn't work. I had center ice through my cable provider when I had it. Every leaf game was still blacked out on that channel and thats when I bitched about it to the provider and they ended up giving me the rest of the month free and refunded my subsciption for it.

I still had blackouts in effect for ottawa and some montreal games as well through center ice and it was complete bullshit.

Did you also subscribe to whatever sports/network package that carries the channels that show the games locally?

If you subscribe to a PPV package, but do not also subscribe to the cable package that carries the local teams, they are going to black you out, for the reasons I already stated.

Now, if you subscribed to Center Ice, and you also were paying for the channels that carried the Leafs, Ottawa, and and Montreal, then yes, that makes no sense and is complete bullshit.

[killgod]

I personally don't even care about this argument anymore, I've adjusted back to watching streams online for free.

I will not pay for "packages of channels" or deal with blackouts ever again.

[leaffan]

It's actually worse now because of SportsnetONE which is not available in many markets or by many providers.

They put about 30 Jays games on that channel and many people couldn't watch it via MLB.tv or via TV service because it just wasn't available.

Sportsnetone is gay as hell. I remember when I had a preview of it all they showed was tennis and the odd soccer game for just really oddball stuff. They also had the longer episodes of that sports radio show with that douche bob mcgown or whatever his name is.

I just kept thinking to myself who the hell would pay for this channel.

[Ravin]

I personally don't even care about this argument anymore, I've adjusted back to watching streams online for free.

I will not pay for "packages of channels" or deal with blackouts ever again.

That is what I do now. There is always a streaming site, and when you are not a fan of your in market team, you have no choice but to do it. I'm not paying the what, $200 or whatever to watch 82 penguins games, and I know a bunch will be blacked out due to NBC/HNIC/TSN.

Though I must admit, we have it right in Canada in cable when it comes to playoffs. TSN and CBC, all you need for every series.

[leaffan]

Did you also subscribe to whatever sports/network package that carries the channels that show the games locally?

If you subscribe to a PPV package, but do not also subscribe to the cable package that carries the local teams, they are going to black you out, for the reasons I already stated.

Now, if you subscribed to Center Ice, and you also were paying for the channels that carried the Leafs, Ottawa, and and Montreal, then yes, that makes no sense and is complete bullshit.

I had to have those other channels along with center ice.

They would not allow me to have no channels but center ice and made me subscribe to all the other normal shit with it. I said fuck it and did it during a time when I had a bunch of money and didn't care.

My cable bill was upwards of $100 a month at that point and I just had to realistically say no to it with all the blackouts thrown at me.

[Slateman]

I'm a little confused.

How is this different than any other sport? MLB.TV and the NFL network can't show games that involve the local teams. When I lived in Hawaii, I couldn't want any of the West Coast teams on MLB.TV.

Is that not what's happening here?

[Warner2BruceTD]

I'm a little confused.

How is this different than any other sport? MLB.TV and the NFL network can't show games that involve the local teams. When I lived in Hawaii, I couldn't want any of the West Coast teams on MLB.TV.

Is that not what's happening here?

It's not.

It's exactly the same in all four sports. The lawsuit has no chance. The bottom line, is the league has the right to protect their television partners.