Blah, blah, blah.....WHEN CAN I WATCH MY ROCKETS? Tried to DVR the game this morning before I left for work, but the program was unavailable. Really? You're blacking out a game from Manila?
Right there with you! Tried to watch on NBATV and "This game is blacked out in your area." I'm not in Manila! Tried watching/listening on crappy streams. I'm not sure what's gonna happen here with this bankruptcy case or whatever; I'm not counting on a deal before the season but hopefully something works out shortly after and no longer than mid-season.
I was able to watch the game today using the DIRECTV app. The app doesn't recognize blackouts on Android lol. Of course you have to be on your home network though.
Similar thing happened to me for the Wizards first preseason game televised on NBA TV. "Game is blacked out, consult your local sports network for listings." The local sports network was not even covering the game. These blackout policies defy common sense. Anyway, they didn't black out the replay a few hours later, so you can try that.
The blackout policies are actually very easy to understand. Your home team's games are going to be blacked out on NBA TV and NBA League Pass because teams control their own media rights. It isn't about whether they ARE airing it locally, it's about their right to do so if they choose. The game being in Manilla has zero impact on the Rockets media rights.
And that's another huge difference between Astros media rights and Rockets media rights... the Astros are trying to negotiate a fair carriage price not only for the Houston market and all of Texas, but for a 5 state market surrounding Texas. Even if the Rockets wanted to try to get on all throughout Texas, and in other states, the NBA territorial restrictions would limit that.
But why? What does a team gain by setting a blackout policy and then choosing not to cover the game as in my Wizards example? Is there something to be gained by not allowing local fans to watch the first game of the year (or any game for that matter)? As for the Rockets, it looks like the game is being aired locally (to the few who have Comcast), so I know the same doesn't apply.
Which really sucks when you live in areas like Austin. No NBA team of our own and in between 3 NBA cities. Yes, SA is closer, but a majority of NBA fans here are not Spurs fans. Austin should be considered open game, as far as I'm concerned. It would be better for all 3 teams, and the NBA, if all were allowed to be televised here.
Meh, answering my own question. The only thing I can think of is it would force Wizards fans to have to buy a ticket for the game if they wanted to see it, which may or may not have increased the attendance by 2 people.
It happens in baseball too or at least it used to. There were always a handful of games that weren't televised locally, but if you wanted to watch Extra Innings to see it, it'd still be blacked-out. I imagine the NHL works the same.
Yep. And the NFL still has the local blackout rule. If your team doesn't sell out its game that week, it won't be televised locally.
Only the NFL does it because of attendance because teams don't own their local media rights the same way as in baseball and basketball. The reason why it's blacked out in those sports is because if it weren't it would severely devalue their media rights. Think of the leverage the Rockets/Astros would lose (off whatever they have) if when they go to negotiate with DTV the reality was that any fan who wanted to watch on the internet or via NBA TV or NBA League Pass could. (legally) When NBA TV was started up it was a real fear for many teams that their media rights would lose substantial value. The blackout rules are protection.
It has nothing to do with attendance for MLB and NBA and everything to do with media dollars. Max nailed it in the NFL. In the NFL it's different because all of that local television revenue is shared. For them the concern is ticket sales because they keep that money. (60% at least) For them the reason for blackout is to prevent fans from just skipping going to the game and watching on tv when all that revenue gets divided up.
which seems kinda crappy and outdated given that the cities that host these teams and find themselves blacked out are the same ones asked to fund those stadiums in the first place.
Yes, the local media blackout in the NFL is dumb and outdated. Considering the monies involved, it seems ridiculous to alienate your fans over ticket sales. Teams can almost fully fund their payroll based solely on the media dollars.
I understand the reason for having a blackout policy in place, just not why it has to be so simple and rigid. If a game isn't aired locally for some hypothetical external reason (the network doesn't think it's worth the coverage cost or perhaps the venue can't accommodate the network). How is allowing a game to be televised on some other channel really hurting anyone but the fans? I mean, would it be that hard to waive it for single games under certain circumstances? Protecting media rights on a game they simply wouldn't or couldn't cover in the first place? In layman's terms, just kind of seems like a dick move.
