ESPN-ESPN HD Blackout?

TheGuv

SatelliteGuys Family
Original poster
Dec 21, 2004
70
0
State of Intoxication
I have been a Dishnetwork member since 1999 and have never had an ESPN event or game blacked out, until just recently.

On baseball's 2005 Opening Day, I was able to watch the Cubs play a game on ESPN2. However, some time after that date (4-4-2005) "the man" began blocking me when the Cubs are on ESPN and now when I try to watch the Cubs on ESPN, ESPN2, or (more importantly for me) ESPN HD, I am blacked out from viewing it.

Again, I have never been blacked out from watching an ESPN game prior to this season. And the only way I can possibly watch the Cubs in desired High Defination is when they are on ESPN HD.

FYI, I live 225 miles SW of Chicago and not in the immediate Chicago media market. My RSN is Comcast Sports-Chicago.

Is it common for the ESPN channels to be blacked out when you live hundreds of miles away from the team you want to watch? Is this a new phenomena this year? When did blacking out ESPN games start? Where can I go to appeal to try to get ESPN-HD to unblock these games? (Dish Network customer service was NO HELP with this...stupid idiots! They could not even tell me WHEN the blacking out of my games began.).
 
MLB Rules. It's not Dish or ESPN playing tricks.

You are in the Cubs/White Sox home market, any game on ESPN/2 being carried on Comcast Chicago gets blacked out, you have to watch it in SD on comcast chicago.
 
225 miles?

That could easily be St. Louis Cardinals territory, Milwaukee Brewers Territory, Cincinnati Reds territory, and even Detroit Tigers territory.

That's a bit generous in terms of a broadcast territory.

Cheers,
 
BFG said:
MLB Rules. It's not Dish or ESPN playing tricks.

According to the NPS brass, it is ESPN flipping the blackout switch under instructions from MLB. I have had a BUD for over 20 years and have always heard ESPN promos state "may be subject to blackout in some areas," but that as never occured until this spring. An NPS supervisor to me that this is the first time they have ever had to do it.
 
This is the first year you seen espn blacked out. this is also the first year comcast sports net is on dish which replaced fox sports chicago. . I have seen from experience that fox sports does allow more games to be shown on espn. I have seen my home team on espn hd. My market is fox sports pittsburgh. Comcast sports net chicago is the home channel for Cubs. The issue seems to be differences in the contracts of comcast & fox with espn & MLB. Comcast does own the rights to the Cubs games in your area.. so kinda like if ya had comcast cable "they can do want they want..." funny huh?
 
now that I recall maybe things have changed.

I remember last year I could always watch my team on ESPN/2 they same time they were broadcasting on my RSN, it was like ESPN never got blacked out for baseball.
 
***

Users Who Are Viewing This Thread (Total: 1, Members: 0, Guests: 1)

Who Read This Thread (Total Members: 1)