MLB Blackouts - Page 2

Simp · May 27th, 2008, 11:25 AM

Then there are the games blacked out on Saturdays, thanks to FOX.

jtur88 · May 27th, 2008, 11:43 AM

Whenever a national network negotiates the broadcasting rights with MLB, they pay a premium for the right to exclusivity. Is it MLB's policy to accept all the money they can get, and they don't care how many fans are denied access to the games, as long as the Brinks trucks keep backing up to MLB's door.

If a network were to say "We want the Yankees and Red Sox to play each other every Monday night, and no other games scheduled for Monday nights, and we want the games to start at 10 PM eastern so they don't interfere with our reality shows, and no spectators are allowed in the stadium, it's a TV-only event, and neither team is allowed to take a lead of more than one run before the 7th inning, and 3-minute commercial breaks after each half-inning, and a guarantee that the Yankees would win more than half the games, and we get the right to sell advertising on their uniforms", MLB would lick its lips and say "How much will you pay?"

aingaran · May 28th, 2008, 12:19 AM

If your favourite team is on ESPN, but your local broadcaster is broadcasting the game (Fox Sportsnet) the ESPN broadcast will likely be blacked out.

Simp · May 28th, 2008, 08:18 AM

TBS's game of the week has been useless to me for the most part with the Mets or Yankees every Sunday. ESPN does the same thing to some extent. Maybe I should move out of the NYC area for more variety...oh, that's right, they show the Yankees and Mets EVERYWHERE.

jtur88 · May 31st, 2008, 10:12 AM

The real bummer is that Fox forces MLB to start their Saturday game at 4:00, but then blacks out all the 1:00 games that are over before their game even begins. As long as Fox is sending over big canvas bags full of money, MLB says "sure, you can do whatever you want. Screw the fans. What time is the Brinks truck arriving?"

It's too bad the owner of the Springfield Nuclear Plant wasn't given the name "Montgomery L. Burns". His initials would have been perfectly fitting.

Simp · June 1st, 2008, 06:12 AM

TBS actually has a game I can watch this week.

Simp · June 10th, 2008, 04:45 PM

I happened to be watching the Reds vs Marlins game on mlb.tv when Griffey hit #600. I thought it was interesting that the sound went out almost immediately after he hit the ball. Anyone else notice that?

jtur88 · June 11th, 2008, 08:03 PM

Isn't it great that ESPN carries the Cubs/Braves game? Nobody with cable ever sees the Cubs or the Braves, otherwise..

Simp · August 9th, 2008, 08:05 AM

Some good news?

Owners to discuss blackout solution - MLB - Yahoo! Sports

jtur88 · August 9th, 2008, 11:24 AM

Sadly, the days are gone when people everywhere with basic cable could watch a MLB game almost every day. TBS no longer carries any Braves games at all, and WGN this year is carrying 32 Cub games and 15 Sox games---averaging about two a week. Meanwhile, ESPN, Fox and TBS are carrying four games a week (until football season preempts baseball which is just beginning to get exciting), but they are even more tiresome than the Braves and Cubs, because they, too, are the same old Yankees and Red Sox and one or two other currently contending teams week after week after week. With Harry and Skip now gone and nobody left but Gee Whiz Caray.

Simp · August 10th, 2008, 08:21 AM

Since TBS insists on showing either the Yankees and Mets every Sunday, today will be maybe only the 4th game I've been able to watch - and it's probably the 3rd time that it's the Red Sox!

jtur88 · August 10th, 2008, 02:30 PM

I had an odd experience last night. I was watching the late game at Seattle, and with one out in the top of the tenth, the screen just went black. I went to the audio for the radio broadcast, the game was already over, 5 outs and a commercial break later, and they were into the post-game show. Apparently, for some reason, the compressed streaming video feed was being delayed by that much time (maybe ten minutes), and when the game ended, MLB.tv just pulled the plug (it was the last game of the day) and went home. I checked today against real time, and found that my 1.2m MLB.tv feed was only running about 90 seconds late.

jtur88 · August 11th, 2008, 05:43 PM

Thank goodness, ESPN has finally dumped those boring irrelevant MLB pennant race games on Monday nights, and replaced them with the excitement of scintillating pre-season NFL exhibition games. Watch the worst draft picks trying not to get cut.

Over on the deuce, they present the REAL baseball for the true students and afficionados of the game---Maryland's top 11-year olds in the Little League regional finals.

jtur88 · August 13th, 2008, 07:34 PM

There used to be a kind of a blackout rule relating to radio broadcasts, too. I was never exactly clear on it, but it seems that it was something like this. A local station could not affiliate with any team that was more than 250 miles away, if it was within 250 miles of another team. For example, St. Joseph MO station could carry the Cardinals, because it was within 250 miles of St. Louis, even though it was only 50 miles from Kansas City. But an Omaha NE station could not, because it was outside the St. Louis 250 radius and within the KC 250. A station inside the 250 circle of multiple teams, like Fort Wayne IN could choose to affiilate with Chi, Det, Cle or Cin, because it was within all their 250 circles. Pierre SD was unrestricted, being outside all circles. I have no idea whether this still applies.

May 27th, 2008, 11:43 AM	#17 (permalink)
jtur88 Hall of Famer Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: South Texas Posts: 7,857	Whenever a national network negotiates the broadcasting rights with MLB, they pay a premium for the right to exclusivity. Is it MLB's policy to accept all the money they can get, and they don't care how many fans are denied access to the games, as long as the Brinks trucks keep backing up to MLB's door. If a network were to say "We want the Yankees and Red Sox to play each other every Monday night, and no other games scheduled for Monday nights, and we want the games to start at 10 PM eastern so they don't interfere with our reality shows, and no spectators are allowed in the stadium, it's a TV-only event, and neither team is allowed to take a lead of more than one run before the 7th inning, and 3-minute commercial breaks after each half-inning, and a guarantee that the Yankees would win more than half the games, and we get the right to sell advertising on their uniforms", MLB would lick its lips and say "How much will you pay?" __________________ ------------------ When people ask what I hope to see before I die, I answer that I've already seen too much. Last edited by jtur88; May 27th, 2008 at 11:48 AM.

May 28th, 2008, 12:19 AM	#18 (permalink)
aingaran Rookie Member Join Date: Dec 2006 Posts: 4	If your favourite team is on ESPN, but your local broadcaster is broadcasting the game (Fox Sportsnet) the ESPN broadcast will likely be blacked out. __________________ Aingaran Thirunadarajah QWiX Network Solutions, Inc. 1.416.333.3368 \| 1.888.779.2774

May 31st, 2008, 10:12 AM	#20 (permalink)
jtur88 Hall of Famer Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: South Texas Posts: 7,857	The real bummer is that Fox forces MLB to start their Saturday game at 4:00, but then blacks out all the 1:00 games that are over before their game even begins. As long as Fox is sending over big canvas bags full of money, MLB says "sure, you can do whatever you want. Screw the fans. What time is the Brinks truck arriving?" It's too bad the owner of the Springfield Nuclear Plant wasn't given the name "Montgomery L. Burns". His initials would have been perfectly fitting. __________________ ------------------ When people ask what I hope to see before I die, I answer that I've already seen too much. Last edited by jtur88; May 31st, 2008 at 10:16 AM.

June 11th, 2008, 08:03 PM	#23 (permalink)
jtur88 Hall of Famer Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: South Texas Posts: 7,857	Isn't it great that ESPN carries the Cubs/Braves game? Nobody with cable ever sees the Cubs or the Braves, otherwise.. __________________ ------------------ When people ask what I hope to see before I die, I answer that I've already seen too much.

August 9th, 2008, 11:24 AM	#25 (permalink)
jtur88 Hall of Famer Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: South Texas Posts: 7,857	Sadly, the days are gone when people everywhere with basic cable could watch a MLB game almost every day. TBS no longer carries any Braves games at all, and WGN this year is carrying 32 Cub games and 15 Sox games---averaging about two a week. Meanwhile, ESPN, Fox and TBS are carrying four games a week (until football season preempts baseball which is just beginning to get exciting), but they are even more tiresome than the Braves and Cubs, because they, too, are the same old Yankees and Red Sox and one or two other currently contending teams week after week after week. With Harry and Skip now gone and nobody left but Gee Whiz Caray. __________________ ------------------ When people ask what I hope to see before I die, I answer that I've already seen too much.

May 27th, 2008, 11:25 AM	#16 (permalink)
Simp Member Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 394	Then there are the games blacked out on Saturdays, thanks to FOX.

May 28th, 2008, 08:18 AM	#19 (permalink)
Simp Member Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 394	TBS's game of the week has been useless to me for the most part with the Mets or Yankees every Sunday. ESPN does the same thing to some extent. Maybe I should move out of the NYC area for more variety...oh, that's right, they show the Yankees and Mets EVERYWHERE.

June 1st, 2008, 06:12 AM	#21 (permalink)
Simp Member Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 394	TBS actually has a game I can watch this week.

June 10th, 2008, 04:45 PM	#22 (permalink)
Simp Member Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 394	I happened to be watching the Reds vs Marlins game on mlb.tv when Griffey hit #600. I thought it was interesting that the sound went out almost immediately after he hit the ball. Anyone else notice that?

August 9th, 2008, 08:05 AM	#24 (permalink)
Simp Member Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 394	Some good news? Owners to discuss blackout solution - MLB - Yahoo! Sports

August 10th, 2008, 08:21 AM	#26 (permalink)
Simp Member Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 394	Since TBS insists on showing either the Yankees and Mets every Sunday, today will be maybe only the 4th game I've been able to watch - and it's probably the 3rd time that it's the Red Sox!

August 10th, 2008, 02:30 PM	#27 (permalink)
jtur88 Hall of Famer Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: South Texas Posts: 7,857	I had an odd experience last night. I was watching the late game at Seattle, and with one out in the top of the tenth, the screen just went black. I went to the audio for the radio broadcast, the game was already over, 5 outs and a commercial break later, and they were into the post-game show. Apparently, for some reason, the compressed streaming video feed was being delayed by that much time (maybe ten minutes), and when the game ended, MLB.tv just pulled the plug (it was the last game of the day) and went home. I checked today against real time, and found that my 1.2m MLB.tv feed was only running about 90 seconds late. __________________ ------------------ When people ask what I hope to see before I die, I answer that I've already seen too much.

August 11th, 2008, 05:43 PM	#28 (permalink)
jtur88 Hall of Famer Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: South Texas Posts: 7,857	Thank goodness, ESPN has finally dumped those boring irrelevant MLB pennant race games on Monday nights, and replaced them with the excitement of scintillating pre-season NFL exhibition games. Watch the worst draft picks trying not to get cut. Over on the deuce, they present the REAL baseball for the true students and afficionados of the game---Maryland's top 11-year olds in the Little League regional finals. __________________ ------------------ When people ask what I hope to see before I die, I answer that I've already seen too much.

August 13th, 2008, 07:34 PM	#29 (permalink)
jtur88 Hall of Famer Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: South Texas Posts: 7,857	There used to be a kind of a blackout rule relating to radio broadcasts, too. I was never exactly clear on it, but it seems that it was something like this. A local station could not affiliate with any team that was more than 250 miles away, if it was within 250 miles of another team. For example, St. Joseph MO station could carry the Cardinals, because it was within 250 miles of St. Louis, even though it was only 50 miles from Kansas City. But an Omaha NE station could not, because it was outside the St. Louis 250 radius and within the KC 250. A station inside the 250 circle of multiple teams, like Fort Wayne IN could choose to affiilate with Chi, Det, Cle or Cin, because it was within all their 250 circles. Pierre SD was unrestricted, being outside all circles. I have no idea whether this still applies. __________________ ------------------ When people ask what I hope to see before I die, I answer that I've already seen too much.