Multi-Sports Package Question..

[RedWings]

At the beginning of the NHL season I picked up the NHL Center Ice package so I could see all of the wings games. I just stumbled across the webpage at the link below on Dish's site.

If I read that correctly, I could get all of those channels listed for $5.99/mth? So I could get the majority of the Red Wings' games (on FSN Detroit) without signing up for Center Ice?

I'm in VA by the way.

http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/...ew/sports/multi_sports_packages/packages.aspx

 

[Robert NTSC Archivist]

Not unless you lived in the FSN Detroit service area other wise the game will be blacked out on FSN Detroit. You will get the pre and post game shows but not the actual game.

 

[RedWings]

Not unless you lived in the FSN Detroit service area other wise the game will be blacked out on FSN Detroit. You will get the pre and post game shows but not the actual game.

Thanks for the info

 

[cebbigh]

Had the same general idea but wound up cancelling. Although for 5.99 it might be worthwhile getting the local color for teams outside your area. If any of it were HD I might pick it up again.

 

[DebbyH]

At the beginning of the NHL season I picked up the NHL Center Ice package so I could see all of the wings games. I just stumbled across the webpage at the link below on Dish's site.

If I read that correctly, I could get all of those channels listed for $5.99/mth? So I could get the majority of the Red Wings' games (on FSN Detroit) without signing up for Center Ice?

I'm in VA by the way.

http://www.dishnetwork.com/content/...ew/sports/multi_sports_packages/packages.aspx

As someone else noted, the games will be blocked if they're not in your area, but if you are into watching future NHL prospects, the sports package has most of the college hockey games.

I also have the Center ice, and occasionally, they'll show a game on the HDPPV, with no charge because you have CI.

It would be awesome if we got CI HD.

 

[GeorgeLV]

Well, if you don't absolutely have to see it live, the sports pack is of some use as the NHL doesn't blackout their replays. (The NBA and MLB do.)

 

[pfil]

Wow this was very relevant, saw this post before I had to do a search of the forum.

Is there a general rule of thumb as to how far the blackout area is from the city you care about? Like a radius of so many miles from the city or does it vary by city? Be great if there were a map for all cities or something.

I don't watch enough sports that it matters but my Dad is a big Cincinnati Reds fan and wants to make sure he can see all the games on the Fox Sports Cincinnati channel if he orders the mulit-sports package. He lives near South Bend/Notre Dame basically 180 miles as the crow flies from Cincinnati and Detroit for that matter. He's 70 miles from Chicago (as the crow flies) so I expect that's the only FSN that might give him a blackout.

Is it safe to tell him to order the sports package? I can't imagine the Reds would black out that far away but if I tell him wrong he'll blame me so I figured I'd ask some experts. Thanks for any info, been a member for quite awhile but I don't ask many questions.

 

[BobMurdoch]

no set rule, except that there are a block of zip codes that each franchise "claims" as their home market. There can be overlapping areas as well (ie. Princeton, NJ gets claimed by the Mets, the Yankees, AND the Phillies for baseball).

Most of those zip codes that are claimed are available via the local affiliate, but there are a few cases on the fringes of the area where you can be blacked out AND kept from geting the local channel as well.

Some get around this by "moving" to an address that doesn't have the issue (ie. using a friend's address who has cable). The problem is though that due to spotbeams you have to be roughly the same line of sight to see the satellite (ie. Don't try moving to Chicago when you live in New York).

I'm not advocating this as it is ethically problematic to pursue this route, but then again many feel that they are forced into this arrangemnt when the franchises give themno legal way of securing the signal...

 

[jrbdmb]

Wow this was very relevant, saw this post before I had to do a search of the forum.

Is there a general rule of thumb as to how far the blackout area is from the city you care about? Like a radius of so many miles from the city or does it vary by city? Be great if there were a map for all cities or something.

I don't watch enough sports that it matters but my Dad is a big Cincinnati Reds fan and wants to make sure he can see all the games on the Fox Sports Cincinnati channel if he orders the mulit-sports package. He lives near South Bend/Notre Dame basically 180 miles as the crow flies from Cincinnati and Detroit for that matter. He's 70 miles from Chicago (as the crow flies) so I expect that's the only FSN that might give him a blackout.

Is it safe to tell him to order the sports package? I can't imagine the Reds would black out that far away but if I tell him wrong he'll blame me so I figured I'd ask some experts. Thanks for any info, been a member for quite awhile but I don't ask many questions.

Easiest way to get an idea of what you qualify for is to go to http://dish.fxep.com or http://directv.fxep.com. Input your ZIP and you will see what you qualify for. Note that this size is out-of-date; for instance it shows that the Cubs / Sox / Bulls are still on Fox Sports Chicago.

BTW, *all* games not in your area will be blacked out in Multi-Sport. If you want to see an out-of-market team, you have to get the out-of-market package like MLB EI or NHL CI. Not clear if you will be able to see the Reds or not, you can always order Multi-Sport for a few days and see what you get.

 

[pfil]

Easiest way to get an idea of what you qualify for is to go to http://dish.fxep.com or http://directv.fxep.com. Input your ZIP and you will see what you qualify for. Note that this size is out-of-date; for instance it shows that the Cubs / Sox / Bulls are still on Fox Sports Chicago.

BTW, *all* games not in your area will be blacked out in Multi-Sport. If you want to see an out-of-market team, you have to get the out-of-market package like MLB EI or NHL CI. Not clear if you will be able to see the Reds or not, you can always order Multi-Sport for a few days and see what you get.

Huh, I think I misunderstood the whole package and what the people above were saying. I'd been thinking the exact opposite, that you'd get every game outside of your local area and if it was in your area you'd get blacked out on FSN but could see it on Fox, ABC, NBC, CBS or whoever carries MLB.

The above links helped a little as far as knocking me over the head and actually understanding the blackouts and such but I couldn't figure out why Fox Sports Cincinnati was available at my parents zip code on D* but not at their zip code on E* if they ordered the multi-sports package. Guess I figured Fox Sports follows the blackouts applied to them by the team and it'd be the same from both satellite providers. It might just be from the site being outdated as both D* and E* list MLB games that they will show for the 2005 season.

MLB.TV says he's in the local broadcast region and can't purchase that service to watch live games (which is from MLB) so I'm guessing that's a more accurate indicator. Anyway, my Dad ordered it. Fox Sports Cincinnati comes in but he'll have to wait a couple weeks before he'll know if the games are blocked I guess...