Going without cable? (aka, "home market" blackouts suck)

[The Rube]

Re: Going without cable? (aka, "home market" blackouts suck)

Right, thats why I said keep cable and drop the "add on" channels.

Thinking about cutting the cord, although I love the option of "what channel do I want to watch?" I don't have any of the "pay" channels (HBO, Cinemax, SHO, etc). Just the sports package. And given the requirements to get the sports package, I fall in line. That is what always gets me. It's to the point where I would pay X to get the channels I want, and not X+30% to get all the channels I have now, to throw out a number.

[AKJD]

Re: Going without cable? (aka, "home market" blackouts suck)

I got rid of DishNetwork almost a year ago. Was paying $55 a month for that, and at one point I went three solid months without even turning it on. I started downloading the couple of shows I wanted to watch on iTunes, and it saves me at least half, and I can watch them in HD, which I couldn't with Dish. Don't miss it at all, especially because I coudln't get any of the good stuff, no HD, no NHL Center Ice, and I'm pretty sure the only sports channels I got were a few ESPN varients. Only bad thing is I dunno how I'm gonna be able to watch the NCAA's and Frozen Four this year.

I'm totally getting screwed over with internet though. I'm paying $85 a month for a landline phone (which I never use) and DSL (1 MB ). Hooray for lack of competition!

[unofan]

Re: Going without cable? (aka, "home market" blackouts suck)

So yeah, talked with NHL customer service - Blues, Blackhawks, and Wild games are all blacked out locally on the Center Ice (cable/direct tv)/Gamecenter Live (internet streaming) packages. Those are in addition to the national NBC/Versus/NHL Network blackouts.

I'll probably still sign up for the package next fall, but registered my complaint about blackouts for games we can't get on even expanded basic cable locally. Just like MLB, there's no reason to allow teams to claim us as a home market if they broadcast on stations we don't get and never will get outside of a premium tier sports package.

[jmh]

Re: Going without cable? (aka, "home market" blackouts suck)

MLB.tv blackout map:

*****http://www.bizofbaseball.com/images/MLB_Blackout_Map1000x733.gif******

[Bob Gray]

Re: Going without cable? (aka, "home market" blackouts suck)

Interesting map. For the most part the territories make sense. Not sure why the Brewers claim what looks like St. Louis County in NE Minnesota. And San Diego claiming a good chunk of Arizona, right up to the Phoenix area and over to the Arizona-New Mexico border is intersting.

[aparch]

Re: Going without cable? (aka, "home market" blackouts suck)

http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/...1150742098.jpg
For those of you where figuring out which shade of stripe is for what teams may be difficult.

Part of the weird overlaps (ie: Minnesota) is possibly based on mileage from team and broadcast television signals.

But there are parts (Southwestern Idaho, Northwest Angle in MINN) that don't make a lick of sense.


THIS should be the TV market map. But that would make way too much sense.