The Sabres Return to Bell TV - Sabres Broadcasts in USA and Canada

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53 SABRES GAMES TO AIR ON BELL TV IN SOUTHERN ONTARIO

The Buffalo Sabres today announced that 53 Sabres games will be carried on Bell TV in Southern Ontario in the 2014-15 season.

The games will be carried on Bell Fibe TV and Satellite TV services on channel 442 (standard definition on Satellite TV only) and channel 1442 (high definition on Fibe TV and Satellite TV) in homes from Fort Erie/Niagara Falls to Stoney Creek in Southern Ontario.

While Sabres games will be available to all Bell Fibe TV and Satellite TV customers in the Southern Ontario region at no extra charge through the regular Bell TV package, games will not be available in the region on NHL Centre Ice or the NHL GameCenter online application. A full schedule is below (all times ET):

SEASON BROADCAST SCHEDULE: http://sabres.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=92852#broadcast

Click to read more...

 

[Paxon]

It's hard to believe that the Ontarians in our sphere have gone so long without regular access to Sabres games. Considering how important regionalization is to Buffalo sports it's a bit ridiculous that it was ever allowed to happen in the first place.

 

[1972]

It's hard to believe that the Ontarians in our sphere have gone so long without regular access to Sabres games. Considering how important regionalization is to Buffalo sports it's a bit ridiculous that it was ever allowed to happen in the first place.

I am from Southern Ontario, and while this is better then nothing I liked it better when it was just on the NHL package.

First of all you have to have Bell to even get these games, if you do not have bell you have no access to ANY Sabres games as they all get blacked out on Center Ice. Even myself with Center Ice and Bell will be blacked out of roughly 15 games this season with no way of getting the games. For example if we went with rogers and center ice I would have nearly every game blacked out. It's frustrating to say the least.

 

[ZeroPT*]

sweeeeeeet

 

[Paxon]

I am from Southern Ontario, and while this is better then nothing I liked it better when it was just on the NHL package.

First of all you have to have Bell to even get these games, if you do not have bell you have no access to ANY Sabres games as they all get blacked out on Center Ice. Even myself with Center Ice and Bell will be blacked out of roughly 15 games this season with no way of getting the games. For example if we went with rogers and center ice I would have nearly every game blacked out. It's frustrating to say the least.

It makes no sense that they are blacking out games not carried by Bell. That's ridiculous!

 

[Sabre the Win]

It's hard to believe that the Ontarians in our sphere have gone so long without regular access to Sabres games. Considering how important regionalization is to Buffalo sports it's a bit ridiculous that it was ever allowed to happen in the first place.

We've stayed faithful.

 

[Freezerburn]

I am from Southern Ontario, and while this is better then nothing I liked it better when it was just on the NHL package.

First of all you have to have Bell to even get these games, if you do not have bell you have no access to ANY Sabres games as they all get blacked out on Center Ice. Even myself with Center Ice and Bell will be blacked out of roughly 15 games this season with no way of getting the games. For example if we went with rogers and center ice I would have nearly every game blacked out. It's frustrating to say the least.

Yep, I'm in exactly the same situation. It puts you in a position where you have to illegally stream the games if you want to watch them. NHL Gamecenter/Centre Ice was better than this...at least for me.

 

[Moncton man]

I get Cogeco, not Bell, so I won't get any of those games. Will find them online. Better than being force-fed the Leafs though.

 

[1972]

I get Cogeco, not Bell, so I won't get any of those games. Will find them online. Better than being force-fed the Leafs though.

At least you get the all the Ice Dogs games in HD with Cogeco.

 

[Clock]

Excellent news for our Canadian bros.

 

[jBuds]

Excellent news for our Canadian bros.

While it is probably a good thing overall and is pretty obviously more exposure, I feel for those who lose the ability to get the games via the package or gamecenter. Obviously to this point, most S. Ontario fans have been finding a way to manage if they truly want to watch the full slate... And if it's the die hards who negatively feel this the most, I feel for them

Or this could be no big deal at all either way

 

[Jim Bob]

It makes no sense that they are blacking out games not carried by Bell. That's ridiculous!

Blackout rules have never made any sense.

Back when I had Dish Network, Sabres and Yankees games (Dish didn't have MSG or YES) would get blacked out when they were on channels I did get even though there was no other channel to see them.

I had a long argument one year with a call center person about the idiocy of the national broadcast of the Sabres 1st round playoff game being blacked out when they didn't offer MSG.

 

[Paxon]

Blackout rules have never made any sense.

Back when I had Dish Network, Sabres and Yankees games (Dish didn't have MSG or YES) would get blacked out when they were on channels I did get even though there was no other channel to see them.

I had a long argument one year with a call center person about the idiocy of the national broadcast of the Sabres 1st round playoff game being blacked out when they didn't offer MSG.

Those blackouts make sense to me because the exclusivity of the broadcast is guaranteed to the broadcaster by the league/team. If a provider doesn't offer a channel that's the provider and customer's issue, it doesn't change that the network carrying the broadcast is granted exclusive rights to air in a market. Not that I like blackouts, but there's rationale behind your examples. What doesn't make sense is why Bell carrying 53 games in the Ontario portion of the Sabres' zone would cause all 82 games, as opposed to only those 53, to be blacked out on center ice, unless I'm misunderstanding the situation.

 

[Jim Bob]

Those blackouts make sense to me because the exclusivity of the broadcast is guaranteed to the broadcaster by the league/team. If a provider doesn't offer a channel that's the provider and customer's issue, it doesn't change that the network carrying the broadcast is granted exclusive rights to air in a market. Not that I like blackouts, but there's rationale behind your examples. What doesn't make sense is why Bell carrying 53 games in the Ontario portion of the Sabres' zone would cause all 82 games, as opposed to only those 53, to be blacked out on center ice, unless I'm misunderstanding the situation.

But the whole point of blacking out a national broadcast to drive eyes to the local broadcast becomes moot when there isn't a local broadcast to switch over to on your system. They are saying that they would rather have fans not watch games at all. That makes no sense.

And blacking out games on Center Ice (or any other package) is the dumbest thing ever. Annoy the fans that are paying you extra money....

 

[Paxon]

But the whole point of blacking out a national broadcast to drive eyes to the local broadcast becomes moot when there isn't a local broadcast to switch over to on your system. They are saying that they would rather have fans not watch games at all. That makes no sense.

And blacking out games on Center Ice (or any other package) is the dumbest thing ever. Annoy the fans that are paying you extra money....

You're not thinking of it from the perspective of the exclusive rights holder. If a MSG holds rights to a broadcast within a region, exclusive rights it pays dearly for, then it is blacked out on NHL Network, GameCenter/Center Ice, etc, to ensure viewers can only watch on MSG. Why would they relinquish that right and leverage in the case of those who do not have MSG? The whole reason for it is to get people who do not have MSG to acquire it and for those who have it to watch it. If your provider does not offer MSG then the blackout is meant to pressure both the consumer and the provider. For those providers who do not offer MSG or those consumers who do not purchase it, why would they allow you to watch on NHL Network/etc, thus never having reason to push for MSG, pressure your provider into offering MSG, or changing to a provider who carries MSG?

This is precisely what blackouts were made for, unlike this blackout caused by Bell acquiring only 53 games causing all to be blacked out, which I don't understand.

 

[Jim Bob]

You're not thinking of it from the perspective of the exclusive rights holder. If a MSG holds rights to a broadcast within a region, exclusive rights it pays dearly for, then it is blacked out on NHL Network, GameCenter/Center Ice, etc, to ensure viewers can only watch on MSG. Why would they relinquish that right and leverage in the case of those who do not have MSG? The whole reason for it is to get people who do not have MSG to acquire it and for those who have it to watch it. If your provider does not offer MSG then the blackout is meant to pressure both the consumer and the provider. For those providers who do not offer MSG or those consumers who do not purchase it, why would they allow you to watch on NHL Network/etc, thus never having reason to push for MSG, pressure your provider into offering MSG, or changing to a provider who carries MSG?

This is precisely what blackouts were made for, unlike this blackout caused by Bell acquiring only 53 games causing all to be blacked out, which I don't understand.

The Bell deal is causing the exact situation you said makes sense.

The person complaining about the blackout is a non-Bell subscriber. So, before this deal, he got all the Sabres games via Center Ice. Now, the Sabres games get blacked out because Bell is carrying them.

Now why the games that Bell isn't carrying are getting blacked out doesn't make sense....

 

[Paxon]

The Bell deal is causing the exact situation you said makes sense.

The person complaining about the blackout is a non-Bell subscriber. So, before this deal, he got all the Sabres games via Center Ice. Now, the Sabres games get blacked out because Bell is carrying them.

Now why the games that Bell isn't carrying are getting blacked out doesn't make sense....

No, what I'm saying is that it appears from what was written earlier that all Sabres games will now be blacked out in that market, not just the 53 Bell is carrying. That would mean that even games Bell isn't carrying which aren't available anywhere else locally would for some nonsensical reason be blacked out. That makes no sense, because those 29 (or however many due to HNIC, etc) games serve as no inducement for someone to switch to or keep Bell, as Bell isn't showing them. If just the 53 are blacked out then it makes perfect sense to me, no matter how unfortunate it is, because that's exactly the purpose blackouts exist for. Bell didn't spend all this money to get rights to the games only to have non-Bell subscribers watch the games on Center Ice. They want to maintain and increase their subscriber base, otherwise what's the point in them spending money on content?

I'm sure quite a few Sabres games will be carried on HNIC and the like, but I can't see how that would make up the difference between 82 and 53. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong in my understanding that there will now be many Sabres games unavailable to people in the area even if they had Bell, SportsNet, and Center Ice/GameCenter.

 

[Jim Bob]

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/09/nfl-blackout-rule-fcc-111441.html

I wonder if this will apply to all pro sports?

 

[CBCnutcase]

I'm sure quite a few Sabres games will be carried on HNIC and the like, but I can't see how that would make up the difference between 82 and 53. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong in my understanding that there will now be many Sabres games unavailable to people in the area even if they had Bell, SportsNet, and Center Ice/GameCenter.

Now why the games that Bell isn't carrying are getting blacked out doesn't make sense....

There are 20 national Sabres games that will be on the CBC, City, and the various Sportsnet channels. The remaining 9 games are on weeknights that are on NBCSN and those will be on Centre Ice in the canadian Sabres zone.

 

[CBCnutcase]

I am from Southern Ontario, and while this is better then nothing I liked it better when it was just on the NHL package.

First of all you have to have Bell to even get these games, if you do not have bell you have no access to ANY Sabres games as they all get blacked out on Center Ice. Even myself with Center Ice and Bell will be blacked out of roughly 15 games this season with no way of getting the games. For example if we went with rogers and center ice I would have nearly every game blacked out. It's frustrating to say the least.

Now why the games that Bell isn't carrying are getting blacked out doesn't make sense....

There could be up to 9 Saturday games that Bell customers won't get in the canadian Sabres zone. The first one will be on Oct. 18 because the game is on FX Canada and Bell doesn't get that channel. The other 8 games with the Sabres vs american teams could be put on FX Canada but those are TBA for now. This Rogers vs Bell fight is quite nasty.

 

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Where you can find our regular season games on television -- USA / Canada breakdown: http://sabres.nhl.com/club/page.htm?id=92852

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