View Full Version : What's a Sacramento Kings fan to do?
Many Sacramento Kings fans are faced with a dilemma this season. The Kings owners signed a TV contract with the local cable company. The contract allows the local cable company to broadcast 100% of the Kings games exclusively on their new channel "Comcast SportsNetWest". The cable company is offering the channel to other broadcasters, but so far neither Dish nor Direct has picked up the channel. With just a little over two weeks left before the season begins, Kings fans who are on satellite are getting a little nervous. To make the decision even tougher for satellite subscribers, the local cable company is offering all the home games in HD (an option not likely available via satellite even if they pick up the channel). Has anyone heard anything from Dish or Direct regarding this channel?
garypen
10-17-04, 01:39 AM
This trend of every freakin sports team having their own "network" is getting freakin ridiculous.
Amen, this is ridiculous. It should be illegal.
Soon there will be a channel for every team, all of which will only be on comcast and the RSN region system will be dead.
Sparkman87
10-17-04, 01:02 PM
The same as us Chicago fans. As much as I hate Comcrap, this might be what sends me back.
groomsy
10-17-04, 07:12 PM
i have never had Comcast, but if i cant see the Cubs/Bulls i will not be happy and may go there, hopefully they get CCSNC and hopefully you can get yours CCSNS or what ever they call it
What if you subscribed to the multi sport pack with E*? Wouldn't you get the Kings games from the opponent's Fox Sports market. Just a thought. Not sure how the black out restrictions would affect you. I haven't subed to the multi sport pack before. Was thinking about doing it for hockey season, but I guess I won't have to worry about that.
nope. No pro games are available in the multisports pack. You would need NBA-LP to view pro teams and that's only for out of market teams, so it wouldn't work
If the multi sport pack doesn't show any pro games, what is the point of the package? What do they show, just college games?
Sparkman87
10-18-04, 11:27 AM
If the multi sport pack doesn't show any pro games, what is the point of the package? What do they show, just college games?
They do show some college games, along with local coaches shows, Etc. Some RSN's have some NFL team show, they also don't blackout pre & post games shows. Also, they allow x amount of time for a game & then it opens up, so if a baseball games is rain delayed or a B-ball game goes OT, you can some times see the end of the games.
Even with the Kings on Comcast, Dish is still preferable to Comcast IMHO (and I am a HUGE Kings fan). I left Comcast a couple of years ago for a good reason and my memory is not that short! Sorry Comcast...I'm sticking with Dish Network and purchasing the NBA League Pass, like I do every year.
There was only one Kings game not broadcast on League Pass last year, and it seems to me that was only because it was originally scheduled to be broadcast locally so it was blacked out of the League Pass in the Sacramento area. As it turned out, the game was not shown locally because the Kings games switched from one local affiliate to another at mid-season and it was too late to change the League Pass schedule. In addition, I saw quite a few Kings games (and other teams) in HD last year via Dish Network.
Besides, if you are a huge NBA fan, League Pass begins to really earn its value as the race for the post-season heats up and you find yourself watching the other teams a little closer!
johnyboy
10-20-04, 11:39 AM
All I want is to watch the NJ Nets play games. So since I live in the NY area all the Net games are blacked out on League Pass. I really hope Dish can get the YES network before I decide to go to DTV or maybe give IO Digital cable a shot. So for me the NBA League pass on Dish is useless...
Sparkman87
10-20-04, 12:35 PM
Even with the Kings on Comcast, Dish is still preferable to Comcast IMHO (and I am a HUGE Kings fan). I left Comcast a couple of years ago for a good reason and my memory is not that short! Sorry Comcast...I'm sticking with Dish Network and purchasing the NBA League Pass, like I do every year.
There was only one Kings game not broadcast on League Pass last year, and it seems to me that was only because it was originally scheduled to be broadcast locally so it was blacked out of the League Pass in the Sacramento area. As it turned out, the game was not shown locally because the Kings games switched from one local affiliate to another at mid-season and it was too late to change the League Pass schedule. In addition, I saw quite a few Kings games (and other teams) in HD last year via Dish Network.
Besides, if you are a huge NBA fan, League Pass begins to really earn its value as the race for the post-season heats up and you find yourself watching the other teams a little closer!
But, I'd bet that this year League Pass blacks out all of those Kings games you got to see last year when the Kings didn't have an agreement with an RSN. So the only games you'[ll get tosee are games that are on ABC, TNT, ESPN or the Kings local OTA broadcasts.
finniganps
10-20-04, 01:31 PM
It should be interesting to see how this pans out. If the local cable company doesn't get enough other companies to buy the access from them, they'll stop buying these locally. Without other companies buying the feeds there's no way they could support the cost of obtaining the rights since local advertising won't support the cost. I just don't see this as a LT problem unless large companies buy up the rights one market at a time.
Same deal here in Charlotte...our new Bobcats start playing this season...new owner is Bob Johnson, the founder of BET. He created his own new network, C-SET expressely for broadcasting the Bobcats and other local Charlotte sports...and then promptly decided it would be a CABLE-ONLY station. :(
10/22 update for Kings fans: SureWest Broadband (the local phone company) just picked up this channel:
http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/story/11186423p-12102408c.html
Quote from the article "Spokesmen for Charter, DirecTV and Dish Network confirmed that talks are ongoing but declined to elaborate"
Mark Holtz
10-23-04, 10:40 AM
See this thread.
...an e-mail I sent to Dish Network:
The purpose of my e-mail is to strongly encourage Dish Network to
negotiate with Comcast to obtain the new Sports Net West channel so my
family and I can enjoy the Sacramento Kings NBA games this season. We have
purchased the NBA League Pass from Dish Network the last two years
strictly to be able to view all of the Kings games because we are HUGE
fans and now that Comcast is providing all the games locally the League
Pass will likely black-out all the games in Sacramento, where we live. We
would even be willing to pay for the channel as part of a Sports package
if that is what it would take for you to afford to re-broadcast it.
Please carefully consider your options as there are many Kings fans in
this area waiting to see what Dish Network does before evaluating their
options for the rapidly approaching season.
Thank-you for your prompt attention to this matter.
Dish Network's response:
Dear Customer,
DISH Network is working hard to provide you with a wide range of programming choices at the most affordable rate. We are hopeful that we will be able to offer you two additional channels of great sports programming, Comcast Sports Net Chicago and Comcast Sports Net West, within the upcoming week.
Sincerely,
DISH Network
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