View Full Version : espn issue with blackout
ben arnold
09-19-07, 08:27 PM
it makes no sense. I live 35 miles from toledo in michigan and the reds vs cubs game is blacked out. being 200 mi from either town I do not get it on a rsn. I've had cable and dish here with no similar issue. as a new cutomer is there any chamce d* crewed something up. I won't be happy if I get blackouts I've never had before. this game is in hd :( please help
In my situation, I'm getting it on a different RSN than I normally get (638, FSCN instead of 640). Unfortunately it's in HD on ESPN but not on FSCN. :(
bym051d
09-19-07, 08:34 PM
Something is up. I live in NC and am getting a blackout error for the Cubs game on both ESPN and ESPNHD.
ben arnold
09-19-07, 08:39 PM
I'm not getting it on 638 or 640 either.
scimeca
09-19-07, 08:47 PM
im in central wisconsin and also getting a blackout of the cubs game...this is the first time ive ever seen espn blacked out
ben arnold
09-19-07, 08:57 PM
it is blacked out on dish network too. not a d* issue. it makes no sense at all.
scimeca
09-19-07, 09:01 PM
this is ridiculous...has anyone else ever seen espn blacked out before?
vernonator
09-19-07, 09:03 PM
Same here and I live in Des Moines IA - over 350 miles away....
Something is up. I live in NC and am getting a blackout error for the Cubs game on both ESPN and ESPNHD.
Believe it or not, NC is considered part of the viewing market for Cincinnati. I used to get blacked out of Reds games when I had extra innings, I couldn't believe it when the D* rep told me I was considered part of the Ohio viewing region.
Directvlover
09-19-07, 09:18 PM
2 Saturdays ago was the first time i saw ESPN black out....it was during a college football game...(cant' remember which one)....but until then i had never ever seen ESPN do that...i was able to watch another game on the ESPN RSN...but it wasn't in HD which frustrated me since they dont' have the RSN's in HD...Very strange.
Same here and I live in Des Moines IA - over 350 miles away....
des moines is in the cubs home area and thus they have to black you out.
newsbreaker
09-19-07, 09:26 PM
Here's the story folks, this is MLB's problem.
The TV "rights" are really old...I mean REALLY old. Each team is allowed to declare what their home market is by state. The Cubs, for instance, declare (IIRC) Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and possibly Minnesota and Missouri.
If ESPN does not have 'exclusive' rights, like tonight, then the national feed has to be blacked out for the "local" coverage. Tonight, the "local" coverage isn't CSNC nor WGN, but WCIU, available ONLY in Chicago. So regional fans take it in the pants.
I live in Iowa, and we are the "home" market for the most teams of any state (Cubs/Chi Sox/Brewers/Twins/Royals/Cardinals.) The "up" side to that is we get all those teams games on our RSN's without the MLB Extra Innings Package.
btw, here is the map:
http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/sp/tools/med/2006/06/ipt/1150742098.jpg
We were blacked out here too in Mo. Valley Iowa-The game was on WCIU in Chicago which we can't even get- doesn't make sense. we always get the games on Comcast and on WGN. Max.
I get blacked out on ESPN all the time, but I'm in a Cincinnati market. It's a bummer to have it blacked out when it's in HD on ESPN.
HouseBowlrz
09-19-07, 09:46 PM
Here's the story folks, this is MLB's problem.
The TV "rights" are really old...I mean REALLY old. Each team is allowed to declare what their home market is by state. The Cubs, for instance, declare (IIRC) Illinois, Wisconsin, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan and possibly Minnesota and Missouri.
If ESPN does not have 'exclusive' rights, like tonight, then the national feed has to be blacked out for the "local" coverage. Tonight, the "local" coverage isn't CSNC nor WGN, but WCIU, available ONLY in Chicago. So regional fans take it in the pants.
I live in Iowa, and we are the "home" market for the most teams of any state (Cubs/Chi Sox/Brewers/Twins/Royals/Cardinals.) The "up" side to that is we get all those teams games on our RSN's without the MLB Extra Innings Package.
I'll say this ... the NFL's broadcast rights pale in comparison to MLB's. I'm fortunate that Northern Virginia has the conflict with the Nationals and Orioles. Unforunately, MASN has the rights and they are a long way from going Hi-Def. :mad:
Someone needs to step in and force MLB to overhaul these archaic broadcast rights. Establish boundaries based on distance because, as previously stated, no one in their right mind would drive several hundred miles to see the "home team".
cheers
bym051d
09-19-07, 09:48 PM
[QUOTE=dgordo;1132763]btw, here is the map:
[QUOTE]
Well that map puts me in the BAL / WASH area since I'm in Greensboro, not CIN or CHI.
packfan909
09-19-07, 09:51 PM
This is not just a D* thing. My friend that lives between Milwaukee and Madison WI was blacked out on Charter Cable. And this happens all the time!
pf
But....CUBS WIN!!!! CUBS WIN!!!!
newsbreaker
09-19-07, 09:57 PM
I'll say this ... the NFL's broadcast rights pale in comparison to MLB's. I'm fortunate that Northern Virginia has the conflict with the Nationals and Orioles. Unforunately, MASN has the rights and they are a long way from going Hi-Def. :mad:
Someone needs to step in and force MLB to overhaul these archaic broadcast rights. Establish boundaries based on distance because, as previously stated, no one in their right mind would drive several hundred miles to see the "home team".
cheers
It has to be done on a team-by-team basis. I'm a 5+ hours away from Wrigley Field about about 342 miles, and this is without question a Cubs town (granted, the AAA team is here.)
The trade-off is getting a handful of extra ESPN games a year, but losing all the other games on your RSN. Tonight was only an issue because of the WCIU game.
it would be nice if they stopped blacking out espnhd now that sports center is on.
DrFever
09-19-07, 10:05 PM
I can't get WCIU couldn't get the game on another RSN. Now ESPN SD is working fine, ESPN HD is still blacked out. :flaiming
OconRecon
09-19-07, 10:08 PM
it would be nice if they stopped blacking out espnhd now that sports center is on.
Amen brother. They must have bigger HD fish to fry. Although it does give you that going backward sensation since we were all hoping for a plethora of HD channels today.
homebase
09-19-07, 10:08 PM
I wish MLB would stop the nonsense with these silly blackout rules. Considering I pay MLB to watch games thru their website, it's blacked out on there, too.
What ticks me off is that I paid for MLB's online package, and it's still not enough to actually receive the game(s). There should be some exemption for those who pay the $$$ directly to MLB either thru D* MLB package or MLB themselves. If you didn't pay, you don't get those blackout games, if you did pay, then you SHOULD receive them.
Not MLB, if you pay, you don't get 'em. Period.
Makes no sense!
luckydob
09-19-07, 10:10 PM
Yep...must be broadcasting SportsCenter from The Cubby Bear as I too am blacked out from SPORTSCENTER. ??? Forget about the extra HD channels, how about just turning the one I have back on?
Cybercowboy
09-19-07, 10:15 PM
Wow, you guys missed a great game. I'm in SW Missouri and a huge Cubs fan.
Cubs won, 3-2!
luckydob
09-19-07, 10:18 PM
Didn't miss the game, but we missed the HD feed here in Chicagoland. Now we ARE missing SportsCenter as it is blacked out as well. Apparently there are new blackout rules applying to sports programming that showed a game that was blacked out?? :)
Update - Channel 206 works, but 73 is still blacked out. I'm losing HD channels!!! :) :)
Cybercowboy
09-19-07, 10:19 PM
Well the Brewers/Astros game has just gone into extras...
ziggy29
09-19-07, 10:33 PM
MLB's blackout policies are the worst and most ridiculous by far. I think every single spot in the country is claimed as some team's "territory", no matter how remote. I think MLB's blackout policies cause Mariners games subject to blackout in Barrow, Alaska. Seriously. At least the NFL's policy is fairly sane and are clearly designed to protect attendance for folks who live close to the venue. Not so for MLB.
Cybercowboy
09-19-07, 10:35 PM
Hey, at least the Cubs won and the Brewers lost. :D
bwaldron
09-19-07, 10:41 PM
MLB's blackout policies are the worst and most ridiculous by far. I think every single spot in the country is claimed as some team's "territory", no matter how remote. I think MLB's blackout policies cause Mariners games subject to blackout in Barrow, Alaska. Seriously. At least the NFL's policy is fairly sane and are clearly designed to protect attendance for folks who live close to the venue. Not so for MLB.
You are correct, MLB's blackout/broadcast policies are the worst of any sport -- archaic and unreasonable. Selig did say that they were going to address them, but personally I don't expect dramatic change and don't expect anything soon. It's just not how they operate.
luckydob
09-19-07, 10:42 PM
did this come back in Chicago yet? I rebooted about 15 minutes ago...just waiting on it to do whatever it needs to do in those minutes.
did this come back in Chicago yet? I rebooted about 15 minutes ago...just waiting on it to do whatever it needs to do in those minutes.
still out. i called D*, the csr told me that it will come back on when they are ready to turn it on.:rolleyes:
Wow, you guys missed a great game. I'm in SW Missouri and a huge Cubs fan.
Cubs won, 3-2!
dont worry, i saw the game in beautiful real life definition. it was also in hd on wciu in chicago.
luckydob
09-19-07, 10:53 PM
dont worry, i saw the game in beautiful real life definition. it was also in hd on wciu in chicago.
WCIU...no HD for D* :(
WCIU...no HD for D* :(
the reason i have a $20 antenna.;)
luckydob
09-19-07, 11:08 PM
the reason i have a $20 antenna.;)
20.00 antenna doesn't work up here in Lake County....:nono2:
20.00 antenna doesn't work up here in Lake County....:nono2:
True, they work much better in the city but my wifes boss lives in Liberyville and gets everything except WBBM with a radio shack $50 antenna.
luckydob
09-19-07, 11:47 PM
Update on the "Great ESPN Blackout of Chicagoland". We are STILL Blacked out from receiving channel 73. going on 2 hours now. :(
JDubbs413
09-19-07, 11:49 PM
ESPN HD is not blacked out in North Central Ohio at least.
bwaldron
09-19-07, 11:49 PM
Update on the "Great ESPN Blackout of Chicagoland". We are STILL Blacked out from receiving channel 73. going on 2 hours now. :(
Some sort of weird Cubbie penance, I guess. Weird that they haven't fixed it yet...just a hectic time at DirecTV I suppose.
Greg Alsobrook
09-19-07, 11:52 PM
I'm in Memphis, TN and I am blacked out of ESPN right now... "NFL LIVE" is the show...
luckydob
09-19-07, 11:53 PM
Some sort of weird Cubbie penance, I guess. Weird that they haven't fixed it yet...just a hectic time at DirecTV I suppose.
What is more confusing is that SD ESPN works. HD ESPN is blacked out. Calling D* is no help at all. They insist that MLB rules state the blackout...The game ended 2 hours ago and it works on your SD channel!:eek2:
prospect60
09-20-07, 12:09 AM
Blacked out in Charlotte, NC still.
PlanetBill
09-20-07, 07:24 AM
welcome to the MLB...
i hate blackouts!
ben arnold
09-20-07, 08:42 AM
If I follow this right, if living in Michigan I'm considered in the Cubs area to be blacked out on a ESPN feed, should I be able to see the game on a RSN if they carry it. More simply, had last nights game been on sportsnet Chigago ch 640, should I have gotten it? I figured I'd never see a game on a non-detroit RSN.
bwaldron
09-20-07, 08:58 AM
If I follow this right, if living in Michigan I'm considered in the Cubs area to be blacked out on a ESPN feed, should I be able to see the game on a RSN if they carry it. More simply, had last nights game been on sportsnet Chigago ch 640, should I have gotten it? I figured I'd never see a game on a non-detroit RSN.
Nope.
Many folks get screwed on blackouts -- this is the biggest problem with the ridiculously large areas the teams are allowed to claim. Even if a local channel has no interest in covering the team, people there are still considered "in-market" and blacked out on other channels. Some areas are claimed by multiple teams, yet have no coverage of many (or even all) of them.
It's a mess.
(I didn't know the Cubs claimed any parts of Michigan -- thought it was all just Tigers, shared w/ Brewers in the UP.)
ben arnold
09-20-07, 09:07 AM
Nope.
Many folks get screwed on blackouts -- this is the biggest problem with the ridiculously large areas the teams are allowed to claim. Even if a local channel has no interest in covering the team, people there are still considered "in-market" and blacked out on other channels. Some areas are claimed by multiple teams, yet have no coverage of many (or even all) of them.
It's a mess.
(I didn't know the Cubs claimed any parts of Michigan -- thought it was all just Tigers, shared w/ Brewers in the UP.)
Perhaps it was the Reds claiming me. Thinking about it I'm probably marginally closer to Cinci. You are right BTW it is a screw job. If I can't get the RSN it makes no sense to black me out. It isn't like they are trying to sell the MLBEI as I assume I'd have been blacked out on it too.
reds1963
09-20-07, 09:55 AM
in columbus it seems we are always blacked out , unless it is a sunday night game
for the tribe or reds, and it sux .................yet our regional free games with sports pak is , reds , tribe, and pirates....killing me
so i have to watch in sd ...
Cybercowboy
09-20-07, 10:00 AM
It's not like the Cubs are having attendance problems. What were they hoping for, filling the six empty seats available due to a few season ticket holders not making the game? There was 40k+ there last night. :lol:
PlanetBill
09-20-07, 10:03 AM
reds fans have been screwed from MLB over HD all year... hopefully D10 will fix this next year!
djzack67
09-20-07, 10:10 AM
Crap........I can not beleve even the rebroadcast of the Cubs game in HD is blacked out. WTF. I DVR'd it to watch today and it would only allow me to watch the 1st and last 10 min. Thats Crap.
ben arnold
09-20-07, 10:11 AM
in columbus it seems we are always blacked out , unless it is a sunday night game
for the tribe or reds, and it sux .................yet our regional free games with sports pak is , reds , tribe, and pirates....killing me
so i have to watch in sd ...
I think my regional free games are Detroit and Detroit and Detroit. Wish I could get some other team on rsn. Thought I might have gotten Cleveland on sportsohio but I don't think so.
WolfpackSully
09-20-07, 10:37 AM
What I don't get, is when the MLB HD channel is blacked out! The other night with the Yankees vs. the Oriels, channel 95 was blacked out, YES was blacked out, both MLB channels were blacked out. I was able to watch the game in SD on MASN 2 (671).
Sully
Lord Vader
09-20-07, 11:11 AM
Guys,
The arcane and insane blackout rules are dictated by Major League Baseball. I'd suggest you write to Mr. Bob DuPuy, the Chief Operating Officer of MLB and the one who oversees the agreements that deal with these issues.
brucegrr
09-20-07, 11:18 AM
I live in NW Ohio, near the Indiana and Ohio border. FSN Detroit and FSN CInci are my regional sports networks.
The Monday and Tuesday games were in HD but they were blacked out to me because the HD feeds were from the home team, Chicago Cubs. Instead I had to watch it in crappy vision SD on channel 638 (FSN Cinci) If the feeds were emanating from Cincinnati then I would have been able to get the HD.
Been this way all year. Frustrating. I don't think this is a Directv problem. MLB rules........they stink, plain and simple
bwaldron
09-20-07, 12:45 PM
It's not like the Cubs are having attendance problems. What were they hoping for, filling the six empty seats available due to a few season ticket holders not making the game? There was 40k+ there last night. :lol:
MLB blackout policy has nothing to do with attendance...that's football.
MLB rules are based on archaic geographic broadcast territories...and leadership that is rather clueless.
jmcconda
11-21-07, 01:46 PM
I know this is an older thread, but it was the one I found when trying to see if anyone else has had Sports Center blacked out.
I swear I think my issue is D* related though because baseball season is over and the blackouts come in and out. It varies from channel 73 only to both 73 and 206HD. I have seen it blackout college football games, basketball games, MNF, and Sports Center.
The CSR of course blamed it on league rules. I guess that includes the "Sports Center ESPN League".
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