Why do they black out certain local NHL games part 2??

Question

Okay, so they want us to go to the rink. Fine. WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS NONSENSE AND WHO CAN I GO TO TO COMPLAIN!?!?!?!?

I pay for cable. My cable pays for the rights to see these games. I DO go to MANY NHL games. I pay plenty to see this team in action. WTF Do I get stiffed on games like tonight!?!?!?!?! (I'm really pissed off here).

Answer 1

Since you are in Montreal, you can complain to George Gillette as he instituted that rule back in August 2005. The National Hockey league has never endorsed a blackout rule and has left such a rule at each team's

The National Hockey League Media Division (Based in Toronto - the centre of the universe) gave teams the rights to determine the worth of, and sell their broadcast rights, back in the days of Clarence Campbell (1972). The National Hockey league has never endorsed a blackout rule and has left such a rule at each team's discretion. Teams are allowed (on an individual basis) to determine the criteria for when a game can be shown on LOCAL television.

Games slated for national broadcast via Hockey Night In Canada, and TSN are exempt from this rule. As teams strike their own deal with Sportsnet and local channels, these games can blacked out on the whim of a team.

It could be worse, you could be fan of the Chicago Blackhawks, the only local television that have had for trhe past 15 years has been PPV...........this year, there will be 7 games on free television.

To clarify what an earlier poster stated - the NFL has no local broadcasting, all games are part of the National Broadcasting packages sold to Fox and NBC. If a team does NOT sell out a home game, the National Football League's policy is to black the game out in the home team's local market (and this happens to the Buffalo Bills at least once a year!). Monday Night games were exempt to this rule prior to this year, with the On-Air rights moving from Monday (ABC) to Sunday (NBC), the Sunday night game is now exempt from the local blackout rule.

Answer 2

It's a pretty common thing is sports actually. If a team doesn't sell tickets well, the local station doesn't have the right to broadcast it.

You can't really complain to anyone. I mean you could write to the NHL, but they won't change it. The NFL and NBA do it too. Hockey in America just suffers from this problem more so because the sport doesn't draw the same fan base as football, baseball, basketball, etc.

You could complain to the fans of your town (wherever it is). They should support their NHL team. I know plenty of Canadian markets that would love another franchise. If a team can't sell tickets, it can't be on TV. If it can't be on TV, it can't sell ad time. If it can't sell ad time, it can't pay big $$$ players. If it can't do that you end up in a catch 22 of crappy no-name players on a losing team that no one wants to see play.

That being said, you'll get a good draft pick next year.

Answer 3

I'd be mad too in your position. There should be something that if you buy tickets to a number of games in a season then the cable or satellite people can make a signal to your TV so it can be exempt from the blackout - because you do go to games.

If I were to complain to anybody, I'd complain to the public relations department of the Canadiens or of Molson.

Answer 4

Can't really complain to anyone. Technically the blackout rule is the league's rule BUT the teams are just as responsiable for it. Cable companies know this is how things go. Actually they are proably just as for it. They pay to show games BUT they don't care if they aren't showing them.

Answer 5

They Black out LOCAL games to force you to go to the Bell Centre and drop 2 bills on a game. I to am frustrated with this. What I do is I watch it in on french channel and I put on a English radio station on ( CJAD ) and watch the game in English reen

Answer 6

thats really weird. bec the way it works here i denver is the games are on a channel called altitude, and they only will block out a game if it is also on Vs. so i dunno whats up with your city. that really sucks though.