A Hockey Lockout To Hockey Blackout

[Lucky]

A Hockey Lockout To Hockey Blackout
Steve Zipay
Newsday
August 23, 2005

Just when you thought hockey was back, troubling news has surfaced
for fans on Long Island and around the metro area.

Cablevision has 3 million subscribers, and if any of them were
thinking of spending $4.95 a month for the digital sports tier that
carries OLN, the channel that is replacing ESPN and ESPN2 for the
NHL's national cable telecasts this season, they can forget it. The
puck stops here.

Up to 78 regular-season games, including as many as eight Rangers,
eight Devils and eight Islanders games, as well as a slate of
Stanley Cup playoff games and Games 1 and 2 of the Finals, won't be
available to you on OLN, we've learned.

Why? Because OLN is on expanded basic digital service in 90 percent
of its U.S. distribution of 64 million homes, but not in Cablevision
households on Long Island, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Westchester and
northern New Jersey.

So, in the latest twist in the wacky world of cable, even if you're
willing to pay to watch the NHL here, you can't buy it.

"In markets where OLN is offered on a digital sports tier, which
includes Cablevision, we are required through our contracts to black
out the games," an OLN spokesperson confirmed yesterday. "There will
be alternative programming in that time slot. We are working with
our affiliates on the situation. We believe OLN should be included
on expanded basic, not a sport tier."

Bull-riding rather than Rangers, perhaps?

It's all about leverage: OLN wants Cablevision to make the channel
available to all potential viewers and charge Cablevision a broad-
based fee. Viewers, again, are the pawns.

Not only will the Rangers-Flyers season opener Oct. 5 - an OLN
exclusive - be unavailable to Cablevision subscribers, the rest of
OLN's NHL schedule, primarily on Monday and Tuesday nights, will go
unseen in one of the NHL's largest markets.

Anytime OLN chooses to air a Rangers, Devils or Islanders game here,
Cablevision subscribers will be totally shut out. The conflict
affects only Cablevision subscribers, not Time Warner customers in
Manhattan and Queens or DirecTV and DISH Network subscribers who
receive OLN as part of a general programming package.

http://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/ny-spzip234394749aug23,0,7220593.column?coll=ny-sports-columnists

 

[korsjs]

thanks for posting.

 

[Sean Mota]

A Hockey Lockout To Hockey Blackout

Anytime OLN chooses to air a Rangers, Devils or Islanders game here,
Cablevision subscribers will be totally shut out. The conflict
affects only Cablevision subscribers, not Time Warner customers in
Manhattan and Queens or DirecTV and DISH Network subscribers who
receive OLN as part of a general programming package.

http://www.newsday.com/sports/columnists/ny-spzip234394749aug23,0,7220593.column?coll=ny-sports-columnists

Doesn't MSG and FSN NY televise Rangers, Islanders, & Devil games. Since these two networks are Regional Sports Network to Cablevision even if OLN blacks them out, you still be able to see these games on MSG or FSN NY. Is this correct or wrong?

 

[hbk409]

grrrrrrreat so even though they own the rangers, they would be able to watch the season opener

 

[hbk409]

Doesn't MSG and FSN NY televise Rangers, Islanders, & Devil games. Since these two networks are Regional Sports Network to Cablevision even if OLN blacks them out, you still be able to see these games on MSG or FSN NY. Is this correct or wrong?

i hope so, will we be able to get them. does anyone know for sure?

 

[mkm4]

From what I've read, the answer is no. If OLN decides do broadcast a game nationally, a local broadcast will be blacked out.
But the problems seems to be, that for some weird contract reason, even OLN will be blacked out on Cablevision for the local teams.

 

[Lucky]

That is the correct. The new OLN Hockey package is very complex. There are days when OLN has exclusivity and the games will be blocked out on the local RSN's. Oh well, I will have to order OLN from Dish Network.

 

[Lucky]

Another article on this subject :

CABLEVISION GETS NHL FREEZE-OUT

By ANDREW MARCHAND

AS of now, Cablevision customers will not be able to watch the
Rangers' season opener against the Flyers on Oct. 5 because of the
NHL's new agreement with the Outdoor Life Network to be the league's
national cable carrier.

While the three sides plan on further discussing the issue, the
NHL's board agreed to terms that black out OLN's exclusive game
coverage on Cablevision. No other New York cable or satellite
provider is affected.

This means, unless something changes, Cablevision subscribers — even
ones with OLN — will be unable to watch Rangers, Devils or Islanders
games when they are on the NHL's new national partner.

Cablevision's OLN subscribers also will be prevented from viewing
the 78 national regular-season games plus Stanley Cup playoff games
and the first two games of the Finals.

Why? Why else? Money.

On 90 percent of the country's cable systems, OLN is on basic cable,
according to the network.

But Cablevision's 3 million homes are offered OLN as part of the
sport tier package, which costs $4.95 per month.

In an effort to force Cablevision to move OLN to basic, the NHL
agreed to allow its games to be pawns. In choosing to allow the
blackouts, it has made it impossible for 3 million viewers to see
some of its games.

"We are committed to the NHL. We hope to resolve this issue in the
near term," an OLN spokesperson said, while confirming the
Cablevision blackout.

After canceling a season, the NHL's attitude seems to want fans to
trust it.

"We drop the puck on Oct. 5," an NHL spokesman said. "Fans shouldn't
be overly concerned at this point."

Rangers, Islanders and Devils fans will still be able to see the
majority of their team's games on MSG and FSNY. But OLN figures to
take the most attractive matchups. Each team can be on OLN eight
times during the regular season.

"Cablevision carries two regional sports networks, MSG Network and
FSN New York, that are home to our three local hockey teams and
feature hundreds of games, and we have every intention of delivering
the games that will appear on OLN to our customers as well," a
Cablevision spokesman said.

The NHL decided to go with OLN over ESPN for reportedly $65 million
this year and $70 million next year. ESPN chose not to match the
offer.

While the deal has put OLN on the map — it is now making overtures
for major-league baseball (a spokesperson declined comment) — it is
unlikely that the new agreement will increase NHL viewership, which
has lagged behind the other three major sports.

http://www.nypost.com/sports/27301.htm

 

[GadgetRick]

Although I could really care less about the NHL after this latest strike/lockout/whatever you want to call it, I have always found blackouts insulting at best. Why can't they figure this all out in ALL sports and just stop this garbage. It's NOT going to make any more people go to their games. It's just not gonna happen. Just put it on TV and stop with this insanity already...

The Rickster

 

[hbk409]

All Areas AAuugguusstt 2266,, 22000055 1100::3300 AAMM FC #537: NHL 2005–2006 Season Carriage All Employees A recent announcement that the Outdoor Life Network (OLN) has replaced ESPN as the home for nationally televised National Hockey League (NHL) games may generate inquiries from customers. In response to a customer inquiry about the company’s carriage of NHL games, all customer contact personnel should consult the following script: Cablevision carries two regional sports networks, MSG Network and FSN New York, that are home to our three local hockey teams and feature hundreds of games. We have every intention of delivering the games that will appear on OLN to our customers as well. As always, calls from the Media are to be referred to our Media Relations Department at (516) 803-2300. Additional Information The following information is provided to further assist customer contact personnel with customer inquiries: • The NHL schedule lists as many as 82 games per team for the 2005-06 season – over 240 NHL games in the New York market alone. • MSG Network and FSN New York, the home of our three local hockey teams, will distribute up to 210 NY Rangers, NY Islanders and NJ Devils games. o MSG is the primary distributor of NY Ranger home and away games. For the 2005-06 season, MSG will distribute up to 70 Ranger games. o FSN NY is the primary distributor of NJ Devils and NY Islander home and away games. For the 2005-06 season, FSN NY will distribute up to 70 NJ Devils and 70 Islander games. • WNBC has rights to televise up to 7 regular season games during the 2005-06 season. • OLN will be airing nationally televised NHL games on Mondays and Tuesdays. All games appearing on OLN will be exclusive to OLN and will not appear on the regional sports networks (MSG and FSN-NY). For the 2005-06 season OLN will air an estimated 58 nationally televised games. OLN has the right to choose up to 8 exclusive airings from each of the Rangers, Devils and Islanders schedules. Although these games have yet to be selected, the October 5th Rangers season opener against the Flyers is tentatively scheduled on OLN.

 

[Sean Mota]

August 29, 2005 -- Despite repeated OLN claims to the contrary, the NHL's new cable network partner does not have the contractual right to black out games carried by Cablevision on a digital subscription tier, unimpeachable sources have told The Post.
As such, Ranger fans with Cablevision will be able to watch their team's Oct. 5 season-opener in Philadelphia that will be telecast exclusively over OLN.

They'll also be able to see every regular-season and playoff game carried on an exclusive basis by the national cable network.

According to sources with access to the contract between OLN and the NHL, the specific language granting the right to black out games that do not appear on basic extended cable applies only "on a going-forward basis."

This is terminology in the cable business legally understood to mean any future agreements that might be struck between OLN and new cable system carriers.

Beyond that, the contract explicitly gives the NHL the right to approve the telecast of any game over any cable syste.

That's regardless of whether the game would or would not appear on a subscription sports tier package.



"Unless the NHL otherwise approves, rights to exhibit OLN games . . . may not be granted on a going-forward basis by OLN/Comcast to any . . . distributor [that carries the games] . . . on a sports-tier . . ." the contract reads.

Apparently not wishing to publicly repudiate its new partner, the league last week was coy in responding to inquiries regarding OLN's stated position on the blackout issue.

Potential blackouts would not only have affected Cablevision customers in the metropolitan area, but also subscribers in Buffalo, Phoenix and Dallas, whose cable systems do not carry OLN as part of a basic extended package.

While refusing to address the specifics of the contract, a league spokesperson on Friday repeated the official position.

"Fans shouldn't be overly concerned at this point," the spokesman said.

The fact is, fans who pay the monthly $4.95 charge to purchase the Cablevision sports tier that includes OLN shouldn't be concerned at all.

For they will be able to watch the games. All of them, beginning with Oct. 5.



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