Monday, April 6, 2009

Blackout

I probably should have looked into this before I told my sister I would split the freight on an MLB.tv package with her. I just figured it would be an easier way to do screen grabs and would allow me to watch the games if I was traveling this summer. I can still listen to John Sterling and Wailin' Suzyn on WCBS instead which, as always, is a treat.

Regardless, this is a pretty stupid policy. What if I am an Orioles fan who just wants to listen to my home announcers? The commercials on the TV station the feed comes from still show up through MLB.tv, yes? What if I desperately bored at work and want to watch my favorite team's first game of the season? Is there a way to disguise my location? Can I have my money back?

4 comments:

  1. Traveling is OK. You need to get a proxy to disguise your location but it is extremely difficult to find a working one.

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  2. It's not about the content and commercials of the feeds. It's about protecting the revenue that they get from TV deals. The cable companies and television networks are scared shitless of online distribution. While MLB.tv does a tidy revenue, it's pocket change when compared to all these regional and local television deals across all the markets.

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  3. Yesterday I was so pissed! The game was supposed to be on ESPN, but since I live in NC it was blacked out (apparently we, 6 hours away, are in the Orioles home market). I have MLB.tv to watch all of the Yankees games, but that is blacked out as well, same problem. Here's the kicker, the only cable company available in my area, Time Warner, DOESN'T CARRY THE ORIOLES CHANNEL (MASN). Therefore I'm fucked 18 times a year when the Yanks play the Orioles. As a paying customer, definitely NOT even close to Baltimore, how does that make sense?!

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  4. So...we're still splitting this, right?!? 'Cause I smelled something fishy when you wanted to go halves. Even worse I had to click on about 18 disclosure forms, and probably sold my first born to one of their subsidiaries.
    It's an early birthday present, so enjoy.
    MLB: "We totally value your loyalty. Go screw yourselves."

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