Thursday, August 14, 2008

[MLB GEOGRAPHY]
Rays Games Soon Coming To TVs Everywhere
This is a bit stale, but the news is too good for those RAYSHEADS unable to watch Tampa Bay Rays games in their part of the country. Back in April we took a look at MLB's idiotic and archaic blackout rules. Now MLB president Bob DuPuy is ready to propose a drastic overhaul to the restrictions that should allow fans to see a majority of their favorite team's games, no matter where they live.
At the owners’ meetings Wednesday, DuPuy said he will propose that if a team is not broadcasting in a geographic location for at least one season, it loses the right to black out games in that area...While cities with teams rarely are affected – a local affiliate, such as the YES Network with the Yankees or New England Sports Network in Boston, usually carries a majority of games in major-metropolitan areas – ones on the periphery often suffer. Las Vegas, for example, is at least a four-hour drive from Los Angeles, Phoenix, Oakland, San Francisco and San Diego, yet games played by teams in those cities are blacked out. No Las Vegas cable company regularly broadcasts any of those teams’ games.
In other words, those of you that live in the Gainesville-Talahassee-Panhandle portion of the state would finally be able to watch Rays' games on either MLB.tv or your local cable company's "Extra Innings" package.

Of course, the 6:00 Saturday home games will still be blacked out thanks to the Fox national blackout on Saturdays that lasts until 7:00. Small price to pay so the Baby Boomers can watch the post-game Kool and the Gang concert and still be home in time for "Saturday Night Live"...also known as "Falling asleep on the couch with a bowl of ice cream in your lap."

Owners to discuss blackout solution [Yahoo! Sports]
SW Alabama Is Rays' Country! Wait. What? [Rays Index]

4 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

Now all they have to do is allow MLB.tv subscribers to watch their teams when there is no local broadcast, such as Tuesday night's game vs Oakland.

12:38 PM  
Blogger The Professor said...

they will probably tell you that it would cause too many problems. But in reality that should be a simple problem. Take one guy everyday and check the schedules and flip the little switch when appropriate. And in that case it is not like they are competing with the local broadcast rights, bc the network chose not to air that particular game.

12:44 PM  
Blogger Unknown said...

I wonder if this means if you have DirectTV with YES and all the FSN channels, that we would get all the games from other teams on them and they won't be blacked out? or is it only for the assets owned by MLB that wouldn't have the blackout?

5:36 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

We get FSN in Tallahasse, but not the ION games...

10:46 PM  

Post a Comment

<< Home