Grow Up NHL - Blackouts

[The Hanging Jowl]

Yea I know, like I said the model is outdated. Idk what Canada is like for streaming rights I live in the USA, if a game is locally/national on cable it's blacked out in that area on espn+ who solely advertise the out of market aspect.

Even this I don't understand. Why? If I was one of ESPN's advertisers, I would want to know why they're artificially limiting the reach of my ads even though it wouldn't cost ESPN (or the NHL or whoever makes these decisions) a dime to just open it up to all markets.

I don't know if they ever do this anymore (someone above said above the NFL doesn't do this now) but the Buffalo Bills used to black out games if the stadium didn't sell a certain percentage of tickets. I don't agree with that either but at least there was a semblance of logic behind it (to get people out to the games). NHL blackouts make zero sense whatsoever. They simply irritate their fans for no reason whatsoever that I can think of. Do they want to sell this game or not?

 

[Bringer of Jollity]

Start moving toward the MLS route and have one partner, with one "all-in-one" fee that provides no-blackout access to every game, with simulcasts for big/regular national telecasts.

For a cord-cutter currently, the NHL model is awful. ESPN+ and some package subscription for TNT, another for the RSN for the local team, an add-on to get NHL Network, then a whole other package subscription for Fubo. Even if the latter two don't have all that many games, it's a pretty ridiculous investment to try to get everything compared to my $100 for MLS League Pass for the season.

 

[Tawnos]

Even this I don't understand. Why? If I was one of ESPN's advertisers, I would want to know why they're artificially limiting the reach of my ads even though it wouldn't cost ESPN (or the NHL or whoever makes these decisions) a dime to just open it up to all markets.

I don't know if they ever do this anymore (someone above said above the NFL doesn't do this now) but the Buffalo Bills used to black out games if the stadium didn't sell a certain percentage of tickets. I don't agree with that either but at least there was a semblance of logic behind it (to get people out to the games). NHL blackouts make zero sense whatsoever. They simply irritate their fans for no reason whatsoever that I can think of. Do they want to sell this game or not?

The league would lose an ENORMOUS amount of revenue if they removed the local blackout from ESPN+. Every single local TV contract would be worthless.

 

[Tawnos]

Start moving toward the MLS route and have one partner, with one "all-in-one" fee that provides no-blackout access to every game, with simulcasts for big/regular national telecasts.

For a cord-cutter currently, the NHL model is awful. ESPN+ and some package subscription for TNT, another for the RSN for the local team, an add-on to get NHL Network, then a whole other package subscription for Fubo. Even if the latter two don't have all that many games, it's a pretty ridiculous investment to try to get everything compared to my $100 for MLS League Pass for the season.

This isn’t likely to happen in a league where teams own their own broadcast networks.

The NHLN part of this is the biggest problem to me. They should offer a streaming sub for it in the NHL app.

 

[Sadekuuro]

The closest NHL team to me is a 4 hour drive. The 2nd closet 6 hours. ESPN Plus blacks me out of both teams' games. Odd thing is there is no regional coverage of either team in my area. Makes no sense to me. Can't get either team via cable/dish. Can't get them with ESPN Plus. Not going to drive for hours to see games. Silliness.

ESPN+ in Boise is blacked out for three different markets

 

[Caps8112]

I have to say, every time I read posts like this, my mind is boggled. It takes very little time to find where a game is. Look at the NHL app or NHL.com. And you only really need to do that if the game isn't on Monumental. If it's a national TV game, that takes no more time than it did before. Instead of a national broadcast being in one of 2 places, now it's in one of 3. The horror!

The only thing that's really changed here is that you have an occasional game that you can only access via a streaming service (ESPN+/Hulu). Yeah, that's an adjustment and it is about driving up the revenue of the league (what you call greed). But it's not something that deserves the kind of vitriol you're throwing at it.

Prime example tonight. First time in a while I tried to turn the game on. Monumental has it blacked out. Says it’s on tnt. That’s the end of that. The nhl is not the nfl

 

[Tawnos]

Prime example tonight. First time in a while I tried to turn the game on. Monumental has it blacked out. Says it’s on tnt. That’s the end of that. The nhl is not the nfl

I’m sorry, but how exactly is that any different than it’s been in the league for 20 years? Aside from it being TNT instead of NBCSN, or Vs, or OLN?

 

[Caps8112]

I’m sorry, but how exactly is that any different than it’s been in the league for 20 years? Aside from it being TNT instead of NBCSN, or Vs, or OLN?

Because I paid for monumental app. I’m not flipping through all the other apps/channels to find it. You’ll get old one day too

 

[Tawnos]

Because I paid for monumental app. I’m not flipping through all the other apps/channels to find it. You’ll get old one day too

You paid for the Monumental app and it still wouldn’t have been on it any time in the last couple of decades.

I’m not a young kid over here.

 

[Caps8112]

You paid for the Monumental app and it still wouldn’t have been on it any time in the last couple of decades.

I’m not a young kid over here.

think we are misunderstanding. my point is for most of my life I could watch the game on HTS/COMCASTSPORTSNET/MONUMENTAL. All the same channel/company whatever. This past year, if you dont have comcast you can only watch the games via an app or streaming option. I get that nationally televised games are always on an nbc or something like that but now without comcast it can be on espn+, monumental, apparently TNT and im sure 50 other apps or streams. I paid for monumental, I have given money to the team to watch their product. One, it used to be free, two I shouldn't have to hunt for the game or ever run into blackout messages.

 

[Oilslick941611]

Even if you're in Ontario, it's blacked out in certain areas of Ontario as you're considered to be in the Ottawa, or Montreal regions and it's blacked out.

People in the states apparently have it even worse.

Kind of. It was blacked out for Toronto region.

I’m in Ottawa and I was able to watch the game. However. I cannot watch Ottawa home games because tsn is the worst when it comes to blackouts.

 

[Hodes42]

I feel your pain.
Used to live east of Utica. All I needed for cable outside of hockey was the $8/month package. Had to upgrade to the $30/month package so I could get the $50/month package that had MSG so I could watch the Rangers. Then, a ton of games would be blacked out because I lived in Buffalo’s territory. Was cheaper for me to go to the bar and watch…

 

[Tkachuk4MVP]

I don't understand how anyone has blackouts. I can literally watch any game I want on espn+ or the NHL Network if it's on there. Occasionally I'll have to get on MSG network to catch a rangers game.

I live in San Diego and Ducks and Kings (!) games are blacked out. YouTube TV doesn’t offer the NHL Network or the local channels that the Ducks and Kings play on.