Can someone please explain "Regional Blackouts" to me please?

[ABNuck]

I understand what they are, I just don't understand "WHY" they are. Is the intention to force all people in a certain geographical area to become a fan of a certain team? They call it "protection"...but what exactly are they protecting? There's zero revenue stream to be protected. Basically if I can't watch the Canucks, I'm not watching other teams, so they lose my money...so what are they protecting?

 

I live in Alberta and CANNOT watch Canucks games no matter how much I pay. I purchased SportsNet+ and have been able to watch exactly ONE Canucks game since January (not counting the ones they graciously stream on Saturday nights that I can watch for free on CBC anyways). So I've cancelled my subscription...they lose, not me.

 

If there was no blackouts I'd gladly pay whatever they want to charge so I can watch...so technically they're losing money. I just don't get the business decision by the NHL.

 

Can anyone explain why they do this?

[Kragar]

That's garbage. At least what I suffer with, they want me to either watch the regional broadcast (which I don't get in my TV package) or go to the game. That makes sense, or at least some sense.

 

There was a Canucks Ducks game earlier in the year on a national channel that was blacked out for some reason. Kings game on that same channel was not blacked out.  Too weird.

 

Anyhow, what you @ABNuck are going through is absolute BS.

[Toni Zamboni]

what about watching the game via a stream?
my friend from AB does that.
if you need the link i can send you it in a dm

Edited March 6 by Toni Zamboni

[Goalie29]

1 hour ago, ABNuck said:

There's zero revenue stream to be protected.

 

At the time the current TV deal was signed, if I recall correctly, NHL Center Ice / NHL Live was still a thing for them.  That was the annual subscription service for all of the out-of-market games.

 

Now, you can get those out-of-market games with Sportsnet+ Premium.

 

 

So I suppose the revenue stream they are protecting are the extra dollars Sportsnet charges for Sportsnet+ Premium.

[Jeremy Hronek]

7 hours ago, ABNuck said:

I understand what they are, I just don't understand "WHY" they are. Is the intention to force all people in a certain geographical area to become a fan of a certain team? They call it "protection"...but what exactly are they protecting? There's zero revenue stream to be protected. Basically if I can't watch the Canucks, I'm not watching other teams, so they lose my money...so what are they protecting?

 

I live in Alberta and CANNOT watch Canucks games no matter how much I pay. I purchased SportsNet+ and have been able to watch exactly ONE Canucks game since January (not counting the ones they graciously stream on Saturday nights that I can watch for free on CBC anyways). So I've cancelled my subscription...they lose, not me.

 

If there was no blackouts I'd gladly pay whatever they want to charge so I can watch...so technically they're losing money. I just don't get the business decision by the NHL.

 

Can anyone explain why they do this?

 

I'm in the same boat.  

 

Living in China and haven't been able to watch much games due to "regional blackouts" despite having paid a hefty price for Sportsnet 360+.  

 

Trust me - if Terrorists decide to blow up Sportsnet 360 one day and the executive team, you will not see me shed a single solitary tear.  

[DrJockitch]

This has been a major frustration for me and ultimately led to me cancelling Sportsnet and streaming everything. 
The only way to get all the Canucks games out of BC is through the premium package of Sportsnet. I get it they payed $4B but the fact that I need to get golf, darts and football just because I want to watch Canuck’s games is ridiculous. 
Regional blackouts make no sense in the modern era of content delivery and in my case led to me cord cutting and dumping a service I have had since they started up. 

[ABNuck]

7 hours ago, Goalie29 said:

 

At the time the current TV deal was signed, if I recall correctly, NHL Center Ice / NHL Live was still a thing for them.  That was the annual subscription service for all of the out-of-market games.

 

Now, you can get those out-of-market games with Sportsnet+ Premium.

 

 

So I suppose the revenue stream they are protecting are the extra dollars Sportsnet charges for Sportsnet+ Premium.

 

53 minutes ago, DrJockitch said:

This has been a major frustration for me and ultimately led to me cancelling Sportsnet and streaming everything. 
The only way to get all the Canucks games out of BC is through the premium package of Sportsnet. I get it they payed $4B but the fact that I need to get golf, darts and football just because I want to watch Canuck’s games is ridiculous. 
Regional blackouts make no sense in the modern era of content delivery and in my case led to me cord cutting and dumping a service I have had since they started up. 

 

Sorry folks, but paying the "upgrade" to Premium doesn't actually work. I thought about buying the upgrade...when I go to the specific game (ie/ last night's game in LA) it says "UPGRADE REQUIRED"...but it also says "This game is not available in your region" even if I did have the UPGRADE package...so no matter what I cannot watch Canucks games no matter how much money I throw at them...I'd just be wasting more cash for ZERO additional Canucks games. It's sad to say the least. Even with the upgrade I can just watch more out-of-region games that are not on the "Protected Territory" list. In Alberta the priority is given to the Lames and Coilers and I'll be damned if I'm watching those 2 teams. All the upgrade does is allow me to watch more games like DAL vs COL...no additional Canucks games due to Alberta being a Protected Territory.

 

I wish the networks would just strike a deal for broadcast rights whereby EVERY game is a pay-per-view experience...say 2.99 per game. If I want to watch all 82 Canucks games...no matter where I am in the world...then they'd make $250.00 per season off of me...with their current model they make $0.00 off of me.

 

What it does is force everyone in this situation to search out Pirated feeds...they're actually forcing the money away from themselves...makes no business sense whatsoever.

[DrJockitch]

20 minutes ago, ABNuck said:

 

 

Sorry folks, but paying the "upgrade" to Premium doesn't actually work. I thought about buying the upgrade...when I go to the specific game (ie/ last night's game in LA) it says "UPGRADE REQUIRED"...but it also says "This game is not available in your region" even if I did have the UPGRADE package...so no matter what I cannot watch Canucks games no matter how much money I throw at them...I'd just be wasting more cash for ZERO additional Canucks games. It's sad to say the least. Even with the upgrade I can just watch more out-of-region games that are not on the "Protected Territory" list. In Alberta the priority is given to the Lames and Coilers and I'll be damned if I'm watching those 2 teams. All the upgrade does is allow me to watch more games like DAL vs COL...no additional Canucks games due to Alberta being a Protected Territory.

 

I wish the networks would just strike a deal for broadcast rights whereby EVERY game is a pay-per-view experience...say 2.99 per game. If I want to watch all 82 Canucks games...no matter where I am in the world...then they'd make $250.00 per season off of me...with their current model they make $0.00 off of me.

 

What it does is force everyone in this situation to search out Pirated feeds...they're actually forcing the money away from themselves...makes no business sense whatsoever.

You were in LA?  The Canadian streaming content won’t work in the US unless you VPN. 
but I also was told billing to pay for the premium so can’t comment directly. 

Edited March 6 by DrJockitch

[Darth Canuck]

Hey ABNuck, I live in Calgary.

I have Telus for my tv, and get the Centre Ice package in the fall for $199 early bird price. (I think it was $199). This gets me pretty much every single game league wide (that’s not already on Sportsnet), including all Canuck games, including the other teams feed most of the time (for non CBC games)

if I’m on the road in Canada, I use the Telus app and watch the games on my iPad
only issue is the Telus app doesn’t work outside of Canada, so no games to watch when I’m in USA or Mexico. If you’re in the USA, you need the ESPN+ app (I believe), and in Mexico, apparently there’s a sports channel that carries NHL games, but I’m not that desperate to pay what they want.

 

Go Canucks!

[Integra250]

Have you tried using a VPN??

[ABNuck]

9 hours ago, Darth Canuck said:

Hey ABNuck, I live in Calgary.

I have Telus for my tv, and get the Centre Ice package in the fall for $199 early bird price. (I think it was $199). This gets me pretty much every single game league wide (that’s not already on Sportsnet), including all Canuck games, including the other teams feed most of the time (for non CBC games)

if I’m on the road in Canada, I use the Telus app and watch the games on my iPad
only issue is the Telus app doesn’t work outside of Canada, so no games to watch when I’m in USA or Mexico. If you’re in the USA, you need the ESPN+ app (I believe), and in Mexico, apparently there’s a sports channel that carries NHL games, but I’m not that desperate to pay what they want.

 

Go Canucks!

 

Yes...I think that's the real solution. I have IGNITE from Shaw, but only as internet (no cable package) and I tried to sign up for Centre Ice only to be rejected the next day. So maybe that is the business angle for them...you have to also buy a cable package PLUS then pay for Centre Ice (double dip for them). I'll check out that option next...must watch playoff hockey...it's been sooooo long...

[ABNuck]

6 hours ago, Integra250 said:

Have you tried using a VPN??

 

Apparently only works til you get caught by Sportsnet...it's actually in their T's and C's, they mention remote VPN's to appear to be in another region. This is the year though to watch...I have a good feeling that we may be able to go deep...

[OldFaithfulcap]

In the US i get about 77 canuck games via legal streaming. Currently the hulu/disney/espn+ package is about 18 bucks a month. I have max too which now shows the tnt games, nucks appear there about 2 times.

 

I miss out on some weird nhl network games too which aren't on hulu or tbs. The caps vs nucks games are both blacked out on hulu due to the local rights network (monumental sports) blacking out caps games. 

 

It's a dumb system for sure.

 

My big worry is playoffs. Sometimes espn may have it and not espn+ stream in which case i'm screwed. Not sure if tbs will stream on max either. We'll see.

 

[RJCF96]

I live in BC, I am subscribed to the Sportsnet+ premium. I have access to every NHL game (including all out of market games). Geographically speaking, in Canada, as long as you live in BC, Alberta and Yukon, you should get all NHL games with Premium subscription.

 

If you live in the Jets, Sens, Leafs, Canadiens region (pretty much rest of Canada outside of the 3 I mentioned above), regional games on TSN won't be available to you. For example, if you live in Winnipeg, you won't be able to watch any Jets game that are broadcasted locally on TSN. A small portion of Leafs regional home games are owned by TSN, and those games won't be available for anyone living in the Ontario.

 

So based on your area, as long as you have Premium subscription, you should be able to watch all Canucks games.

[Bob Long]

14 hours ago, ABNuck said:

 

Apparently only works til you get caught by Sportsnet...it's actually in their T's and C's, they mention remote VPN's to appear to be in another region. This is the year though to watch...I have a good feeling that we may be able to go deep...

 

You can find a dedicated server VPN to get around that. I use nord VPN, never had an issue.

[Kragar]

22 hours ago, OldFaithfulcap said:

In the US i get about 77 canuck games via legal streaming. Currently the hulu/disney/espn+ package is about 18 bucks a month. I have max too which now shows the tnt games, nucks appear there about 2 times.

 

I miss out on some weird nhl network games too which aren't on hulu or tbs. The caps vs nucks games are both blacked out on hulu due to the local rights network (monumental sports) blacking out caps games. 

 

It's a dumb system for sure.

 

My big worry is playoffs. Sometimes espn may have it and not espn+ stream in which case i'm screwed. Not sure if tbs will stream on max either. We'll see.

 

I'm down south, too.

 

Last year, I think they (ESPN/ABC affiliates) had all the games in the playoffs. But it was on a variety of stations, especially in round 1. Not too much of a surprise, given so many games at one time.

 

Don't think anything was on ESPN+ for the playoffs though. Sad, since you usually get to choose your feed there. But some good things, like not dealing with streaming... assuming the other channels are in your cable/whatever package

Edited March 7 by Kragar

[OldFaithfulcap]

1 minute ago, Kragar said:

I'm down south, too.

 

Last year, I think they (ESPN/ABC affiliates) had all the games in the playoffs. But it was on a variety of stations, especially in round 1. Not too much of a surprise, given so many games at one time.

 

Don't think anything was on ESPN+ for the playoffs though. Sad, since you usually get to choose your feed there. But some good things, like not dealing with streaming... assuming the other channels are in your cable/whatever package

 

Yeah i think i tried to check out some but it wasn't on. Hopefully this year! Otherwise have to get sling again yuck.

[Kragar]

1 minute ago, OldFaithfulcap said:

 

Yeah i think i tried to check out some but it wasn't on. Hopefully this year! Otherwise have to get sling again yuck.

I just wish DirecTV would fix their search engine.

 

Search on whatever NFL team you are looking for, and you get the appropriate game and channel.

 

Search on a NHL team these last few years, and you get a whole slew of NHL games, not necessarily what you are looking for. Matters a little less for me now that I gave up their hockey package (ESPN+ is a lot cheaper, and I can use it for fantasy football, too). But still annoying.

[OldFaithfulcap]

54 minutes ago, Kragar said:

I just wish DirecTV would fix their search engine.

 

Search on whatever NFL team you are looking for, and you get the appropriate game and channel.

 

Search on a NHL team these last few years, and you get a whole slew of NHL games, not necessarily what you are looking for. Matters a little less for me now that I gave up their hockey package (ESPN+ is a lot cheaper, and I can use it for fantasy football, too). But still annoying.

 

Ah i gave up cable years back. Espn+ is so annoying at times. On my tv it nevet tells me which broadcast is which. On my small phone screen it does! Plus the damn espn commercial that replays over and over and over...

 

I know there is something new coming, probably be more expensive but we barely watch disney+ and only a few hulu shows now.

 

All these online things are terrible. I signed up for the nfl + to watch niners but they weren't available even though it was on fox free in other markets.

 

They overpay for rights and we suffer. 

 

 

 

[Kragar]

1 hour ago, OldFaithfulcap said:

 

Ah i gave up cable years back. Espn+ is so annoying at times. On my tv it nevet tells me which broadcast is which. On my small phone screen it does! Plus the damn espn commercial that replays over and over and over...

 

I know there is something new coming, probably be more expensive but we barely watch disney+ and only a few hulu shows now.

 

All these online things are terrible. I signed up for the nfl + to watch niners but they weren't available even though it was on fox free in other markets.

 

They overpay for rights and we suffer. 

 

 

 

I almost always watch Canuck games on delay, so I jump through the commercials. But completely agree that the ESPN+ commercials suck.

 

Strange that your TV won't let you know what feed you are getting. I run it through Roku, so guessing you are using something else. Never tried it on my phone. Probably go blind using the small screen

[OldFaithfulcap]

35 minutes ago, Kragar said:

I almost always watch Canuck games on delay, so I jump through the commercials. But completely agree that the ESPN+ commercials suck.

 

Strange that your TV won't let you know what feed you are getting. I run it through Roku, so guessing you are using something else. Never tried it on my phone. Probably go blind using the small screen

 

Hulu app, it is weird.

[Sergiomomesso]

After watching this Habs vs Nords doc. I can’t believe the habs got away with so much bs. Now I know why I couldn’t stand any Molson product growing up and still don’t. 
 

 

[cripplereh]

On 3/5/2024 at 10:00 PM, Toni Zamboni said:

what about watching the game via a stream?
my friend from AB does that.
if you need the link i can send you it in a dm

Find any stream.

 

Laws are you can download anything you want long as you do no share or make money.

 

Therefore they say some streams are illegal,yes for the states but not us.When you stream you are downloading the stream which means that is legal.

 

I would just stream games as there are many in good to great quality.

 

I get all games but at times had to stream and did.

[kettlevalley]

On 3/6/2024 at 2:36 AM, Goalie29 said:

 

At the time the current TV deal was signed, if I recall correctly, NHL Center Ice / NHL Live was still a thing for them.  That was the annual subscription service for all of the out-of-market games.

 

Now, you can get those out-of-market games with Sportsnet+ Premium.

 

 

So I suppose the revenue stream they are protecting are the extra dollars Sportsnet charges for Sportsnet+ Premium.

Wrong.  I have sportsnet premium.  I live in NB now and bought it to be able to watch hockey as well as specifically canucks games.  

 

I get blacked out for home games of Montreal and Ottawa.  Montreal is a 9 hour drive and Ottawa is 12 hours or so.  Not really an issue to me unless the Canucks are in Ottawa or Montreal.  I just watch another game as they are better games as those teams suck.  

 

But as I pay for premium and live too far from Montreal or Ottawa to attend their games, they lose nothing to let me watch.  But I am blocked on those games live and delayed stream, including the game highlight 3 min 5 min 10 min versions.  

 

Makes no sense.  

[Goalie29]

20 minutes ago, kettlevalley said:

Wrong.  I have sportsnet premium.  I live in NB now and bought it to be able to watch hockey as well as specifically canucks games.  

 

I get blacked out for home games of Montreal and Ottawa.  Montreal is a 9 hour drive and Ottawa is 12 hours or so.  Not really an issue to me unless the Canucks are in Ottawa or Montreal.  I just watch another game as they are better games as those teams suck.  

 

But as I pay for premium and live too far from Montreal or Ottawa to attend their games, they lose nothing to let me watch.  But I am blocked on those games live and delayed stream, including the game highlight 3 min 5 min 10 min versions.  

 

Makes no sense.  

 

Not wrong.

 

I was referring mostly to Vancouver games as that was the OP's concern.  Don't Montreal and Ottawa have regional deals with TSN?  Then those games would never show up on Sportsnet's out-of-market broadcasts, would they?