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> Blackouts exist to limit the extent that remote viewing substitutes for live attendance Y'all are confusing your words. "Blackouts" you describe are local TV

> Blackouts exist to limit the extent that remote viewing substitutes for live attendance Y'all are confusing your words. "Blackouts" you describe are local TV broadcast blackouts if they don't sell out the stadium. "Blackouts" the GP describes are the blackouts on Sunday ticket because you are supposed to watch them locally. Opinions: The former is good, it forces attendance. The latter is not, as it puts prevents regions that otherwise can't watch the games locally from being able to watch them at all (due to poor blackout zoning). MLB.TV is about to enter a lawsuit about this very thing, and though they'll likely win, it is a huge problem. Couple that with the ESPN's and others having a hatred for cord-cutters and you have an area ripe for disruption, even though the sports leagues themselves can hold it down w/ their anti-trust exemptions and unfair practices. But that won't last forever once the Googles and Netflixes have the capital to force the leagues' hands.

freehunter 13y ago
I subscribed to MLB.tv for one month so I could watch my Detroit Tigers last year. Every game was blacked out, since I live in Michigan. I could only watch, for example, the Kansas City feed, with Kansas City announcers and Kansas City-focused commentary. I don't get antenna reception in my apartment for whatever reason, so I have no alternative. My alternative was to visit a local bar for games I needed to see, and just not watch anything else.
- lionsdan 13y ago
  Lucky you don't live in Iowa. The Cubs, White Sox, Brewers, Twins, Cardinals, and Royals are all blacked out. That can be up to 40% of the entire schedule on many nights.
dragonwriter 13y ago
> Y'all are confusing your words. No, I'm not. > "Blackouts" you describe are local TV broadcast blackouts if they don't sell out the stadium. That's one set of blackouts to limit the extent that remote viewing substitutes for live attendance, but... > "Blackouts" the GP describes are the blackouts on Sunday ticket because you are supposed to watch them locally. ...that's also a set of blackouts to limit the extent that remote viewing substitutes for live attendance (in part). (It prevents Sunday Ticket from providing an end-run around the other kind of blackout.) It also serves another similar purpose, to protect the local TV contract revenue in the same way that local TV blackouts protect stadium revenue.

freehunter 13y ago

I subscribed to MLB.tv for one month so I could watch my Detroit Tigers last year. Every game was blacked out, since I live in Michigan. I could only watch, for example, the Kansas City feed, with Kansas City announcers and Kansas City-focused commentary. I don't get antenna reception in my apartment for whatever reason, so I have no alternative. My alternative was to visit a local bar for games I needed to see, and just not watch anything else.

lionsdan 13y ago
Lucky you don't live in Iowa. The Cubs, White Sox, Brewers, Twins, Cardinals, and Royals are all blacked out. That can be up to 40% of the entire schedule on many nights.

dragonwriter 13y ago

> Y'all are confusing your words. No, I'm not. > "Blackouts" you describe are local TV broadcast blackouts if they don't sell out the stadium. That's one set of blackouts to limit the extent that remote viewing substitutes for live attendance, but... > "Blackouts" the GP describes are the blackouts on Sunday ticket because you are supposed to watch them locally. ...that's also a set of blackouts to limit the extent that remote viewing substitutes for live attendance (in part). (It prevents Sunday Ticket from providing an end-run around the other kind of blackout.) It also serves another similar purpose, to protect the local TV contract revenue in the same way that local TV blackouts protect stadium revenue.