MLBEI and Territorial rights

[CubinNY]

Does anyone know if MLB has decided to alter the arcane territorial TV rights?

 

The latest I could find was from last August

 

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080813&content_id=3302623&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

 

But if it was approved that is good news for us all.

[Derwood]

Does anyone know if MLB has decided to alter the arcane territorial TV rights?

 

The latest I could find was from last August

 

http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20080813&content_id=3302623&vkey=news_mlb&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

 

But if it was approved that is good news for us all.

 

haven't heard, but something needs to be done. either keep the territorial thing but give me the actual channels to watch the games in my territory, or scrap the nonsense and let the people who are paying good money for the package to get all the games.

 

frankly, I don't know what the difference between my watching the Cubs/Reds game on FSN Ohio and the exact same feed on EI is

[Bote McBoteface]

Yeah, I decided I wasn't going to purchase something that is supposed to be giving me every baseball game anymore unless it actually gave me every baseball game. The thing that pisses me off the most is the saturday baseball blackouts, which is [expletive] because Saturday is my day off work, but I can't watch the Cubs on my 160 some dollar baseball pack because Fox is too busy showing the Yankees play the Royals.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

Even if they update and fix the territorial rights, it won't change the Saturday black-out as that is a different issue. FOX pays to have exclusive rights, so the black-out there is part of the contract.

[The R-Train]

Yeah, but it's stupid that a game starting at noon is blacked out because of another game starting at 2:55.

[Derwood]

I could live with the Saturday blackouts if I got the rest. Problem is, I'm considered to be in Cincinnati, Cleveland and Pittsburgh's "territory", but I don't get FSN Pittsburgh at all. I do have FSN Ohio and FSN Cincy, but that doesn't always mean the game is on. I think between the two, they only show about 120 Reds games, so if it's Cubs vs. Reds, I'm still not guaranteed to get it.

 

Then there are the games on FSN Ohio HD where the HD feed turns off at the 3 hour mark. That's awesome

[Clem Fandango]

I live in Mobile, AL... about 12 hours away from Miami/Ft. Lauderdale and I don't get Marlins games, not that I care unless they're playing the Cubs, but that kind of zoning is absolutely ludicrous. States that don't have any baseball teams are getting blacked out because of this ridiculous nonsense and it needs to stop

[cubsfan1947]

I dropped the automatic renewal of Extra Innings, and won't sign up for the mlb.tv thing for the reasons many of you have mentioned.

 

The saturday thing is the real problem; I won't be forced to watch a game I am not interested in.

 

I do have XM radio so I will be able to listen. The game threads are always so helpful too. :lol:

[Andy]

Yeah, but it's stupid that a game starting at noon is blacked out because of another game starting at 2:55.

The blackout starts at like 1:10.

[Derwood]

I dropped the automatic renewal of Extra Innings, and won't sign up for the mlb.tv thing for the reasons many of you have mentioned.

 

The saturday thing is the real problem; I won't be forced to watch a game I am not interested in.

 

I do have XM radio so I will be able to listen. The game threads are always so helpful too. :lol:

 

I hear ya, but I'm one of those suckers they know HAS to get EI or else they only get the 60ish games on WGN

[otis89]

I dropped the automatic renewal of Extra Innings, and won't sign up for the mlb.tv thing for the reasons many of you have mentioned.

 

The saturday thing is the real problem; I won't be forced to watch a game I am not interested in.

 

I do have XM radio so I will be able to listen. The game threads are always so helpful too. :lol:

 

I hear ya, but I'm one of those suckers they know HAS to get EI or else they only get the 60ish games on WGN

 

I'm supposedly in the Cubs' broadcast territory, but I only get WGN. Needless to say, I haven't bothered to invest any money in EI or MLB.tv. Completely asinine that I'm in their territory but don't even get to watch half the games.

[Soul]

They should just let people who are paying for the package get all the games. I understand this need to protect advertisers, but I don't think it should apply to the packages. If you want to throw some additional dollars at local advertisers and raise the price on the package slightly, then go ahead. The price is going to continue to creep up anyway, it always does.

[Derwood]

They should just let people who are paying for the package get all the games. I understand this need to protect advertisers, but I don't think it should apply to the packages. If you want to throw some additional dollars at local advertisers and raise the price on the package slightly, then go ahead. The price is going to continue to creep up anyway, it always does.

 

this is what I don't get though: if you buy the package, you're seeing the exact same commercials, so who cares? by blacking me out on Pittsburgh games but NOT giving me FSN Pittsburgh, you're taking away someone who would be seeing those ads....it just makes no sense at all

[Soul]

They should just let people who are paying for the package get all the games. I understand this need to protect advertisers, but I don't think it should apply to the packages. If you want to throw some additional dollars at local advertisers and raise the price on the package slightly, then go ahead. The price is going to continue to creep up anyway, it always does.

 

this is what I don't get though: if you buy the package, you're seeing the exact same commercials, so who cares? by blacking me out on Pittsburgh games but NOT giving me FSN Pittsburgh, you're taking away someone who would be seeing those ads....it just makes no sense at all

 

Yeah it's so convoluted at this point nobody can even figure it out anymore. I thought someone in MLB had said they were going to work on lifting some of the senseless blackouts, but I haven't heard any follow up since.

 

I know the original intent was to try to funnel viewers to the local advertising market. That just doesn't work anymore -- people have way too many viewing options. But now you've got markets criss-crossed all over the place, and people who consider themselves fans of a "local" team and they don't get the games for some arcane reason nobody can trace. It's just a mess.

 

Just give people the option to purchase the package and turn on all the games. Sure, it leaves out some people who can't afford the package, but it would be a positive step in the right direction.

[Derwood]

They should just let people who are paying for the package get all the games. I understand this need to protect advertisers, but I don't think it should apply to the packages. If you want to throw some additional dollars at local advertisers and raise the price on the package slightly, then go ahead. The price is going to continue to creep up anyway, it always does.

 

this is what I don't get though: if you buy the package, you're seeing the exact same commercials, so who cares? by blacking me out on Pittsburgh games but NOT giving me FSN Pittsburgh, you're taking away someone who would be seeing those ads....it just makes no sense at all

 

Yeah it's so convoluted at this point nobody can even figure it out anymore. I thought someone in MLB had said they were going to work on lifting some of the senseless blackouts, but I haven't heard any follow up since.

 

I know the original intent was to try to funnel viewers to the local advertising market. That just doesn't work anymore -- people have way too many viewing options. But now you've got markets criss-crossed all over the place, and people who consider themselves fans of a "local" team and they don't get the games for some arcane reason nobody can trace. It's just a mess.

 

Just give people the option to purchase the package and turn on all the games. Sure, it leaves out some people who can't afford the package, but it would be a positive step in the right direction.

 

you also have DirecTV saying "MLB's blackout rules aren't our problem, so no, you can't have FSN Pittsburgh when you live in Ohio. We don't care if that screws you, it's not our rules."

[Soul]

They should just let people who are paying for the package get all the games. I understand this need to protect advertisers, but I don't think it should apply to the packages. If you want to throw some additional dollars at local advertisers and raise the price on the package slightly, then go ahead. The price is going to continue to creep up anyway, it always does.

 

this is what I don't get though: if you buy the package, you're seeing the exact same commercials, so who cares? by blacking me out on Pittsburgh games but NOT giving me FSN Pittsburgh, you're taking away someone who would be seeing those ads....it just makes no sense at all

 

Yeah it's so convoluted at this point nobody can even figure it out anymore. I thought someone in MLB had said they were going to work on lifting some of the senseless blackouts, but I haven't heard any follow up since.

 

I know the original intent was to try to funnel viewers to the local advertising market. That just doesn't work anymore -- people have way too many viewing options. But now you've got markets criss-crossed all over the place, and people who consider themselves fans of a "local" team and they don't get the games for some arcane reason nobody can trace. It's just a mess.

 

Just give people the option to purchase the package and turn on all the games. Sure, it leaves out some people who can't afford the package, but it would be a positive step in the right direction.

 

you also have DirecTV saying "MLB's blackout rules aren't our problem, so no, you can't have FSN Pittsburgh when you live in Ohio. We don't care if that screws you, it's not our rules."

 

Yep. I get FSN North's broadcasts of Twinkie games, which nobody cares about in Madison -- but some Brewer games are not on because they broadcast on a rinkie dink channel that only goes as far as the Milwaukee burbs. It's madness.

 

Oh, and here's a good one for you: some years I get Cubs games on Comcast, and some years it is blacked out. It appears to be random. Bulls & Hawks too. Currently, Bulls games are all blacked out on Comcast for me. But I'm getting all the Blackhawk games just fine. Last year, I got all the Bulls games on Comcast.

 

:blink:

[Guest]

So, it looks like MLB hasn't changed their ludicrous viewing restrictions. They have to be some the dumbest bright people ever.

 

Yesterday the MLB network had on an Astros or Reds game (I can't remember which). Direct TV had it blacked out for me. The good news is they've installed a program to search if the game is available locally, but of course it wasn't b/c I live 100s of miles from Houston and Cin. The message I got on the screen was something to the effect of "Sorry we have to follow MLB rules".

 

For the life of me I cannot understand why they want to restrict people from watching baseball.

[otis89]

For the life of me I cannot understand why they want to restrict people from watching baseball.

 

Because not letting you watch the game on TV means you will definitely drive hundreds of miles, buy a ticket, and watch the game in person. :roll:

[NCCubFan]

Maybe during Spring Training the issue is how close you are to Florida or Arizona (whichever those teams train in), not Houston or Cincinnati.

[Derwood]

No, it's all just antiquated thinking. Why, for example, the price one pays to get the Extra Innings package doesn't offset whatever ad revenues the FSN's and CSN's think they're losing is beyond me.

[otis89]

No, it's all just antiquated thinking. Why, for example, the price one pays to get the Extra Innings package doesn't offset whatever ad revenues the FSN's and CSN's think they're losing is beyond me.

 

What really irks me is that they're not losing anything in ad revenue on people like me, because I don't even GET CSN. I can't watch the game on MLB.tv or EI because the game is being shown on a channel I DON'T get? How does that work? MLB's blackout rules have got to go. How does Selig not realize that blackout rules don't make any sense?

[loukycub]

Maybe during Spring Training the issue is how close you are to Florida or Arizona (whichever those teams train in), not Houston or Cincinnati.

 

sadly, no. for some strange and inunderstandable reason, tennessee is considered the reds market.

 

who knew?

 

oh, yeah, try living here in louisville. this is NOT a reds town, despite the bats being the AAA affiliate. i know of more cubs, sox (both), and (explitive deleted) cardinal fans here than reds fans and yet we are stuck with reds broadcasts over the cubs games. and yes that is important. do any one of you want to listen to 9 innings of jeff brantley and thom brennamen female doging about the cubs and/or cubs fans 3 game straight? its bad enough that if i ever wanted to catch the game on radio, bitter old marty brennamen comes out the speakers.

 

thankfully when the games are on wgn, they aren't blacked out here (strangely enough). it's only when the games are on espn or tbs when i really don't have much of a choice.

[CubColtPacer]

Maybe during Spring Training the issue is how close you are to Florida or Arizona (whichever those teams train in), not Houston or Cincinnati.

 

sadly, no. for some strange and inunderstandable reason, tennessee is considered the reds market.

 

who knew?

 

oh, yeah, try living here in louisville. this is NOT a reds town, despite the bats being the AAA affiliate. i know of more cubs, sox (both), and (explitive deleted) cardinal fans here than reds fans and yet we are stuck with reds broadcasts over the cubs games. and yes that is important. do any one of you want to listen to 9 innings of jeff brantley and thom brennamen female doging about the cubs and/or cubs fans 3 game straight? its bad enough that if i ever wanted to catch the game on radio, bitter old marty brennamen comes out the speakers.

 

thankfully when the games are on wgn, they aren't blacked out here (strangely enough). it's only when the games are on espn or tbs when i really don't have much of a choice.

 

WGN games aren't blacked out anywhere. They pay the "superstation tax" for each game that they show. As MLB has found other ways to get money off of having out of market fans (through MLB EI and MLB.tv), that superstation tax has gone up which is why you no longer see Braves games on TBS and WGN has slowly but steadily cut the number of games that are shown.

[Guest]

Maybe during Spring Training the issue is how close you are to Florida or Arizona (whichever those teams train in), not Houston or Cincinnati.

 

sadly, no. for some strange and inunderstandable reason, tennessee is considered the reds market.

 

who knew?

 

oh, yeah, try living here in louisville. this is NOT a reds town, despite the bats being the AAA affiliate. i know of more cubs, sox (both), and (explitive deleted) cardinal fans here than reds fans and yet we are stuck with reds broadcasts over the cubs games. and yes that is important. do any one of you want to listen to 9 innings of jeff brantley and thom brennamen female doging about the cubs and/or cubs fans 3 game straight? its bad enough that if i ever wanted to catch the game on radio, bitter old marty brennamen comes out the speakers.

 

thankfully when the games are on wgn, they aren't blacked out here (strangely enough). it's only when the games are on espn or tbs when i really don't have much of a choice.

Memphis is considered a:

 

Reds market

Cardinals market

Astros market

 

So I get those games blacked out any time the Cubs play them. It is maddening.

[kujay]

The fix seems so simple. Whichever RSN is considered your "home" channel, that should be the only one that is blacked out on EI.

 

But I guess I've never lived anywhere but near a large MLB city. Do folks in TN and mid-Ohio have just one RSN? Or do you have one at all?