# MLB Extra Innings and blackouts



## oblio98 (Sep 17, 2002)

Here's the deal:

I live in Eastern Connecticut. Even though I am a NY fan (Mets), my zip code has determined that I am a "Boston" fan, so - I get NESN and FSNE.

If I sign up for MLB Extra Innings, will I be able to get the Met games broadcast on MSG and FSNY?

I seem to recall that someone here once posted that since CT is "in between" NY and Boston, we are "claimed" by both areas as local, which, if true, would mean that I would not be able to get the NY or Boston games on Extra Innings, even though the NY sports channels are not available to me on Dish or my local cable system.

What a crock, when for $79 I can get almost every game on my PC!!!  

:-jon


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## djlong (Jul 8, 2002)

The rule is, in general, Extra Innings will allow you to get everything *except* your "local" team (in this case, the Red Sox). For your local team you have to subscribe to whatever tier of programming your provider requires to get the sports nets.

Therefore, yes, you *should* be able to get most Mets games.


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## jrbdmb (Sep 5, 2002)

Unfortunately, MLB teams claim huge territories as their "home" areas. The Red Sox claim all of Connecticut except Fairfeild County, and the Yankees and Mets claim all of Connecticut. See below link for a map:

http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/files/main/article/danwerr_2003-05-13_0

This means that a fan in eastern CT, you are expect to watch the Yankees / Mets / Sox on your local RSN.

If you're with DirecTV, you can get all these games with the Sports Pack. But with Dish, you're doubly screwed, because (1) there is no YES Network at all, and (2) because of the different (cheaper?) contracts Dish signed with the RSNs, I suspect that Mets games are not available much farther east than Fairfield County. (If you do a search here and DBSForums, there are many examples of Dish pulling this stunt). But Mets and Yank games are still blacked out on EI to you because you are in their home area. (BTW, MLB.TV also has local blackouts on live games, so it won't help.)

The only Yankees / Mets games you are going to be able to watch are the occasional Fox or ESPN Sunday night game, and OTA games if you get the Superstation package. I have to believe the Dish has gotten a lot of grief over this. I'm sure they'd be happy to fix their contracts with the RSNs and get YES on the air - as long as it doesn't cost any extra money.


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## oblio98 (Sep 17, 2002)

jrbdmb said:


> Unfortunately, MLB teams claim huge territories as their "home" areas. The Red Sox claim all of Connecticut except Fairfeild County, and the Yankees and Mets claim all of Connecticut. See below link for a map:
> 
> http://www.baseballthinkfactory.org/files/main/article/danwerr_2003-05-13_0
> 
> ...


Thanks jrbdmb,

This is what I was afraid of. These sports blackout deals are SO frustrating. If I could pay to the RSN's that "claim" me, I would. So, even if I pay for EI, I still can't get the games I want, so I can't get them via premium service, and I can't get them via normal service, all because of a freaking ZIP CODE!

It just plain sucks! :nono2: :nono: 

:-jon


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## obrienaj (Apr 8, 2004)

djlong said:


> The rule is, in general, Extra Innings will allow you to get everything *except* your "local" team (in this case, the Red Sox). For your local team you have to subscribe to whatever tier of programming your provider requires to get the sports nets.
> 
> Therefore, yes, you *should* be able to get most Mets games.


The use of the word "general" in the above is appropriate because in my case the rule did not apply. I live in an area jointly claimed by The Pirates, Mets, Blue Jays, and Indians. When Extra Innings was in free trial mode, I received NONE of the games from . With the Fox Sports package I could receive Pirates games but others were blacked out. So for the Mets, Yankees, Indians, and Blue jays I was in a catch 22, I could receive neither my in market or out of my market


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## obrienaj (Apr 8, 2004)

jrbdmb said:


> But with Dish, you're doubly screwed, because (1) there is no YES Network at all, and (2) because of the different (cheaper?) contracts Dish signed with the RSNs,


The above is important to note because Dish rarely admits to this. If you call Customer Service Reps, they will tell you that baseball blackkouts are nothing to do with them, no amount of rational discussion will get them to understand your points to the contrary. Asking for CSR supervsiors gets you no where either. Last year I had to make several calls to Dish's corporate executive offices before I finally got someone to admit that is was because Dish had not signed contracts with RSA's , whereas Direct TV had.


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## Brian Rector (Mar 25, 2002)

Well......lack of access to the teams I want will only mean one thing: Im not gonna spend the bucks for this package. Why should I spend the money to get the Cubs and White Sox games when those games will be blacked out even with the Extra Innings package in my area. I know what some will say: "Get DirecTV", but theres no way Im getting that service.


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## oblio98 (Sep 17, 2002)

OK, now my question is this. 

Here in Eastern Connecticut, the area I live in is "claimed" by the Red Sox, Yankees, and Mets. I currently have Dish. Dish gives me NESN and FSNE. I cannot get MSG or FSNY.

My local cable company gives me NESN and FSNE, just like Dish.

This leads me to 2 questions:

1) Since I am "claimed" by the Mets and the Yankees, why do I not have MSG and FSNY available to me by Dish?

2) If I had DirectTV, and subscribed to their Total Package, would I get NESN, FSNE, FSNY, MSG, and YES with no blackout of baseball?

2a) .....or in the case of #2, if I paid for MLB EI, would I then be able to see Met games on FSNY and MSG?

This should not be difficult. If I am "claimed" by these teams, why can't I receive these teams.

Is that a reasonable question????? Grrrrrrr!


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## st_moose (Jan 5, 2003)

I can fell your pain 

Lets try to figure this one out.

Two years ago when I had dishnet with 1 FSN which was Fox Sports Midwest which carried the Cardinals I never got to see a Cardinals game. I am in NW Missouri which is Royals territory according the dishnet. But 2 years ago dish did not carry RSTN (the Royals FSN station), so I didnt get the Royals or the Cardinals.

I talked with someone with the Cardinals and was told that I should have been getting the Cardinals since the Royals did not have an FSN station, but dishnet said that they had to blackout the games even though the Royals were not on any station that they carried.

So last year I went with the local cable company (since dropped since monthly cost is now $45, but that is another rant) who carries FSN-MW, but the Cardinals are blacked out because the Royals games are carried on FSN-MW alt. So yes I did get the Royals, but would much rather see the Cardinals and the National League.

So there is no way according the blackout rules that I can see the Cardinals in NW Missouri!


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## oblio98 (Sep 17, 2002)

I emailed DirectTV and they actually responded! Here is what they wrote:

_ "As per your zip code (06237), you can get Red Sox and Yankees with the our programming package, Total Choice and above. However, to be able to get the Mets, you will have to either subscribe to Total Choice Premier as the base package or to the Sports Pack along with any lower base package."  _

Maybe I should just put up another dish and try DTV!


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## oblio98 (Sep 17, 2002)

Just to update (and thank all who posted above with helpful info), I went ahead, bought a triple dish and a D* Tivo receiver, and lo and behold, I now can get

YES
FSNY
MSG
FSNE
NESN

Of course, it cost me extra bucks, but I can now watch the freakin' Mets! I can't understand why Dish won't go the distance like D* when it comes to regional sports. I would have paid for MLB EE on Dish, but the Met games would have been blacked out.

So, I now have both services. I must say the Tivo is a bit awkward to use as opposed to my 721 and 921, but when the pre-paid year expires in August, I may chuck E* and stay with D*. At least D* has the NFL HD pack.

Ao, anyway, thanks again to all!

:-jon


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## Scratch (Dec 27, 2003)

I subscribe to MLB Extra Innings and have a question about blackouts. My local teams are the Reds and Indians so I also get Fox Cincinnati and Fox Ohio. The problem is that the Reds games are always blacked out on Extra Innings even when Fox Cincinnati is not carrying the Reds. Why is that?

I also don't understand Fox Ohio and Cleveland Cavaliers basketball games. I have never seen a Cavaliers games on Fox Ohio because they are always blacked out. I have a relative that has Adelphia cable and lives 5 miles from me and he is always watching the Cavaliers on Fox Ohio. I don't quite understand why they are blacked out on the satellite, but not his cable system. Any ideas? Thanks


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## BobMurdoch (Apr 24, 2002)

Plain and simple.......

The local sports teams submit a list of zip codes they CLAIM are theirs. E* logs in zip codes and assigns them to specific RSNs. In some case like Philadelphia, where they can't get access to the teams affiliate, they extend the area (so all you flyers and phillies fans will be happy to know that you will see the rangers and mets). In those border towns where these regions overlap, you may wind up being blacked out from a team locally as you are placed in another RSN area AND be blacked out on Extra Innings becasue the MLB team claims you as one of their "local" zip codes.

In the next county over from mine (Ocean County), the Mets, Yankees, AND Phillies all claim them as their own (and this isn't just E* and D*.... when I had MLB.TV they blacked me out in Monmouth county for any of those games as well.... which killed THREE games every day, unless one of them was playing one another).


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## Scratch (Dec 27, 2003)

Okay, I'm still confused. Are the rules regulating zip codes different for cable and satellite companies? I'm still not sure why my local Adelphia cable shows the Cavaliers' games on Fox Ohio and it is blacked out on my Dish. I also had a problem a year or two ago when I had both cable and Dish. The Reds/Cubs game was on WGN and it was blacked out on my Dish and not the cable. They did the same thing on TBS when the Reds/Braves game was on. It sounds like it's Dish that is the problem. I just can't understand why there are such drastic differences in cable and satellite when it comes to blackouts.
Thanks


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## jcrandall (Jun 18, 2004)

So, if this works for D* will it work for E*?

If I am in a multiple team market, and subscribe to mulit-sport pack giving the extra RSNs, will I get broadcasts from the extra teams that are in my market?

Specifically, I am looking at N/W Indiana where the market gets Detroit, Chicago, and Cinci. With Sport pack would I get the Tigers, Cubs, WSox, and Reds?



oblio98 said:


> Just to update (and thank all who posted above with helpful info), I went ahead, bought a triple dish and a D* Tivo receiver, and lo and behold, I now can get
> 
> YES
> FSNY
> ...


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## jrbdmb (Sep 5, 2002)

masterdeals said:


> So, if this works for D* will it work for E*?
> 
> If I am in a multiple team market, and subscribe to mulit-sport pack giving the extra RSNs, will I get broadcasts from the extra teams that are in my market?
> 
> Specifically, I am looking at N/W Indiana where the market gets Detroit, Chicago, and Cinci. With Sport pack would I get the Tigers, Cubs, WSox, and Reds?


It may not work for E*, because as noted earlier E* has not paid the $$$ to allow MLB games to be shown in all the outlying parts of a team's home area.

Ex. picked a ZIP code for Fort Wayne (46801), which is claimed by the teams you mentioned. For D*, you get all these teams with the Sports Pack. With E*, you will not get Reds games - but they are still blacked out on EI.


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## seige6 (Apr 16, 2005)

man my head is spinning afer trying to understand this.....so i have a new twist for you...

i am trying to be cheap and avoid the MLB EI package. I am a red sox fan living in chicago. i've read a few places that you can get a csr with dtv and change your address ie "tell them you've moved" then i would add the locals and the sports pack (adding NESN). would i be blacked out by dtv? would i get the games on another channel other than NESN in the locals? not from boston orig my parents never pushed the cubs or white sox on me (thank god). So i don't know if NESN is the only local for the red sox. 

anyone have an idea on this?


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## jlabsher (Aug 26, 2002)

I'm in the DC area, so that is the Orioles & Nationals blackout area. Problem is that the Nationals aren't televised. So my gripe is that why the *^[email protected] are the games being blacked out when they aren't even televised? I could understand it if a local channel had the games on, loss of ad revenue. But the games are not even on local TV.


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