Blackout Antitrust Case Against MLB Moves Forward

[AngelsLakersFan]

Condi's got a new hat!

 

She got it after she threw out her paper bag.

Watching the game right now, she might be going out and getting a new one...

[GregAlso]

If you live in a place you can get Angels on cable then slingbox is great. I can watch Angel games on any Internet connected device by connecting to my slingbox. Love it! Of course, your tv must already get the Angel's broadcast.

[Vegas Halo Fan]

Granted, Angels fans within the Blackout restricted areas don't feel the effect because the Angels have made a deal to carry all of the games on FSW, and as long as the TV Provider has FSW available as an option, they have access to it.  However, fans of opposing teams, such as Mets fans living in Las Vegas, who get the package in order to watch their team's every game, sometimes find themselves blacked out when they play the Giants, who have chosen that game to not carry.

 

With six teams - 20 percent of MLB - claiming this city as a "home market", we are among the worst-off fans in the country when it comes to MLBEI. Theoretically, on any given evening we could be cut out of up to 40 percent of the schedule despite paying for a so-called premium package. I dropped MLBEI years ago due to excessive blackouts. It seems ridiculous when we are 250 miles from the nearest major league park to endure this. Blackout rules were initially put in to prop up ticket sales. MLB: Here's a flash: I'm not driving to Phoenix, San Francisco or San Diego if you don't carry the game I want.

 

I seriously hope that this succeeds.

[tj_]

With six teams - 20 percent of MLB - claiming this city as a "home market", we are among the worst-off fans in the country when it comes to MLBEI. Theoretically, on any given evening we could be cut out of up to 40 percent of the schedule despite paying for a so-called premium package. I dropped MLBEI years ago due to excessive blackouts. It seems ridiculous when we are 250 miles from the nearest major league park to endure this. Blackout rules were initially put in to prop up ticket sales. MLB: Here's a flash: I'm not driving to Phoenix, San Francisco or San Diego if you don't carry the game I want.

 

I seriously hope that this succeeds.

 

Do you want to kill the golden goose? Do you not realize how good you have it compared to those of us in southern California?

 

a basic choice package on directv gives you five MLB teams, four NBA teams, three NHL teams and if you add sports pack, you get dbacks games on fsn az (no suns or coyotes).

 

sports fans in vegas have a ton of local teams and wouldn't need a package like MLB EI unless they were specifically a fan of a team that doesnt claim the territory

 

a Giants fan in Vegas wouldn't see the 15 or so OTA giants games, but 1/2 of those are being televised on the Padres or Dodgers RSN anyway.  

 

Dodger fans miss out on OTA dodger games, but next year Dodgers are going RSN only.

 

 

those in vegas get way more sports value for the same price without the need for paying for an out of market package.

 

Adding the five CA baseball teams + MLB network, ESPN, ESPN2, WGN, local FOX and TBS, that's a whole lot of baseball coverage.

[Vegas Halo Fan]

I'm not sure what world you're living in, but it has no connection to reality. We get Angels and Dodgers games - but only those on Fox. Occasionally we get something from the SF Bay area. The D-Backs and Padres claim this as a home market, despite their games not being offered on any package here except MLBEI. If the Angels are playing Boston and the game is on NESN, sorry, no game today. If any one of these six teams is playing on any network but Fox, sorry again, no game - even if I have paid for a premium MLB package. We have had games blacked out on all of the networks you just listed except Fox, if they broadcast a game involving any of the six teams on our blackout list. We have even had blackouts of replays of spring training games.

 

My statement stands.

[tj_]

I'm not sure what world you're living in, but it has no connection to reality. We get Angels and Dodgers games - but only those on Fox. Occasionally we get something from the SF Bay area. The D-Backs and Padres claim this as a home market, despite their games not being offered on any package here except MLBEI. If the Angels are playing Boston and the game is on NESN, sorry, no game today. If any one of these six teams is playing on any network but Fox, sorry again, no game - even if I have paid for a premium MLB package. We have had games blacked out on all of the networks you just listed except Fox, if they broadcast a game involving any of the six teams on our blackout list. We have even had blackouts of replays of spring training games.

 

My statement stands.

I don't understand how you would "occasionally" get games from the Bay Area. The DirecTV RSN locator states that Las Vegas receives CSN CA and CSN BA. It also says that Las Vegas receives Fox Sports San Diego which has all of the Padres telecasts. For the zip code I checked, Dbacks on FS AZ can be had with sports pack - all of these teams should then be blacked out on MLB EI, but you are saying you can get the Padres and Dbacks through MLB EI, which doesn't make sense if they claim the territory. I checked several zip codes. The only variances I could see is that some zip codes had the Coyotes included in FSN AZ and some did not.

If you're not on DirecTV, it's possible that other cable, sat and telco competitors don't want to pay to show all those RSN's in your area.

DirecTV subscribers in Las Vegas with Choice or above on all the zip codes that I checked receive FS West, Prime Ticket, Time Warner Cable Sports Net (the Lakers network), Fox Sports San Diego, CSN Bay Area and CSN California. All five baseball teams were listed and all four basketball teams were listed as well, but only the Kings and Ducks for hockey.

If the Angels are playing the Red Sox on NESN, that doesn't matter because you can see the FS West telecast as the Angels air all games that are not televised by ESPN or FOX on Fox Sports West. There hasn't been an OTA Angels telecast since 2011.

It's certainly possible that DirecTV's website is outdated, but according to their marketing materials, you should be getting all the local RSN broadcasts of all five CA baseball teams with Choice package and above.

So what I'm saying is that if MLB made Las Vegas a territory with no local team, you would then have to buy MLB EI or MLB.TV to watch these teams instead of just a basic satellite tv package that includes the RSN with game coverage.

Now if you only watch baseball, maybe it's less $$ to only buy mlb.tv and no cable or satellite package, but you'd miss out on sunday night baseball and the postseason among other things.

[70runner]

Here in San Diego, I can watch the Lakers and Kings and Ducks but not the Dodgers or Angels unless they are on MLB Network or ESPN or WGN or Fox Saturday baseball.  They will black out both the Angels and Dodgers on FSW and PT.  Very frustrating. 

Northern San Diego county: On FSW/PT, Angels and Doggies were blacked out last year, but oddly not this year - yet.  Subscribed to Extra Innings so my mom can watch Dbacks.  Extra Innings is not blacking out the Angels games either. 

[Second Base]

Regardless, I think the argument of the article remains true, calling somewhere a "home market" is an outdated term that doesn't apply to the new world with technology.  Being 4 hours north of Oakland and 8 hours south of Seattle hasn't change the fact that there are just as many Mariner fans here as A's fans.  Granted there are a ton of Giants fans, but that comes with the territory when you win two of the last three World Series. 

 

The idea that any place can be claimed as a "home market" is preposterous.  Customers that are willing to pay the money should receive the games they want.  The way I see it, I'm paying 120 dollars a year, I should be able to watch any freakin' game I want.   

[mopuddin]

i've subscribed to mlb.tv for many years. every other weekend there is a blackout due to fox exclusivity.

 

'IF JOHNNY WORKS 5 DAYS A WEEK, AND PAYS $120 A YEAR FOR MLB.TV, BUT ONLY GETS TO WATCH BASEBALL ON THE WEEKEND, BUT ALL GAMES ARE BLACKED OUT. HOW MUCH BASEBALL DOES JOHNNY ACTUALLY GET TO WATCH?"

[mopuddin]

IF JOHNNY DISCOVERS HE CAN GET ALL GAMES, AT ALL TIMES, WITH NO BLACK OUT RESTRICTIONS - FOR FREE, FROM SOME EUROPEAN STREAMING SITE. HOW LONG WILL JOHNNY KEEP PAYING THE MLB?

[tj_]

i'm part of a demographic that is growing.  mlb would serve itself best by allowing me to see my home team's games for $120/year in their pocket. instead, i'm pretty much forced to find bootleg sites to see home games.  it's very easy.

 

Fox, etc would be crazy to let people watch their feeds in market through MLB for $10/mo or whatever.

 

Last year, the Angels were the 2nd least viewed team in market ----> http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2012/10/01/Media/MLB-RSNs.aspx

 

If those of us who watch the Angels were the only ones paying for these broadcasts, we would be paying way more than $10/mo. How is FOX going to recoup that 9 figure investment? You won't be able to steal a feed if the local stations can't even afford to produce the game.

 

 

Out of market broadcasts don't have much $$ value, which is why mlb.tv packages can be purchased so inexpensively. Fox Sports West doesn't get subscriber $$ when you have no cable and watch through MLB.TV. if Fox Sports West currently costs a cable/sat/telco company $3/month per subscriber and only 1% of the subscriber base watches, then for FSW to get the equivalent amount of money from the people watching via a pay per view/ a la carte type model, then they would basically need to charge $300 per month to equal their current revenue. Nobody is going to pay that, FSW can't afford to pay the Angels their license fee, Angels can't afford to pay their players. Then what?

 

 

 

i refuse to keep cable contracts because they're so stupid.  all i want is my local networks and sports coverage.  everything else i want is live sports.  i can use xbox and amazon for any tv shows and movies i want to see.

 

You will never see major in-market live sports distributed in this way because it is the only programming immune to DVR and fast forwarding. If peopel who never watched ESPN, FSN etc weren't subsidizing those of us who do pay for television, it would cost fans wayyyyy more very easily. This is also why ESPN moved a lot of the TV simulcasted programming from ESPN3 to WatchESPN, because for a couple years people could just buy cheap internet packages and watch stuff on ESPN3 for free. I think it would be good if FSN had a similar WatchFSN type thing where you could watch the local streams online in market if you had a qualifying tv package. That would make sense. Local games on basic MLB.TV, does not make so much sense.

 

in other words, mlb.com is cutting off their noses to spite their faces.

 

MLB has nothing to do with it. FSW has local rights.

[ineedanap]

Wendy Thurm wrote a good article about this in January: http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/index.php/mlb-blackout-policy-under-attack-in-the-courts/

 

I love my MLB.tv since I live in Chicago. But, will hate it once I move back to LA this summer.

 

Actually, MLB.tv stills sucks in Chicago, because I can't get any of the "nationally televised" games and they don't show Angel games on TV in my market.

 

I wish I could just get every and all Angel games on MLB.tv- I don't mind paying for the service AND watching commercials.

[ineedanap]

I get the local blackouts, I just don't get how they determine some of the territories.

Blackouts are something they have to throw the way of the RSNs in order to get those ridiculous contracts. Easy access to live sports will keep cable and satellite viable.

 

Exactly! 

 

Didn't we just sign one of those contracts? $3B?

[beatlesrule]

So for some reason, MLB network is blacking out the game here in San Diego.  It's also blacked out on FSW.  There is no reason to black out the game.  They don't show it on FSW so why also black it out on MLB Network?  I am so pissed.

[tj_]

So for some reason, MLB network is blacking out the game here in San Diego.  It's also blacked out on FSW.  There is no reason to black out the game.  They don't show it on FSW so why also black it out on MLB Network?  I am so pissed.

 

 

MLB Network has regional coverage. You either get one game or the other. The San Diego market must have been designated whatever the other game is... Astros @ Mariners.

 

Is Astros @ Mariners blacked out too?

[beatlesrule]

Yup.  Nothing is on.  Just a black screen saying this game has been blacked out. Searching for other channels and then it says no other channels can be found. 

[Vegas Halo Fan]

The idea that any place can be claimed as a "home market" is preposterous.  Customers that are willing to pay the money should receive the games they want.  The way I see it, I'm paying 120 dollars a year, I should be able to watch any freakin' game I want.   

 

Precisely. From what I read about the blackout rules, any team can claim pretty much any city - the exceptions being other cities that already have MLB teams. Theoretically, the Yankees and Red Sox could also have claimed Las Vegas as a home market, making the case that there are a lot of transplanted easterners here. Ditto the two Chicago teams. There seems to be no end to the boneheadedness of MLB. It's almost as if they want people not to buy the premium package. The way I look at it, if I buy the premium package it shouldn't matter if the game is next door, I ought to be able to watch it if it's being televised.

[beatlesrule]

I will just have to watch the game online.  Oh well.  I hate San Diego.

[mopuddin]

I will just have to watch the game online.  Oh well.  I hate San Diego.

 

well that is no reason to hate san diego. this is one of the greatest cities in the u.s., if not the world.

 

oh wait, you're in oceanside. now i see your point.

[katie]

That's cute.

[beatlesrule]

What's wrong with Oceanside?  All of San Diego is blacked out.  I like OC WAYYYYYYYYY more.