Why no rhyme or reason on college sports blackouts on RSN's???

[Mr Tony]

I doubt anybody has a definite answer and I know D* just has to follow the rules but on college games there is no rhyme or reason as to what game gets blacked out and what doesn't.

I recently got the sports pack again (had it like 2+ years ago) on a 1 month trial basically. My local RSN is FS North (668), FS Wisco (669-1 part time) and the overflow (FS North +) is usually 658-1

Today here are some examples of confusing blackout rules
Georgetown at Rutgers at 11AM...
SNY-blacked out
MASN-not blacked out

OK State/Texas at 12:30
YES-blacked out
Altitude-not blacked out

At 3:00 the Big12 had 2 games on RSN's
the one on YES was blacked out
the one on Altitude & MASN (different game) was not

There were a couple other games that were blacked out but I forget off the top of my head

But the weirdest is Pepperdine/Portland that started at 3:00
5 stations it was on
Root RM (683) was fine
Root NW (687) was fine
TWCS 691 blacked out
696 CSN Cali blacked out but it gave me a different channel
697-1 CSN Cali Alt was not blacked out

It just seems odd that one game is blacked out on some RSN's but not others. I can understand if say FS North was carrying the game too (to get them to watch the local feed) yet at 4:00 South Dakota State played Oakland (MI) and the game was on FS North and FS Detroit (which was not blacked out)

Is this just a crap shoot or is there actually a reason some RSN's have games blacked out?

 

[ejb1980]

I have noticed this, too. For me, it tends to not allow the same game on the CSN or TWC channels. I can't watch any of the specialty shows about the Ravens or Redskins on CSN MA, but I can watch most of the specialty shows about other NFL teams, including other CSN channels (not Chicago, but the Cali ones all work). I saw the same mess you saw, Iceberg, with the Pepperdine / Portland game.

Ironically, if I select a channel were a game that is on 20 channels is blacked out, it will ALWAYS suggest I change to SunSports, which is not my local RSN. It will even suggest SunSports if the game is on my local RSN, too.

On a similar note, the MLS games are always blacked out, except Columbus Crew games on FS Ohio. (I wonder if they're my "local" team, I can't find much info about that. The Reds are, why not the Crew?)

 

[Mr Tony]

Now tonight the Gonzaga game had kinda the same thing

683 Root RM...fine
687 Root NW..fine
691 TWCS...blacked out...
698 CSN Bay Area....fine (the blackout message on 691 told me to go here)

On a similar note, the MLS games are always blacked out, except Columbus Crew games on FS Ohio. (I wonder if they're my "local" team, I can't find much info about that. The Reds are, why not the Crew?)

They probably are. I know MLS has an out of market package that they want you to sub to

Another is the "classic games" that the various MLB teams have.
Yankees Classics on YES...fine
Mets Classics on MSG...blacked out
Pirates on Root Pittsburgh...fine
Nats classics on MASN..blacked out

so its a crap shoot honestly

 

[ejb1980]

I find it VERY odd that SEC Network and Big East Network stuff that appears on RSNs are not blacked out, when the same game is on my local channels. SEC Network is on WCWG (local CW) and Big East is on MASN. I have never seen actual ACC Network stuff on the RSNs. When ACC Network preempts some CBS games, I see the CBS games are on channels 728 and 729 (and crappy SD on local subchannels). I do not know if the 728 and 729 channels have anything to do with ACC Network, but so far if the game is on my CBS channels, it's blacked out on 728/729 but if the game is preempted by ACC Network, it is not blacked out on 728/729.

 

[Mr Tony]

I find it VERY odd that SEC Network and Big East Network stuff that appears on RSNs are not blacked out, when the same game is on my local channels. SEC Network is on WCWG (local CW) and Big East is on MASN. I have never seen actual ACC Network stuff on the RSNs.

it depends on location. With ACC there are 2 types of games
ACC NETWORK games
ACC RSN games

As example yesterdays GA Tech/VA tech game was a ACC RSN game that was shown on
FOX Sports Arizona PLUS
FOX Sports Detroit PLUS
FOX Sports Florida
FOX Sports North PLUS
FOX Sports San Diego
FOX Sports South+
Prime Ticket
Comcast SportsNet Mid Atlantic PLUS
NESN PLUS

Now todays regional games
Virginia/Maryland and NC State/Clemson
are on local stations. I know we had Clemson game on Minneapolis CW (dont ask.....I guess they gotta fill programming somehow)

SEC is a combination. Here is the SEC stuff for last week/this week
http://mattsarzsports.com/coveragenotes/basketball201213/SECNetWk14.pdf

Mainly on local stations but on a RSN once in a while (mainly FSN SW)

 

[ejb1980]

I was referring to the SEC Network broadcast games (in the noon or 1pm time slot, usually). With all other sports, when a game is on local anything, it's blacked out on the other channels. These are on mostly broadcast channels (I see it on WCWG Greensboro, WSOC Charlotte, and WNCN Raleigh) but the same game also appears on MSG and Altitude, and viewable on the out-of-market RSNs I mentioned. I understand the rules you posted about. I like ACC Network, mostly because I can't stand Dick Vitale. Both my CBS channels are UNC @ Duke tomorrow during CBS primetime, due to ACC Network.

 

[Teehar]

I bet the providers themselves don't have any logical answers.The blackout rules seem to be made up as they go along.

 

[ejb1980]

SNY: Mets classics blacked out. At least the Beanpot is not blacked out. Events like this make the Sportspack worth it.

 

[Mr Tony]

college hockey games have never been blacked out in the 11 years I've had satellite

Mets, Nats and Pirates "classics" all blacked out

 

[Mr Tony]

Another thing that kinda bugs me is the lack of consistency when dealing with a FS North PLUS game. OK I think last year was the 1st year of FS North Plus.
So this year it kinda got consistent. Normally the plus channel is one or 2 up from the main. Well FS North is 668. 669 is FS Wisco (part time) so usually Directv uses 652, 657 or 658 for the FS North plus games. Usually if the Wolves are on My29 (local Minneapolis channel) D* puts it on 652 for the out of Mpls folks (but still in the Wolves claimed territory)

The rest seem to have been falling on 658-1 so before the sports pack I'd have 652,657,658,668,669 in my favorites (Badger hockey games on 669 are not blacked out)
So tonight I look and can't find the Wild game. Check 658 and it says "coming up womens basketball" with a date of tomorrow. 652 is something else and 657 is "TBA"....had to scroll to see it up on 680. Really?
You have nothing on 658 til tomorrow...why not put it there like you do normally?

 

[ejb1980]

They do that with Hurricanes games here. FS South has several PT channels:

646 FS South (main feed - shows Braves games)
644-1 FS Tennessee (Predators games)
645-1 FS Carolinas (most Hurricanes games)
647-1 FS South Plus (Bobcats games for areas not served by SportSouth, but everyone in NC and SC can see them.)
648-1 FS South 2 (random stuff appears here, but Braves games from WPCH Atlanta are consistently here. Same deal as your games on the My channel)

649 SportSouth (Atlanta/main feed - shows Hawks games. Occasionally a Braves game will show on here, too.)
650-1 SportSouth Plus (Bobcats games, occasionally Grizzlies or Hurricanes)
651-1 SportSouth Alt (usually Grizzlies, I think it's the same deal as your My station)
652-2 RSN alt. (Random FSSo/SpSo overflow, sometimes has FS North hockey games or Sun/FS Florida overflow, too)
661-1 FS Cincinnati (Reds games)

All of that is smushed onto two channels on cable (FS Carolinas and SportSouth, their smushing noted by the two groups). If there is a conflict with FS South, the Hurricanes appear on the same array as the Bobcats. From what I can gather, Sportsouth is not a local RSN east of my county so Raleigh (where the Hurricanes are based...), Durham, Chapel Hill, Fayetteville, Greenville, Wilmingtom, etc. can't see SportSouth without the sportspack. Time Warner doesn't carry SportSouth AT ALL in these areas so I don't know what they do, perhaps they use a Special Events channel. Stupid for Directv customers because the FS Carolinas channel WE have is blank and would be served for everyone and would be CONSISTENT. I dont understand why they cater to cable. Make them do it "right" like Directv. Saturday, every channel listed above had something unique on it around 2pm (time might be off), yet cable only saw two of the games. They see maybe 1 or 2 Reds games per week, if that. We get it all.

Why have the Bobcats twice? Make one of the PT channels FS Bobcats or something and just make it available across the entire region. Why allow cable to take what we have on many channels in an organized, easy to follow system and ruin it for cable? A dedicated PT channel for those that need it is logical and makes sense - that's why cable can't handle it.

I think I have OCD.

 

[madmadworld]

I can't watch any of the specialty shows about the Ravens or Redskins on CSN MA, but I can watch most of the specialty shows about other NFL teams, including other CSN channels (not Chicago, but the Cali ones all work).

these are the dumbest blackouts yet. only the past few years have noted this.
just stupid.....specialty shows Really

 

[Mr Tony]

spring training games have no rhyme or reason either

most are not blacked out
some are all the time
some are randomly.....Pirates are notorious this year for that. One day blacked out next day not

 

[Joe The Dragon]

spring training games have no rhyme or reason either

most are not blacked out
some are all the time
some are randomly.....Pirates are notorious this year for that. One day blacked out next day not

single RSN doing games = open to there choice? open to the other team zones? Based up flags that are not alleys setup?

 

[Mr Tony]

nah its just one of those mysteries of life.

 

[Tank]

blackouts suck. Why black out college games on some channels but not all?
make it hard to preogram timers

 

[Mr Tony]

Why black out college games on some channels but not all?

exactly. If its the same game why black it out on 2 RSN's but 4 others its fine

 

[Mr Tony]

here are some from the last 2 days that make you go "hmmmmmmm" or in one case "ARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHH"

-Yesterdays Pirates/Red Sox game...blacked out on Root Pittsburgh...watchable on NESN. The SAME feed. same announcers, same graphics
-Saw an arena football game on CSN Bay Area + (697)...the SD feed blacked out. The HD feed not blacked out
-some college baseball games....blacked out on one RSN, not the other
-this one makes no sense. They had on SNY "Mets Yearbook" from the 60's...blacked out. Seriously? Blacking out a retrospect of a teams season from the 60's??

This one pissed me off.
The Hockey East playoffs were on NESN and NBC SportsNet. Both semis on Friday I watched on NESN no issues. Last night on NESN+ I get "Blacked out" so I couldnt see the final (I dont have NBC SN in my package)

 

[ejb1980]

here are some from the last 2 days that make you go "hmmmmmmm" or in one case "ARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHH"

-Yesterdays Pirates/Red Sox game...blacked out on Root Pittsburgh...watchable on NESN. The SAME feed. same announcers, same graphics
-Saw an arena football game on CSN Bay Area + (697)...the SD feed blacked out. The HD feed not blacked out
-some college baseball games....blacked out on one RSN, not the other
-this one makes no sense. They had on SNY "Mets Yearbook" from the 60's...blacked out. Seriously? Blacking out a retrospect of a teams season from the 60's??

This one pissed me off.
The Hockey East playoffs were on NESN and NBC SportsNet. Both semis on Friday I watched on NESN no issues. Last night on NESN+ I get "Blacked out" so I couldnt see the final (I dont have NBC SN in my package)

I noticed the same thing last night. I have noticed that before with NESN coverage. Time Warner Cable here carries NESN, but not NESN+ so I was not able to ask my friend if he could watch it on NESN. They can't watch all of the college stuff that NESN (and YES) has that I can. They don't get all of the feeds of Sportsouth/FS South, either, so if the Hurricanes or Bobcats are playing, they won't get the college sports on the main channel (at least not live, like we can).

On the otherhand, with TWC-Sportnet and Deportes, they get EVERYTHING, except actual Lakers games, while we seen to get a lot of random blackouts. I have been able to watch several Lakers games on TWC-Deportes on my phone, but not on either set-up (HR24/H25 and Genie/Client) on TV. BUT, since TWC doesn't carry MASN, which is a local RSN here, TWC subscribers do not get the part-time TWC Sportschannel stuff on MASN2 (I think for Atlantic 10 games)... yet we get that coverage on Directv.

 

[Mr Tony]

I assume because NBCSportsNet also had the rights they blacked it out everywhere but where NESN is the local RSN (someone in the dish area asked where NESN+ was because they were blacked out on NBCSN) but the semis were also on NBCSN and not blacked out on NESN.