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ripleydc
Joined: 17 Nov 2004
Posts: 4778
Location: Washington, DC
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 Posted: 05/25/17 3:52 pm ::: Monumental Disappointment |
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Yesterday I was looking forward to watching the Mystics play the Sky in Chicago. The game was advertised as available on NBA-TV. So got my lunch, turned on the tv, tuned to NBA, only to see that the game was being blacked out in my area -- Washington DC.
So then I logged onto WNBA Live Access. Once again, blacked out in my area.
OK, so that left Monumental Sports. Tried that, but you must register and pay a monthly or annual fee. And the fee for a single month is as much as a full season of WNBA Live Access. Screw that, I ended up following the stats instead.
I understand the business justification for blacking out HOME games in my area, but come on . . . black out NBA TV and Live Access for AWAY games! That's over the top.
I had dinner last night with friends who are courtside STHs (and have been since day one of the franchise). I asked them if they were able to see the lunchtime game and the answer was NO! I thought maybe the games on Monumental would be included in their ticket package, but they are not. And though they can afford it, like me, they decided to pass on giving Monumental any more of their money. As they pointed out, they pay for NBA TV as part of the sports package on their cable, they pay for WNBA Live Access and they pay for season tickets. That should be enough, but it's not. Not here in the DC area.
Monumentally disappointing.
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justintyme
Joined: 08 Jul 2012
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Location: Northfield, MN
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| Posted: 05/25/17 4:01 pm ::: |
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It's all part of the broadcast rights. If a local channel has paid for the rights to broadcast the game, whether home or away, then no other channel (or streaming service) can offer it at the same time.
This has to be this way, or why would Monumental pay to broadcast the games? No one would buy their service if they could get it free (or part of a cheaper package) elsewhere.
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myrtle
Joined: 02 May 2008
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| Posted: 05/25/17 4:13 pm ::: |
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I agree that season tickets should include the right to watch away games!
You can get a VPN service to make it look like you are somewhere else. This would appear to be the right occasion for that. gl.
I've sometimes had problems with Seattle games being blacked out for me even though I'm 9 hours away and can't get their local channel. It's ridiculous.
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root_thing
Joined: 28 Apr 2007
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Fighting Artichoke
Joined: 12 Dec 2012
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| Posted: 05/25/17 5:59 pm ::: |
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| myrtle wrote: |
| I've sometimes had problems with Seattle games being blacked out for me even though I'm 9 hours away and can't get their local channel. It's ridiculous. |
9 hours? I am assuming you mean by car. But how long by helicopter or private jet? Geez myrtle, where's your sense of fandom?
And btw, if the little people have no bread to eat, let them eat cake.
But seriously, having away games blocked is ridiculously infuriating and does nothing to grow the sport.
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Fighting Artichoke
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justintyme
Joined: 08 Jul 2012
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| Posted: 05/25/17 6:24 pm ::: |
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| Fighting Artichoke wrote: |
But seriously, having away games blocked is ridiculously infuriating and does nothing to grow the sport. |
But actually it does. The league needs media companies to invest in their product. Selling the local rights is a one of the big ways to gain profitability.
If the league refused to sell exclusive rights no local channel would pay for the right to air the game. And whether the game is home or away doesn't matter. The blackouts aren't about trying to get people to the stadium, it is part of the exclusive digital rights in that market that was sold to the media company (in this case Monumental).
But if the game is not available to watch by some provider in that location, it should not be blacked out. If it is, that is a major failure on the League's part.
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Fighting Artichoke
Joined: 12 Dec 2012
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| Posted: 05/25/17 6:31 pm ::: |
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| justintyme wrote: |
| Fighting Artichoke wrote: |
But seriously, having away games blocked is ridiculously infuriating and does nothing to grow the sport. |
But actually it does. The league needs media companies to invest in their product. Selling the local rights is a one of the big ways to gain profitability.
If the league refused to sell exclusive rights no local channel would pay for the right to air the game. And whether the game is home or away doesn't matter. The blackouts aren't about trying to get people to the stadium, it is part of the exclusive digital rights in that market that was sold to the media company (in this case Monumental).
But if the game is not available to watch by some provider in that location, it should not be blacked out. If it is, that is a major failure on the League's part. |
But shouldn't they strike a balance between generating fan interest and creating income sources? You could be a season ticket holder, pay for League Pass and also have to pay for the local media company just to watch the WNBA. That might turn off a lot of fans.
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justintyme
Joined: 08 Jul 2012
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| Posted: 05/25/17 6:53 pm ::: |
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| Fighting Artichoke wrote: |
But shouldn't they strike a balance between generating fan interest and creating income sources? You could be a season ticket holder, pay for League Pass and also have to pay for the local media company just to watch the WNBA. That might turn off a lot of fans. |
They generate fan interest by getting their games on TV. Which requires local partners. Ideally, the regional channel is part of basic cable packages, or is a major local sports channel so adding it on a la carte basis gains more than just the WNBA. Here in Minnesota, Fox Sports North is the local partner. It is part of the basic package with Comcast, and is also the station that airs the Wolves, Twins, Wild, and even some Gopher games. So it is a bargain to add to any package that doesn't provide it.
But for places where that isn't the case, teams still need to be able to get local coverage for their games. And the simple truth of it is that local media won't pay to air their games if they can't get exclusivity in their market.
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myrtle
Joined: 02 May 2008
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root_thing
Joined: 28 Apr 2007
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| Posted: 05/25/17 7:04 pm ::: |
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| Fighting Artichoke wrote: |
San Jose is over 700 miles from Phoenix (over 11 hours by car). Even out here in the west that is not considered remotely close. South Bend IN is closer to NYC than that, and I cannot imagine South Bend having NYC games blocked. |
I've had college games in North Carolina blocked, which is roughly in that range (650 miles, 10 hrs by car). The definition of "regional" is expanding. Besides, at that point I was just fishing for a reason. I've never had a problem with my VPN service so I was taking a wild-ass guess.
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CourtsideTix
Joined: 19 Nov 2004
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Location: Washington, DC
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| Posted: 05/25/17 8:23 pm ::: |
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| justintyme wrote: |
It's all part of the broadcast rights. If a local channel has paid for the rights to broadcast the game, whether home or away, then no other channel (or streaming service) can offer it at the same time.
This has to be this way, or why would Monumental pay to broadcast the games? No one would buy their service if they could get it free (or part of a cheaper package) elsewhere. |
I think from this comment and others posted by you in this thread that you may be under the mistaken belief that Monumental Sports is a local DC TV broadcaster or channel, a third party that has "paid for the rights to broadcast" the Mystics games. They aren't. They are the OWNERS of the Mystics, Wizards, and Caps. They stream their own games.
Blacking out away games makes it harder to follow a team and to build interest in that team.
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justintyme
Joined: 08 Jul 2012
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Location: Northfield, MN
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| Posted: 05/25/17 8:43 pm ::: |
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| CourtsideTix wrote: |
| justintyme wrote: |
It's all part of the broadcast rights. If a local channel has paid for the rights to broadcast the game, whether home or away, then no other channel (or streaming service) can offer it at the same time.
This has to be this way, or why would Monumental pay to broadcast the games? No one would buy their service if they could get it free (or part of a cheaper package) elsewhere. |
I think from this comment and others posted by you in this thread that you may be under the mistaken belief that Monumental Sports is a local DC TV broadcaster or channel, a third party that has "paid for the rights to broadcast" the Mystics games. They aren't. They are the OWNERS of the Mystics, Wizards, and Caps. They stream their own games.
Blacking out away games makes it harder to follow a team and to build interest in that team. |
Yeah, you are correct. I stand corrected.
This being the case, the failure to allow streaming of their games is dumb.
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sportsfan48
Joined: 17 Nov 2004
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| Posted: 05/25/17 9:50 pm ::: |
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| justintyme wrote: |
| CourtsideTix wrote: |
| justintyme wrote: |
It's all part of the broadcast rights. If a local channel has paid for the rights to broadcast the game, whether home or away, then no other channel (or streaming service) can offer it at the same time.
This has to be this way, or why would Monumental pay to broadcast the games? No one would buy their service if they could get it free (or part of a cheaper package) elsewhere. |
I think from this comment and others posted by you in this thread that you may be under the mistaken belief that Monumental Sports is a local DC TV broadcaster or channel, a third party that has "paid for the rights to broadcast" the Mystics games. They aren't. They are the OWNERS of the Mystics, Wizards, and Caps. They stream their own games.
Blacking out away games makes it harder to follow a team and to build interest in that team. |
Yeah, you are correct. I stand corrected.
This being the case, the failure to allow streaming of their games is dumb. |
Unless it comes down to an issue of policy and legalities. If they allow WNBA games and don't allow other local product, they might set themselves up for a legal mess.
I know nothing about broadcasting rules but does the FCC or who ever controls TV stuff have some policies and/or rules that broadcasters have to follow? Do they apply here?
Just a thought. I usually wait for the game to finish and then become available for everyone, anywhere on LiveAccess and watch it. I may even know the outcome and more likely to watch if my team own or it looks like a good game.
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GlennMacGrady
Joined: 03 Jan 2005
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| Posted: 05/26/17 1:22 am ::: |
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Games that are blacked out on WNBA League Pass are available to be viewed shortly after they end. At least that's so for me with Liberty games, which get blacked out because they're available on MSG.
I actually prefer to watch all TV shows and most games on a delayed basis -- DVR or stream archives -- to skip all the commercials, timeouts and halftime delays. You can watch a basketball game in less than an hour this way, especially if you fast forward through foul shots also.
I don't understand why there should be a relationship between purchasing a season ticket and having stream or cable TV access. They are two different products. How, anyway, could that even be administered? |
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Mysticsfan12
Joined: 19 Sep 2014
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| Posted: 05/26/17 1:32 am ::: |
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| As someone who's typically a mobile viewer, I downloaded a ton of free VPN apps before this season (some unlimited, some limited): Windscribe, X-VPN, HotspotVPN and TunnelBear, before the season started, so I wouldn't run out. They're on iOS, but they may also be on other operating systems, or at least apps like them. They usually work, but if for some reason they don't, I go to a secondary free browser app (TorBrowser which has a built in VPN or PuffinBrowser, where the streaming quality isn't great but for me it's better than nothing) to watch. Hope this helps!! (BTW, if you open the W app after turning on your VPN, it might just say "____, you currently have a subscription to *insert team*/league pass" for a few minutes, then reopen and it should have the option to watch)
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CourtsideTix
Joined: 19 Nov 2004
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| Posted: 05/26/17 6:27 am ::: |
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| GlennMacGrady wrote: |
Games that are blacked out on WNBA League Pass are available to be viewed shortly after they end. At least that's so for me with Liberty games, which get blacked out because they're available on MSG.
I actually prefer to watch all TV shows and most games on a delayed basis -- DVR or stream archives -- to skip all the commercials, timeouts and halftime delays. You can watch a basketball game in less than an hour this way, especially if you fast forward through foul shots also.
I don't understand why there should be a relationship between purchasing a season ticket and having stream or cable TV access. They are two different products. How, anyway, could that even be administered? |
I actually prefer to watch live sports live. Call me crazy. I suspect I'm not alone in that preference.
As for a relationship between being an STH (especially at the level ripleydc was talking about) and being able to see the team OWNER'S live stream of away games --- it's dumb (or greedy, or both) for the owners not to want their best fans to be able to follow the team on the road.
How could it be administered? Username and password, easy peasy.
But apart from the Mystics STHs, the idea that the WNBA has charged people for a League Pass but has allowed AWAY games to be blacked out by team owners is wrong.
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calbearman76
Joined: 02 Nov 2009
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Location: Carson City
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| Posted: 05/26/17 10:57 am ::: |
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| Finally an advantage to living 400+ miles away from the closest team. I've never had a WNBA game blacked out on Live Access.
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ArtBest23
Joined: 02 Jul 2013
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| Posted: 05/26/17 12:10 pm ::: |
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| CourtsideTix wrote: |
| justintyme wrote: |
It's all part of the broadcast rights. If a local channel has paid for the rights to broadcast the game, whether home or away, then no other channel (or streaming service) can offer it at the same time.
This has to be this way, or why would Monumental pay to broadcast the games? No one would buy their service if they could get it free (or part of a cheaper package) elsewhere. |
I think from this comment and others posted by you in this thread that you may be under the mistaken belief that Monumental Sports is a local DC TV broadcaster or channel, a third party that has "paid for the rights to broadcast" the Mystics games. They aren't. They are the OWNERS of the Mystics, Wizards, and Caps. They stream their own games.
Blacking out away games makes it harder to follow a team and to build interest in that team. |
Well sure, but Leonsis would diminish the value of his own streaming service if he allowed his teams to be shown through alternative streaming services.
He's already demonstrated with his arena deal that he doesn't consider the Mystics a significant revenue source. He's trying to bundle all his teams into a streaming package so he can sell subscriptions and tickets to the Wizards and Caps and his two Arena Football teams. He's only going to have 4000 Mystics tickets to sell anyhow. He doesn't need to or really care about "building interest" in his WNBA team.
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CourtsideTix
Joined: 19 Nov 2004
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| Posted: 05/26/17 12:23 pm ::: |
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| ArtBest23 wrote: |
| He's only going to have 4000 Mystics tickets to sell anyhow. He doesn't need to or really care about "building interest" in his WNBA team. |
Well, I finally agree with you on something.
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ArtBest23
Joined: 02 Jul 2013
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| Posted: 05/26/17 1:14 pm ::: |
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| CourtsideTix wrote: |
| ArtBest23 wrote: |
| He's only going to have 4000 Mystics tickets to sell anyhow. He doesn't need to or really care about "building interest" in his WNBA team. |
Well, I finally agree with you on something. |
By the way, it's my understanding that beginning this fall an annual subscription to the Monumental Sports Network will be included with Caps and Wizards season tickets. Of course those tickets are a lot more expensive than Mystics, and there are a lot more of them to sell. Separately, it's only, I believe, about $108 for a full year, or $12.95 per month if paid by month. Which frankly isn't all that much and wouldn't seem to be a huge profit center, at least not today. Supposed to provide 52 weeks of live programming of his five teams, plus other live programming, plus special in-person events, t-shirts, and other stuff. I think it's primarily about selling Wizards and Caps tickets, and annual subscriptions. He wants to build a closer and more loyal relationship with those fans. The Mystics just help fill in programming during the off-season so he can make the "52 week" claim. If anyone decides to pay just to see the Mystics, well that's just gravy. (I wonder if there will be any special events or promos involving the Mystics for Network subscribers.)
I suppose it's a nice thing for cable cutters to be able to get online access to Wizards and Caps games for $108/year.
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Hawkeye
Joined: 10 Aug 2010
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Richyyy
Joined: 17 Nov 2005
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| Posted: 05/26/17 8:11 pm ::: |
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Yeah, outside of the year or two where their region-blocking was a mess, I've never had a game blacked out on LiveAccess/League Pass. These days we get everything available live, including the ESPN games.
I was joking on Twitter the other day that I couldn't move to the US because it'd make it much more difficult to watch WNBA games. |
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I was lucky one of the dodgy websites had a link to this game, but they don't always carry WNBA games.
I actually have hit a couple of games there, but in conjunction with some kind of biz trip. I've hit more in NYC for the same reason. I would probably get to more in the Bay Area even though it's just as far, but I have lots more connections there. Waiting for the Bay Bridgers....