Sports package question

[Brutus26]

I am thinking of switching from cable to Direct tv but had a question about the sports package. I am a Penguins fan and i live in southern ohio. With my cable company i get fox sports ohio and pittsburgh so i get the games. But if i go to direct tv i will only get ohio.

I seen the sports package that includeds all the fox sports networks for like $13 a month and was wondering if those networks will show all the hockey games and baseball games or if they black all those out due to MLB extra innings and center ice. Hopefully that makes sense. Thanks!

 

[dishrich]

Local Regional Sports Network Information

 

[Brutus26]

with my zip code i only get FSN ohio so if i order the package FSN pittsburgh would work up until a penguins game came on then it would blackout forcing me to order Center ice correct?

 

[dishrich]

I don't know - it should tell you exactly which sports/teams are NOT blacked out.
(since I don't know your zip, I can't tell you for sure... )

 

[Brutus26]

yea im sure my original thoughts are right about this. The teams that come up under my zip are the Reds, Cavs, Blue Jackets and Indians. So i figure everything else is blacked out. Which i get FSN ohio and STO with the regular package anyways so i guess ordering the sportd package to get just a bunch of soccer games is pointless. Becasue if every mlb and nhl game is gonna be blacked out on these channels theres no sense in paying the 13 bucks. thanks

 

[dishrich]

If you would share your zip, maybe someone could assist you better - I SWEAR nobody is going to hunt you down...

NOT necessarily - then WHY does your cable co then carry FSN Pittsburgh??? I HIGHLY doubt they would be carrying it, only to have to black out the pro-sports teams that were on it to begin with. In some markets, if you get SP, you DO get some extra pro-sports teams NOT blacked out, that you would not normally get with your base pkg.
It used to be this way in my market - you HAD to get the SP to get the St.Louis Cards on FSN Midwest, because D* (& E*) did NOT put it in the base pkgs, although EVERY cable co. in our area carried it on expanded basic. (our primary RSN was only CSN Chicago) So, FSN & both DBS providers got into a tussel a couple years ago & pulled it totally out of our area - only to end up putting FSN Midwest in the base pkgs as well.

Are you SURE there is not some sort of added info on the zip lookup screen that says "with the SP, you get these added local teams" (or something to that effect)???

 

[Brutus26]

my zip is 45680,

My current cable company is weird which is why im thinking of switching. I live in Southern Ohio right across from WVa and Ky. I'm about 2 1/2 hrs from Cincy and 5 from Cleveland and Pittsburgh. Our cable co has always carried FSN Ohio and Pittsburgh but they still don't offer it in HD. Also we do not get the Big Ten Network and i asked about and it looks like they wont be getting it anytime soon. I also have alot of problems with my service constantly not working so i figure if the dish goes out in the rain whatever the cable doesn't work very well either lol. But i watch the Reds and Penguins alot so i have a bunch of HD channels i dont watch. The majority of what i watch is still in Standard definition.

 

[dishrich]

Well (unfortunately) the cable co. have different blackout rules, depending on the headend that serves a particular area, local cable provider, etc. Sometimes it's in favor of DBS, other times it's the local cable co. In your case, (unfortunately) sounds like it favors cable.

But here's what I find weird is what is going on with this:

With the Choice Xtra package you also get:
Sports Time Ohio (Ch. 662) - HD Available
Indians (HD Available)

Have to tell you, that was a new one on me - I haven't heard before where you get more RSN's by going to Choice Xtra. As I had said, usually you got more RSN's (in some markets) by adding the SP. So your market is "different" than others.

If you really want to be safe, if you have any friends in your immediate area that have D*, you might want to sample their D* & see exactly what they get in the way of sports. (by actually SEEING it on their TV's ) That being said, I think you will be VERY pleased with D*...

 

[dishrich]

FYI, here's an example of what I was telling you about FSN Midwest in IL: (this is in Ottawa, between Chicago & Peoria)

The 61350 ZIP Code is in the home team territory for the following pro teams. With HD Access select channels and teams available in HD are noted below:

With any DIRECTV base package (CHOICE or above, or MÁS ULTRA or above):
Comcast SportsNet (Chicago) (Ch. 665) - HD Available
Chicago Bulls (HD Available)

Cubs (HD Available)

White Sox (HD Available)

--------------------------------------------------------

With the PREMIER or LO MAXIMO package or any DIRECTV base package plus SPORTS Pack, you also get:
FSN Midwest (Ch. 671) - HD Available
Cardinals (HD Available)

St. Louis Blues (HD Available)

 

[Mr Tony]

dishrich
SportsTime Ohio is the only one I've seen like that...I think if you are outside of Cleveland proper its part of Choice +

I've seen where the multi-sports pack gives you more channels in different markets. Cleveland gets FSN Pittsburgh for the Pens with the sports pack

 

[Brutus26]

Yea i guess my area is different. I went ahead and talked to someone at Direct TV and they said if i took the sports pack i could cancel it anytime and if i cancel less than 30 days its a $10 fee. So if i switch i'll prolly just add the pack and see how it is and if i dont like i'll just dump it. Even with it my monthly bill will be cheaper than what i pay for cable now. Thanks.

 

[Mr Tony]

FYI...in your zip you wont get any extra pro sports with the sports pack....the link posted above your zip just gives you
FSN Ohio & Cincy
STO with Choice +

 

[dishrich]

I've seen where the multi-sports pack gives you more channels in different markets.

Right, that's why I posted the 2 examples with FSN Midwest - some areas (like mine) get it included w/base pkg; some northern IL zips get it ONLY if you add the SP.

 

[Mr Tony]

and places like Iowa gets 6 teams
Chisox & Cubs in base
Twins/Brewers/Cards/Royals in sports pack

 

[Brutus26]

I guess i should move to Iowa thats a deal to get that many games lol

 

[Islandguy43]

You might want to sub to NHLCI next season. The cost is gonna be about the same as the Mutli Sports Channels on an annual basis, however you will get all nhl teams other than the ones that you fall under local blackout rules for.

 

[jb14075]

dishrich
SportsTime Ohio is the only one I've seen like that...I think if you are outside of Cleveland proper its part of Choice +

I've seen where the multi-sports pack gives you more channels in different markets. Cleveland gets FSN Pittsburgh for the Pens with the sports pack

Im in the Buffalo, NY area & get STO with Choice X & FSN Pittsburgh with Premier (or any package + sportspak). Its a funny situation because we only get Pirates games on FSN Pittsburgh, Pens games are blacked out if you dont have CI. The way it was explained to me was that because we have a local NHL team we cant get another NHL team as a local but since Buffalo doesnt have an MLB team we end up getting 4 teams as a local (Mets, Yankees, Pirates & Indians).

 

[Jimbo]

Im in the Buffalo, NY area & get STO with Choice X & FSN Pittsburgh with Premier (or any package + sportspak). Its a funny situation because we only get Pirates games on FSN Pittsburgh, Pens games are blacked out if you dont have CI. The way it was explained to me was that because we have a local NHL team we cant get another NHL team as a local but since Buffalo doesnt have an MLB team we end up getting 4 teams as a local (Mets, Yankees, Pirates & Indians).

Must be an NHL thing ....
actually, thats not right either, I get the Red Wings and the Blue Jackets ....

Maybe the others don't claim your area as thier market.

 

[satjay]

One of the nice things with sportspack is for the college football season there are college football games and some other shows like local sports talk shows and stuff if you want to see what the sports issues are in other cities.

 

[Brutus26]

yea i figure i might have to go with Center Ice. What was the cost per month last year?