Another OLN Wrinkle - Blacked Out in NY Area

[kdb209]

It turns out that games on OLN might pre-empt local cable coverage in NY metro area but also be blacked out themselves.

There apparently is a clause in Comcast/OLNs deal with cable providers. If OLN is offered as part of a Sports Tier package (as opposed to digital basic) then the NHL games will be blacked out on those systems.

http://www.newsday.com/sports/hocke...g23,0,4365614.column?coll=ny-hockey-headlines

A hockey lockout to hockey blackout
August 23, 2005

...

Cablevision has 3 million subscribers, and if any of them were thinking of spending $4.95 a month for the digital sports tier that carries OLN, the channel that is replacing ESPN and ESPN2 for the NHL's national cable telecasts this season, they can forget it. The puck stops here.

...

Why? Because OLN is on expanded basic digital service in 90 percent of its U.S. distribution of 64 million homes, but not in Cablevision households on Long Island, Brooklyn, the Bronx, Westchester and northern New Jersey.

...

"In markets where OLN is offered on a digital sports tier, which includes Cablevision, we are required through our contracts to black out the games," an OLN spokesperson confirmed yesterday. "There will be alternative programming in that time slot. We are working with our affiliates on the situation. We believe OLN should be included on expanded basic, not a sport tier."

...

It's all about leverage: OLN wants Cablevision to make the channel available to all potential viewers and charge Cablevision a broad-based fee. Viewers, again, are the pawns.

Not only will the Rangers-Flyers season opener Oct. 5 - an OLN exclusive - be unavailable to Cablevision subscribers, the rest of OLN's NHL schedule, primarily on Monday and Tuesday nights, will go unseen in one of the NHL's largest markets.

Anytime OLN chooses to air a Rangers, Devils or Islanders game here, Cablevision subscribers will be totally shut out. The conflict affects only Cablevision subscribers, not Time Warner customers in Manhattan and Queens or DirecTV and DISH Network subscribers who receive OLN as part of a general programming package.

Click to read more...

 

[Gary Buttman]

Cablevision is seriously the worst thing in the world. If I ever live in the NY area, I'm getting a dish. I dont care if I'd hafta cut down 500 trees to do it, its better than freakin' Cablevision. If Charles Dolan could just simply mug you and take 50 bucks and bypass the whole TV thing, I'm sure he would.

 

[Weary]

There apparently is a clause in Comcast/OLNs deal with cable providers. If OLN is offered as part of a Sports Tier package (as opposed to digital basic) then the NHL games will be blacked out on those systems.

I don't think it's a clause in the deals with cable providers, I think it's a clause in the NHL-OLN deal. I'm sure Comcast (read Snider) had that clause put into the contract in order to pressure providers that charge for OLN. That clause doesn't help the NHL out at all unless OLN is moved off premium channels.

This whole deal seems to be more about helping Comcast than anything else. The fans who want to watch games on TV are definitely getting the short end of the stick. At this rate, Center Ice better be free this year.

 

[Trizent]

This whole deal seems to be more about helping Comcast than anything else. The fans who want to watch games on TV are definitely getting the short end of the stick. At this rate, Center Ice better be free this year.

Already been established that CI ain't free.

 

[Melrose_Jr.]

I don't think it's a clause in the deals with cable providers, I think it's a clause in the NHL-OLN deal. I'm sure Comcast (read Snider) had that clause put into the contract in order to pressure providers that charge for OLN. That clause doesn't help the NHL out at all unless OLN is moved off premium channels.

Does this affect anyone but Cablevision customers in NY and NJ?

Problem with the dish is, on nights when the Isles, Devs and Rangers play, one game is bounced to MetroTV, which is only available on cable.

 

[bubba5]

Does this affect anyone but Cablevision customers in NY and NJ?

Problem with the dish is, on nights when the Isles, Devs and Rangers play, one game is bounced to MetroTV, which is only available on cable.

Metro is only available to cablevision customers, comcast does not have that channel. Many games are missed because of it.

 

[Melrose_Jr.]

Metro is only available to cablevision customers, comcast does not have that channel. Many games are missed because of it.

If Metro is not carried by your cable operator, you should be able to get the game on Center Ice. Metro is also on Time Warner btw.

 

[Hire Sather]

Does this affect anyone but Cablevision customers in NY and NJ?

Problem with the dish is, on nights when the Isles, Devs and Rangers play, one game is bounced to MetroTV, which is only available on cable.

Cablevison customers in CT (like me) are also screwed. I thought I read somewhere that Rangers would no longer be on Mertro

 

[FLYLine27*]

Does this affect anyone but Cablevision customers in NY and NJ?

Problem with the dish is, on nights when the Isles, Devs and Rangers play, one game is bounced to MetroTV, which is only available on cable.

I read that they wont be airing Rangers games on the Metro Channel anymore.

 

[nyrmessier011]

Dolan is the anti-christ. I'm very dissapointed I'm going to miss the games on Monday and Tuesday nights and I have no choice to change cable providers because my roomates and I agree that the cheapest deal for TV/internet is the stupid optimum crap. I might not even get the center ice package anymore because the best games might be on OLN Mon/Tues nights and those games are not on the CI package, severely diminishing the $129.99 value my poor college student *** will have to pay for!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[bubba5]

If Metro is not carried by your cable operator, you should be able to get the game on Center Ice. Metro is also on Time Warner btw.

If game is on Metro, they black out the game on center ice.

 

[bubba5]

I read that they wont be airing Rangers games on the Metro Channel anymore.

where did you read that? That would be great news.

 

[ljc99]

Metro Sports is gone. The games would be on MSG or FSNY.

L

 

[Evgeny Oliker]

...

Questions for those who know DISH NETWORK or DirectTV:

Is it possible to get Dish Network or DirectTV but not get basic cable? Meaning can I just go and buy a few channels, lets say OLN, MTV, MSG and pay for each one individually?

I really do not want to pay $30 for basic package...



thanks!

 

[EliCash]

OK, so the big season opener on OLN will be almost completely blacked out in one of the markets in which one of the teams plays? This is pathetic.

Over/under for season opener TV ratings: 0.4

For the sake of NY area hockey fans, hopefully OLN will have the common sense to not show the Rangers every other week like ESPN did.

 

[fan mao rong]

Questions for those who know DISH NETWORK or DirectTV:

Is it possible to get Dish Network or DirectTV but not get basic cable? Meaning can I just go and buy a few channels, lets say OLN, MTV, MSG and pay for each one individually?

I really do not want to pay $30 for basic package...



thanks!

No, you buy them by tiers. There was a congressional move to look into "ala carte" purchasing on channels, but that is what it would require, congressional action.

 

[Trizent]

OK, so the big season opener on OLN will be almost completely blacked out in one of the markets in which one of the teams plays? This is pathetic.

Over/under for season opener TV ratings: 0.4

For the sake of NY area hockey fans, hopefully OLN will have the common sense to not show the Rangers every other week like ESPN did.

I'd say no chance of reaching 0.4 so I take the UNDER.

Every team is playing that night so most NHL fans will be watching their own RSN that night anyways. When you consider the ratings they got in the past, they would be doing flips for a 0.4

Side note: 2003-04 ratings
ESPN 0.5
ESPN2 0.2

 

[Hire Sather]

Yeah.. Direct TV here I come. Screw Cablevison. I'd have to get Direct TV anyway, with that new Mets Channel that Cablevison will take forever to pick up.

 

[HBK27]

Yeah.. Direct TV here I come. Screw Cablevison. I'd have to get Direct TV anyway, with that new Mets Channel that Cablevison will take forever to pick up.

I've already made the call to have DirectTV installed. I've had enough of Cablvevision. They already screwed me over a few years ago when with 2 or 3 weeks left in the NHL regular season they decided that live coverage of the local teams would be blacked out unless you purchased a premium sports package. Only problem was that it also required getting a cable box (which I didn't have since I only subscribed to basic cable) and there were no locations for me to pick one up within 20 miles (they used to have locations at The Wiz stores, but they were all closed down).

Cablevision was also the only cable/satelite company not to carry the YES network when it started up (not that I cared), but I envision the same thing happening with the Mets next year, a team I like to watch. Plus Cablevision routinely screwed Devils fans w/o Cablevision in years past by putting their games on Metro (although I heard Devils game will no longer be carried on Metro going forward).

I was planning on switching to DirecTV rather than increase my already ridiculously high cable/internet bill by another $5 to get the OLN Network...this just seals the deal. Plus, I get NFL Sunday Ticket and a DVR. Screw Cablevision and the Dolans.

 

[bubba5]

If game is on Metro, they black out the game on center ice.

So what happens when the devils, rangers and knicks are on the same night? I believe it is the Devils who agreed with cablevision on not having any games on metro.

 

[NYIsles1*]

So what happens when the devils, rangers and knicks are on the same night? I believe it is the Devils who agreed with cablevision on not having any games on metro.

Yes they did, which led to Metro being pulled from not only Time Warner but Cablevision. TV-55 did some Islander games on nights four teams played I think there was an NBC station that did some rare Devils overflow telecasts.

As for OLN not a lot of homes were tuned into hockey in New York in 03-04 on Msg, Fox or Metro for any of the local teams.

Anything is possible but if this is how it works out and some local fans miss games life goes on. Several teams do not have eighty two games televised. All three local buildings in New York have plenty of empty seats so go to those games.

Back in the seventies and eighties no home games were on channel nine.

This is not the Yankees or Mets and it's only a couple of games.

Hockey nationally drew a 0.5 on Espn and a 0.2 on Espn2 in 03-04.

 

[DevilsFan]

Great comments guys. So with all of your insights, if I live in North-Central Jersey, what is my best bet other than Cablevision? If I get Dish Network or Direct TV, maybe even Comcast, do they carry MSG and Fox Sports NY as well as OLN? Any help would be appreciated. I hate Dolan and Cablevision, and I want access to every stinkin game this year.

 

[Tekneek]

Already been established that CI ain't free.

I have not been billed yet and DirecTV tells me that until they start billing it, the price could change. In the past, we would have already started paying for it but they are being told to hold off for now. I suspect the NHL is reserving the right to adjust the price and doesn't want anyone to be in a position where they have to refund money. Additionally, DirecTV usually has a channel that allows you to purchase the CI package using your remote by the second week of August and it has not shown up yet either. Not all providers, at least in the US, have even posted a price or started to take orders yet (which is very different from previous years).

 

[Tekneek]

Great comments guys. So with all of your insights, if I live in North-Central Jersey, what is my best bet other than Cablevision? If I get Dish Network or Direct TV, maybe even Comcast, do they carry MSG and Fox Sports NY as well as OLN? Any help would be appreciated. I hate Dolan and Cablevision, and I want access to every stinkin game this year.

I can't speak for Dish Network, but DirecTV carries MSG and FSNY. They do not carry the "Metro" channels, so if any games get shifted there you will be blacked out.

 

[Evgeny Oliker]

......

Does anyone know if OLN is part of basic package on Dish Network? looking at their site,it seems that it's not...but i'm not sure...


thanks