WNBA and Arena Football not blacked out

[Mark Holtz]

Just for S&G, I scanned ahead on the Sports Alternate Channels 446-449. Along with the usual blacked out baseball games, there is an occassional Arena Football game and a WNBA team that isn't blacked out...and they're not local teams either.

[BearsFan]

Is this on E* or D*? I never see any extra AFL games on D*, at least where I live...

[JohnH]

I don't think Arena Football is supposed to be blacked out. WNBA probably should be.

BearsFan, it is E*.

[Mike]

How far did you scan ahead? Sometimes Dish Network blacks out things that aren't blacked out today, but will be by gametime. I've been burned by that before. If it's not blacked out today and a MLB game is on another channel then maybe Dish hasn't gotten around to putting in the blackouts. That's happened before.

[BearsFan]

So E* subscribers get Arena Football games that aren't local?

If they/you do, not fair!

D* never shows AFL games outside of what's on my local RSN's.

[Toximo]

What does the D* and E* mean?

Thanks

[Ryan]

(D = DirecTV, E = Echostar/Dish)

BearsFan:

Is that with the sports pack? I don't recall Arena games being blacked out on DirecTV. But I don't tune in to watch them. I just don't recall being blacked out while flipping through.

[BearsFan]

Originally posted by Ryan
BearsFan:

Is that with the sports pack? I don't recall Arena games being blacked out on DirecTV. But I don't tune in to watch them. I just don't recall being blacked out while flipping through.

Ryan,

I've tried several times to catch the Chicago Rush AFL games on Fox Sports Chicago, but I always get the "Program Not Available in your area, call ext. 721" message. Same is true for an RSN in the Northeast, fergit which one...surfing one day I saw a New Jersey AFL game on, and that was blacked out by D* also.

Guess I'd have to get the Sports Pack sub to see AFL games, which I won't do. It'd be nice if all AFL games were free to D* subscribers, like NFL Europe games are.

Maybe next year, when the NFL gains more of a financial interest in the AFL, D* might offer AFL games to NFL Sunday Tix subs...

--BearsFan

[Ryan]

You'd think they'd do that next year. But you never can tell how DirecTV decides such matters.

Now they have to dedicate extra bandwidth for the NFL-E games in the 700's, while it would cost them nothing in bandwidth to mirror Arena games already being carried in the 600's.

Remember, the NFL and DirecTV need to negotiate a new contract for Sunday Ticket soon. Maybe the NFL will press for Arena coverage.