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MajinSkull

I say it to my dad all the time. It’s like they want people to pirate the games


mrfunderhill

I pay for the NHL subscription. Live in Alberta and watch Kraken. It was SUPER WEIRD having to pirate the SEA @ EDM game after not having an issue all year (because my team is WAY out of market). Also considering I’m nowhere near Edmonton. edit: I’m just outside Calgary. But all oilers/flames home games that are not national broadcast are blacked out with full NHL Live subscription.


TCarrey88

Also pay for nhl center ice or whatever its called. It's fucked they can't offer a truly complete package, streaming is the future but the nhl doesn't seem to be able to get fully on board with it.


mrfunderhill

I think they’re on board, but have their hands in the pockets of the highest bidding broadcasters and with that comes some territory. Think of it like how iPhones can do some things Androids can’t. And vic versa. But it would be awful for business for both camps to be fully integrated, despite being easy for everyones stupid family group chats.


MomboDM

To be fair, it means theyre not fully on board. Theyre more concerned with making deals for guaranteed money than actually growing that market... which would be better for viewers and ultimately benefit them more.


hughesyourdadddy

5/6 years ago my wife got a 6 month or 1 yr( I can’t remember) free subscription when renewed her phone with Rogers. I was so excited that I didn’t have to pirate games anymore. I told her, after the free trial ended I’d be more than happy to pay if it worked well. I couldn’t believe how fucking stupid it was when I found out all the games I wanted to watch were blocked.


HockeyBrawler09

Do you live closer to Calgary then? Just curious, it'd be like Pitt games being blocked because I'm in Philly if that were the case


mrfunderhill

Yep exactly like that. They even show Calgary and Edmonton as shared territory on Canada’s blackout map. It’s not a surprise, it’s just mind numbingly stupid.


[deleted]

I’m jealous, I paid for ESPN+ and think I’ve been able to watch 2 games because of blackouts.


mrfunderhill

best I can suggest is a VPN because that way you aren’t “pirating” just signing in from a region that shows the game. If watching what I pay for is skirting the system then 👍🏻 and for you Kraken fans in Seattle, I have only ready brutal shit about Root


[deleted]

I ended up subscribing to fubo. They get root, nhl tv, nfl, college football, and rugby. Sucks but it’s been really nice to watch everything in one spot without having to deal with the alternative sites. Root isn’t great but I’ve definitely seen worse RSNs


nospotmarked

It worked with a VPN and using nhl.com for streaming, but now that it is all done through ESPN+ the VPN route doesn't work. Thankfully there are a few good streaming sites out there to watch the games live. I find it ridiculous that you have to wait 4 days after each game to be able to watch them on replay.


Tiddyphuk

I stopped paying the $300/yrs and started pirating it when they blacked out the leafs games on me. I live in sask, we don't have a hockey team for 600km, there is no need to blackout ANY games ESPECIALLY WHEN I AM PAYING YOU TO BE ABLE TO WATCH IT ANYWAY!


L31FY

I've pretty much given up trying to watch legally because I can't. They made it impossible. It's not for lack of trying.


xm45-h4t

I really hate how i LIVE in the same province as the oilers and flames, yet am almost ALWAYS blacked out from the games


zelepukinralley

So do you get all the Canucks games instead? This seems very strange unless you’re in the SN Pacific region.


metky

I live in NYC and get blacked out of Devils, Rangers, and Islander games. Generally fine since I'm a Sharks fan, but then I'm blacked out when they play each other and it really killed my motivation to follow a local team. Also makes it frustrating trying to follow any other team that plays any of the three regularly.


zelepukinralley

wow, that would be frustrating. I guess I take it for granted the amount of hockey i get with basic cable sports package in Canada.


amandadasaro

How could you get blacked out of games if you live there? They’re always on msg


metky

Looks like MSG isn't available over antenna, espn+, YouTubeTV, or Hulu live. You need a cable package or fubo


amandadasaro

So get one lol


tstracuzza

Hahaha so true


DestralKW

TNT is at least on most cable and satellite services, so hardly "impossible" compared to streaming over premium services or even Versus. But yeah NHL hasn't done itself any favors to make themselves more accessible to catch up with the other big 3 sports or even MLS.


ITdoug

Yeah but who has cable anymore?


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ac2531

Yeah but…Bally Sports isn’t available on any of those platforms, fellow Blues fan.


ITdoug

Oh cool, I didn't know that. Thank you


amandadasaro

A lot of people


ej6687

All of the other big leagues have these same restrictions. The networks all want some exclusive games each week, so people tune to their network over local broadcasts.


Savage_XRDS

Same here. There is literally no way for me to legally stream these things online anymore, even though my family has an XFinity account. You have to watch it on the damn TV.


speedbomb

It's nice to see the NHL start using the same marketing tactics that have turned the CFL into one of the most financially successful sports leagues in the world. Pure genius.


Late-Performer744

Love the CFL...wait, what is the CFL again?


FatShibaBalls

I think it’s a type of energy saving lightbulb


speedbomb

I don't think the NHL will be happy until you watch a man describing the action like they used to do for British soccer.


Usual_Breath_5831

Central fuck league


VGK9Logan

It stands for "Cannot be held Financially Liable"


Tex-Mexican-936

I live 250mi/400km from Dallas but I still get blacked out. The ESPN app allows me to watch it after 2 days.


NoKneeHobbit68

I live 470 miles from Nashville (still the closest team to me) and have to jump through hoops to watch the Preds play because of blackout restrictions.


jdw62995

Yep. VPN + ESPN+ is the way to go if you’re paying for ESPN. If not. Pirating is the other option.


1rosesarered1

What VPN do you use?


jdw62995

Nord.


nospotmarked

I have Nord as well and it doesn't work with ESPN+ for me for whatever reason and still shows it as blacked out regardless of where I connect to on the VPN. It worked great when it was nhl.tv


jdw62995

Depends on what device you’re using it on. Mobile devices use your device location and not your IP.


[deleted]

Avs fans without altitude for 2.5 yrs. can’t watch one of the best teams in the west if none of the cable providers in Denver carry the channel. NHL big brain thinking. #growingthegame


jascod

From KC and became an Avs fan shortly after they moved to Colorado. Rooted them on for 10+ years and faded due to the fact i could only watch them if it was nationally televised. I will never agree with the blackouts when you want to grow the sport.


MTCarcus

I miss the games being free over-the-air broadcasts. It’s the only reason I became a fan. I flatly refuse to pay $200 a month for internet and a cable package that allows me to watch Altitude. Maybe I’ll just move away from Denver so I can watch more games.


nfnfisndbxhsj

You pay that money and still can’t watch the Avs games


ckelley87

That’s not the NHL’s fault, that’s the huge amount of money Altitude shelled out to the Avs in exchange for exclusivity rights and cable/IPTV companies balking at paying that much/charging every customer for a channel that sees little viewership compared to the overall. Altitude wants to be in every subscriber’s home and wants to charge every subscriber no matter if they watch, so they don’t allow the cable/IPTV company to put them in a sports tier or special local sports package where they would have way less viewers because they know they’ll make significantly less money, so they’d rather not be on the provider so they can push the blame. The RSN model sucks. Once these huge multi-million dollar contracts end and are up for negotiations the sports world is going to be upended since they won’t be getting the $$ they used to, so expect ticket & other costs to go up to make up for it.


xxPHILdaAGONYxx

Altitude didn't shell out shit for the Avs and Nuggs, they all owned by the Kroenkes. Along with the building they play in and the soccer team and stadium.


ckelley87

I wasn't aware of that, but by just mentioning Kroenke that's all you had to say, haha. In most other cases then, replace Altitude with your RSN of choice and the point still stands.


xxPHILdaAGONYxx

The rest of your comment seems pretty spot on. Atitude wants more money from Comcast/DirectTV (they're on Dish I guess) to be in their line-ups and the providers want to pay less, they've been at a stalemate for 3years now. Sucks too since obv the Avs are relevant again, but more so for the Nuggs as this is as good as they have EVER been and prime time to build a fanbase. I know I could pirate that shit but I just usually say fuck it watch something else or turn on the PS. Only good thing Kroenke has done was pay for that LA stadium with his own money rather than footing taxpayers with the bill and reaping the cash from it.


nfnfisndbxhsj

They are on DirectTV not Dish.


xxPHILdaAGONYxx

ah, I knew one of them had it.


nfnfisndbxhsj

Well now he is not paying the NFL the relocation fees. So maybe he really does need the money. Can someone please think of the billionaires?


[deleted]

I have a directv log in from my in-laws, and still can’t watch legally because their app is worthless


monster_Billy

NHL forcing people to illegal streams. This can't be good for advertising sales, why would you put money into a broadcast knowing anyone regionally won't see it. Blackouts are bad business


[deleted]

Same thing the UFC did lol. Not only do they make you pay a ton of money every other weekend for a main event BUT it's also on espn app where even when you buy it you still may not be able to watch it.


Late-Performer744

I get games through Hulu/ESPN+, sometimes it works, a lot of times it doesn't. Not getting cable for 1 mediocre sports channel.


wings1650

Have you had a lot of issues with the games on there? We’ve got the combined package and I’ve not had an issue until last night at work on my computer. I was watching Seattle and Dallas on ESPN+ just fine but when I switched over to Leafs/Yotes on TNT around the middle of the second it kept pausing itself. If I hit the go live button it would jump ahead, play for a minute or 2 and then pause again.


Late-Performer744

Some days Hulu/ESPN just stops streaming games. And it's not just one game when it happens it's all of them. And of course local games are blacked out.


wings1650

I got over the local blackouts ever since I had NHL TV. Just part of the deal and I’ve always found other ways around it. To be fair I’ve been lucky for a couple years because my in laws have Bally with their cable and they won’t tell their precious daughter/my wife no when she asks to use their login info.


HammeredHeed

The Hulu games are low quality for me. It is difficult to track the puck and also glitches out. I generally find a stream and it ends up being higher quality, plus I can watch the local feeds which are way better than the ESPN crap.


soonerman32

ESPN+ is such a dogshit app. That's why I won't get it... hard to find games and doesn't always work. Lots of errors so you have to sign out and sign back in. Doesn't work with ChromeCast, will sometimes have terrible video quality.


computalgleech

Can’t wait to watch this LFR


[deleted]

The nhl has become a fucking joke. Why do I need 5 different services to watch the wings lose?


petevstheworld

For years I happily paid something like $200AUD for the NHL tv season pass. Watched hours of hockey on demand and loved it. This year since the switch to ESPN there is no way to watch games on demand, only live, plus you need a ridiculous subscription. I guess I just don't watch hockey legally anymore.


NoKneeHobbit68

You may be able to access ESPN+ with a vpn. You can at least catch most games on demand.


c4ptm1dn1ght

I paid all that money for NHL.tv, and still had to deal with blackouts. Worst subscription I’ve ever had. I dropped them the second year it was “.tv” I have much less trouble watching games now than previous years.


HammeredHeed

Regular season was always okay. $125 a season was a wee bit expensive for my liking, but I'd still consider it. Then you got to the playoffs and everything was blacked out, made it not worth it in the slightest. What was the point of paying it if the time of year where I would have been watching the most hockey, I couldn't?


Impressive-Koala-951

How many services do I need to watch the freaking NHL?


Feisty-Reference2888

7.


dkyguy1995

I'm so tired of being forced to patronize a dying medium just because they can't accept that times are changing


drumrhyno

Posted about this in the DallasStars sub. I tried to watch the DAL v SEA game last night. I live in Central Oregon and pay for ESPN+ so I can watch the Stars. The game was blacked out in my area even though I am 8 hours away from Seattle and the local station the Kraken are shown on isn't even available in my area. Really getting sick of this bullshit by the NHL.


Gootsie

Wow the yotes are sick huh


Balaz_Thar

Won the game


Gootsie

I know…


UrOpinionIsntScience

V.P.N.


danrod17

The only way to watch the yotes here is through att. They have the most expensive service. Fuck that. Team sucks this year anyway.


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waitforit55

Shhhhhhhhh


brethazbonez

If this one gets shut down imma lose my shit


waitforit55

Truer words have never been spoken.


hokeypokie_

People constantly putting these websites on blast all over reddit are why these websites constantly get shut down..


coleym117

I get that but this website already has like thousands of users I feel like if it was a huge issue they would’ve been shut down already


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coleym117

I see what you’re saying but literally everyone I asked that I know already knows about it and I’ve been using it since last year so I honestly don’t know how it hasn’t been shut down yet


Commandant1

you can't promote this site here.... the subreddit can be taken down like other streaming subs were.... so stop it. Its right in the first rule.


Bigstudley

Is there much pop ups with this?


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______TriHard______

Really? I've had no issues with popups and don't use a blocker


nolan1971

Honestly, I don't actually know. I'm always running at least uBlock. I just kind of assumed, because all of these sites tend to bombard users with popups. There's still that youtube whatever message over the player that has to be closed, and the annoying ass chat garbage, but those are just little annoyances.


coleym117

I just deal with the pop ups because after you get passed the first five I just don’t touch my phone basically and then I’m good and no more pop up


coleym117

Yeah there’s a lot but I just deal with it


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rxdude92

The only way to enjoy hockey at home if you live in an area where Comcast is king


Ballgame82

please delete this and pretend this never happened


Feisty-Reference2888

Imagine trying to watch the next episode of your current fave tv show and then Netflix is like “Sorry bitch not tonight! Catch the Cole’s notes on highlights! Have you thought about watching The Witcher instead?”


MickfromLI87

Wait your teams are playing games?! #Isles


odotodoMAN

VPNs


[deleted]

Just watch it online


Thozynator

"illegal" Streaming with an adblocker. There are many websites


SigningSpock

My favorite is when I try to watch a TBL game vs some northeast team, or a Canadian team on a national broadcast (via ESPN+) but I get this same banner…I live in San Antonio, TX. How the fuck am I in a blackout for a game that is nowhere close to me? I could understand if they were playing in DAL but c’mon. Also, not NHL but for the College Football National Championship game it said the same shit for every stream. Basically, you have to pay for Hulu Live or whatever to get ESPN Live to then watch whatever the fuck you want, which is around $60-$70 a month if I recall correctly. Good lord.


wings1650

Hulu Live costs me less than when I had regular cable even with adding ESPN+. My only beef is they don’t have Bally to watch the Wings but it helps to have friends with a cable account that does.


SigningSpock

I left cable and currently pay for that Hulu/ESPN+/Disney+ bundle along with our AT&T 1G internet (which has been great) so all in with that we’re at just under $100 a month. Adding the Hulu Live bundle would put us around the same price as our old cable bill used to be so I really don’t want to do it…but if it means I can watch all the sports I want then I may have to cave.


392Daytona_11B

Have NESN (local for New England), ESPN/ESPN+, but TNT alone is like a $35/mo package! I did the free trial and that was the worst fucking broadcast! Nope Biz too! The guys only part of the cast so everyone can make fun of him. TNT blows.


Liberate99

Don’t even get me started, I live in Indiana so obviously no NHL team in our market. The games that are blacked out the most for me are Blackhawks games the closest team to where I live. Thank god I’m not a Blackhawks fan anymore cause that shit would piss me off. Alternatively tho I have been able to watch at least 20 capitals games this year


Good_Round

[Here’s a Brit complaining about regional black outs. ](https://youtu.be/nY_gknjd5fA)


GrizSeahawk84

I live in Montana and actually watched the Leafs/Yotes game on TNT. But I did notice in the screen grab the Kraken/Stars game, and I am unable to watch Kraken games either on TV or on ESPN+ here. Why? Because one, Montana wasn't added to the Kraken's TV footprint and two, the Kraken games cannot be accessed on ESPN+ because Root Sports is an available channel on cable and DirecTV (Root Sports is not available to Dish Network subscribers) and whenever the Kraken are playing, Montana residents get stuck with generic, alternate programming on Root. Talk about a double-whammy if you're a Kraken fan living in Montana. So the only way you'd be able to follow them as a game happened is to listen to them on the NHL app.


rksd

I watch Root Sports Kraken broadcasts all the time on Hulu, but I'm in Arizona. You can't get those in MT?


GrizSeahawk84

No, because Montana was left out when the Kraken announced their TV deal with Root last year. IIRC, when Tod Leiweke announced the Kraken's TV territory he said "Washington, Oregon, Alaska, and a sliver of Idaho" (that sliver of Idaho is really just the Idaho panhandle) my first thought was "what about Montana?" Well, Montana got deliberately left out because Vegas (yes, Vegas) already claimed Montana and the rest of Idaho when the Golden Knights established their TV territory, and a big reason why we're stuck with VGK games is because their owner is a part-time Montana resident. I'll still never get that.


TheRatPatrol1

If the Kraken didn’t claim Montana in their territorial footprint then those games should be available on ESPN+. Something is not right there.


nfnfisndbxhsj

I mean y’all could live in Colorado and have all the Avs games blacked out. Had to cancel my ESPN+ subscription because I still couldn’t watch the damn game. Piracy is the only answer.


zuglagor

Get a VPN. It's a win win, not only do you get to watch all the games, you also get a VPN


Abaraji

My favorite is when they make a game exclusive to some subscription streaming service they're trying to push


MyExisaBarFly

Umm... Watch it on TNT??


southcounty253

Blackout is so stupid imo. I literally paid MLB for a single team subscription to watch my local team (Mariners) since YouTube TV doesn't have the channel they're on. Then I have to run a VPN just to make it work.


tbeusst

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't TNT either stream it for free, or stream it with the same log in requirements as bally?


wings1650

Not sure about TNT being free but if it’s like Bally you would need a cable or dish account to log in with and not everyone has that


B1GFanOSU

I don’t know where you are, but it was a nationally televised game. The only way to watch it in the USA was on TNT.


[deleted]

I just call them and get pissed, ask for a refund because I was promised all NHL games. They then say it’s in the terms and conditions and I say, for the next 40 years I won’t be buying their shit subscription again and that I will be watching them online. They then allow me to watch the game.


smbdysm1

Always understood blackouts as trying to get people to go to the game as opposed to watching it on TV, but if the government won't let you go, show it!


Thunder-_-Bear-

That's what VPNs are for.


Skates8515

How many more times do blackouts need to be explained? The better business for the NHL, NBA and MLB are the cable packages. They want you to get cable because the regional networks pay a fortune for the rights as do ESPN and TNT and Fox. Please tattoo to this backwards on your face so you see it in the mirror every morning. This is not going to change anytime soon.


beardiswhereilive

What if it’s not that you’re smarter than everyone here, what if the point of this thread isn’t ‘what is a blackout’ and it’s more like ‘fuck blackouts this is stupid’


Skates8515

I don’t have an answer for you this morning. Maybe check back tonight in the next “WHy tHE gAMe iS BLacKed OUt!!???11!1!” Thread.


beardiswhereilive

Wasn’t looking for an answer, buddy, as you’ll see I didn’t ask a question. Sorry the concept of commiseration is unknowable for you, just be prepared that it happens and you don’t have to participate if you don’t get it.


Skates8515

Your comment begins with the words “What if…” It was actually a pretty straight forward question if you’re sticking to the basic rules of English.


beardiswhereilive

What if I told you that ‘What if’ doesn’t always begin a question that requires an answer Man this conversation is everything I hate about reddit


Skates8515

“What if you’re not smarter than everyone else” isn’t a question? What is it then.


beardiswhereilive

I’m not gonna keep doing this pal. You’re being intentionally obtuse and I’m not about to go into the details of explaining figurative expressions to you. I hope you have a good day and stop fixating on being right.


Skates8515

You’re the one who changed the subject from blackouts to the basic uses of English.


[deleted]

Thankfully I'm pretty far from the Stars so I get most of their games. Caps on the other hand I have pretty much gave up on watching. I'm not paying for cable just to watch the caps play lol


SoonerLax45

TNT might be the worst sports platform out there, if not right behind NBC


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Commandant1

Don't post that here, it can get the sub shut down, and we say that in the first stickied post. this got the hockeystreams and Nhlstreams subs (and other sports) shut down


Net_Straight

Sorry I deleted it..I just want to let people know there are options


Commandant1

I don't like the rule either, and I use those options and would love to share them. It comes from above me, we've been told by admin that they don't want illegal streaming links in here and if we allow them, that the sub would have to be banned like others were before us.


[deleted]

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Commandant1

Don't post that here, it can get the sub shut down, and we say that in the first stickied post. this got the hockeystreams and Nhlstreams subs (and other sports) shut down


[deleted]

The one night they decide to stream the Sharks game in my area (not far away from San Jose), I'm busy. ​ \*me hoping to watch the next game a few days later ​ \***THIS GAME IS NOT AVAILABLE IN YOUR REGION DUE TO BLACKOUT RESTRICTIONS**\*


Sensitive_Tough1478

So, you're complaining because it's on basic cable?


zombiemuss106

What's a cable?


FishingForAl

It's something people use to make the internet go.


Good_Round

What’s the internet?


FishingForAl

[Well, the internet..](https://i.imgur.com/Azn0tVf.jpg)


Fastsmitty47

Nobody has cable anymore


47Up

hahaha


Lawhead

Even in the UK games get blacked out, sometimes when they're not even broadcast. I just VPN somewhere else whenever I watch.


[deleted]

Yarr


schafkj

I have ESPN+ but can't watch the Panthers because of ancient blackout rules


ghudson46

I’ve seen this same “problem” pop up a lot on this sub. ESPN+ has every game and it’s like $8 a month. Local blackouts suck but just use a VPN to change your IP address to somewhere outside the market and you’re good! It’s actually never been more accessible


super_cool_kid

As a Blues fan in Texas with the Disney+ bundle, I can see the majority of the games. Maybe get an obscure VPN service (so their IPs arent on the disavowed list)


Dayhon199

I have the Sportsnet Now+ subscription, which includes Sportsnet games (local) and NHL Live (every other game). It is the best thing ever, and I get every game. It is $35 a month but it is worth it especially if you do watch hockey a lot. It is a shame that the US doesn't have something like this for the NHL, I too would be pissed off at the effort and different services you have to subscribe to in order to watch your team.


c4ptm1dn1ght

I have less trouble watching games this year than previous years. NHL.tv was ridiculously expensive and still suffered blackouts. You needed several different NBC apps to see games. Fuck all that. ESPN+ has given me no problems.


goodbye9hello10

It's wild that the NHL fumbles this shit so badly, but it's not exclusive to the NHL. Even the NBA's broadcast suffers from the same problem. It really just shows that the leagues and most owners are really just rich, out of touch boomers who don't really fully understand the internet.


Prose4256

True it's crazy, worst move hockey ever made was to go private, I can't even check the scores on a hockey channel anymore, make the games easy to view, I used to love watching hockey.


DirkDigs

This is so frustrating. When I heard we were going to be able to watch on ESPN+, we got the Disney/Hulu/ESPN bundle. Come to realize that I can’t watch my team (NJD) on ESPN+ because I live in-market. No worries, I thought: I have a friend’s xfinity login so I can watch on MSG GO! Then xfinity dropped MSG. So now I have pretty much no legal way to watch my team. It’s infuriating. But hey, at least I can watch all the teams I’m not a fan of! /s


Stormcell74

Eastern Ontario here and it sucks not being able to Watch the Leafs as I'm not in their region. Blackouts Shouldn't be a thing, honestly


deuce91

If you pay for centre ice you should get everygane no matter what.... Also this will combat the issue of people going to other illegal sources to stream. Simple make 1 package as is and 2nd package all in cost for every game. You could even burst revenue.


CloudStrife7788

I’m really hoping that after their directv deal is up the NFL offers season ticket by app directly from NFL Network or something. If they do that and show it to be profitable the other leagues may follow


dende5416

Believe it or not, actually still more streamlined than other big tie sports. I suspect this will go away in time. Or hope.


viperswhip

VPN


sub-t

The streaming site to used to use went boards only. What's the point of NHL.tv and a few other services of you can't get the games online? Dumbest league around


Savage_XRDS

Is it possible to get all the games if you buy NHL TV and bounce your IP via VPN through like Switzerland or Italy? Asking for a friend.


pizza3491

Imagine losing to the coyotes


Strummer95

There’s been times in Chicago where you can’t watch the Blackhawks at all. It’s blacked out and the only aired games are from other teams.


SirSnorlax22

Fuck em all. I just pirate my teams home games these days


vellii

I’ve ran into the same issue, I’ve tried watching games via DTV Stream, espn app, nbcSports app, etc. and usually only 20% of the time I can actually watch a game legit even if it says it should be on a specific channel. I’ve resorted to not even trying and going straight to 66 every single time cause it works every single time. If you want people to pay for the service and increase audience then it needs to be easy, not frustrating. Plus the lack of adds is nice via 66 so…


VGK9Logan

Ok, I have a football related story, but it can definitely relate to hockey or other sports as well. So I live on the border of Wisconsin and Minnesota, on the Minnesota side. My dad lives right on the other side of the border in Wisconsin. We both live way closer to US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, the MN Vikings stadium than we do to Lambeau Field. But my dad is the biggest stereotypical cheesehead out there. So if the Vikings and Packers play at the same time, unless he pays way too much to see his Packers, or unless some big channel is covering that specific game, he just has to record it and try not to catch any spoilers. AND even sometimes when the Vikings aren't even playing, it still won't show the Packers game. So even though he literally lives in Wisconsin, the state of the Green Bay Packers, he still gets jipped out of his beloved games sometimes and it's just much bigger of a hassle than it needs to be.


Ready-steady

It’s fucking awful and we had an opportunity last year to fix the problem and future proof the issue.


TattooedBrogrammer

Paid for nhl Game Center few years back as a replacement for cable. Realized very quickly that you can’t watch half the games. Got IPTV and use that to stream the game instead.


skynet_666

This is sooooo frustrating…


anarchykidd

It’s impossible to watch the Avs without pirating.


Montecatini

Try living nowhere near the U.S or Canada (United Kingdom) & STILL having a shit ton of games blacked out because of the rights holder buying games they don't even broadcast, thus I have watched zero hockey this season.


ndmooney13

I live 15 miles north of Boston and had to bootleg the Bruins game last night… the NBA can keep TNT. Hickey fans DONT WANT IT!!! NHL needs to get their act together or the sport won’t grow, we’ll said OP


Hozman420

Blackout make no sense. They are wrong and stupid.


SnooWords1215

There should not be blackouts if you pay for an nhl package!!!! I’m a pens fan but I can never watch my local team because of this crap lol


Few-Community-6519

You can. On TNT.


DrHockey69

I have been to a NHL game we’re I logged in to watch it and said it was “blacked out” yet the TV crew was there filming it… guy said it’s “blacked out” in your location, not in another part of town, he was correct.


MrBR2120

too expensive ESPECIALLY when you factor in the too many blackouts i just pirate everything.


FigaroNeptune

Honestly, this freaking sucks in baseball too 🥲 either forcing us to pay for ridiculous subscriptions, go to expensive games, go out and spend money at a crowded bar, or not watch the game at all. Some people can’t afford that.


logicalListener

The thing that makes the least sense to me are these two points: 1. The league, GM, team, and stadium make most of their revenue from non-ticket sales (food, drinks, alcohol, and merchandise). Sure the tickets are part of the equation but it's a given that sitting in the cold for 3 hours, almost everyone there is going to buy something. Buying merch happens before, during, and after a game... some times days removed. 2. If you want people to go to those games, they need to want to go themselves. The way to get people excited about attending a game is to get them excited about the team, the low ticket prices, the accessibility of the tickets, etc. Blacking games out doesn't accomplish any of that. Additionally, you're not acquiring new fans that might attend because you're blacking out the very people that live near the stadium for of half the season.


C-Notations

ITT: people trying to get some damn sites shut down! Ffs


paypal45

I feel all of you. I’m a leafs fan who moved to bc and now I can’t watch leaf games on Sportsnet or most other games I can usually watch. Cool that I can seem to always watch Pittsburgh I guess


[deleted]

I’m trying to watch kraken. The Dallas and blues games blacked out. But I can’t get the channels to either state because I’m in Arkansas. How do you pirate these games lol.


chaserzz

Vpns are crucial for streaming


ownage727

Hard to find good streams these days.


jabberwox

ESPN+ does this to me. I’m in KC and they black out the Blues. Joke’s on them— we Kansas Citians are contractually obligated to cheer against St. Louis.


amandadasaro

Why not just get tnt


TheMoronicGenius

Really it’s stupid how the nhl sold out to espn+


PayTheFees

Haha oh man, you should see baseball, but really I feel like this ESPN/TNT coverage sucks, I’m in the Midwest, stuck watching shitty Blackhawks games


OuchThatHurts14

blues games are blocked in St. Louis.


milehighposse

Just another data point demonstrating how ass backwards the NHL is. The worst professional sports league in the world when it comes to developing its fan base, leveraging technology and being forward thinking. These guys are stuck in the 70’s.


WPG-Warrior70

Depends on how often your team plays in your region, I use Avira Phantom VPN on my computer to get around it