Last season I had a MLB.TV Premium subscription. My DirecTV service had been suspended as I wasn't watching it enough to justify paying for it. With my MLB.TV subscription I was able to watch exactly ZERO Braves games; not even the away games. Instead I began watching the Rays. So in essence, the Braves forced me to become a fan of another team by not allowing me to follow their games.
With MLB playoffs being shown on TBS, I had no choice but to reactivate my DirecTV service. At least now there's a 24-hour baseball channel (which is pretty much all I watch except for the networks).

I guess Selig doesn't have time to fix this problem, he is too busy spending his $17.5 million paycheck. But he won't get my money this year! He can fix this BS and start listening to the fans or I will find something else to watch.

I live in Central Texas, about an hour away from Houston and 3 hrs away from the Rangers, my favorite team. But MLB cla*sifies ALL of Texas as Ranger territory even though the local cable channels only show about 10% of the Ranger games in my market and 90% of the Astros' games.

so like Galley said above, i could watch anyone OTHER than Texas or Houston play on MLB TV. When I wrote MLB about it, they blew me off. So they lost my $100 when I didn't reup with MLB.TV last year. And they will lose another $100+ this year.

Bud, if you are somehow reading this, please pull your head out of your...spreadsheets and repeal this ignorant policy. Cla*sify me as living in Astro territory so I can see my beloved losers wilt again this year.

I live in Iowa (barely)- I get subject to blackouts of 6 different teams. Most of the games I can get, except for the Cubs/White Sox when they play on WCIU. Because MLB makes no differentiation for blackouts between OTA channels and RSNs, you're at the mercy of your local stations when they play on an OTA station. Because no one in my area has a deal for those WCIU games, the games go stale. That what I was hoping to fix. (And cutting out of Milwaukee/KC blackouts).

I don't think it's sane to expect cable companies to carry 6 different RSNs.

There are six teams that claim Las Vegas as their home territory. Three of those teams, Giants, A's, and D'Backs can't be seen in Las Vegas. I called my cable provider to request the two regional sports networks that carry the games (CSN Bay Area, FSN Arizona) and was told that these two networks are not available in our area and therefore can't be added even if there is a demand for these two regional sports networks. Does anybody know how then to watch these three teams in Las Vegas without having to switch to satellite? MLB should make these games available on Extra Innings.

with the blackout policy the way it is, MLB.TV is definitely the way to go. I'm blacked out of Dbacks and Rockies games, but I can still watch them in the archives (or the condensed versions or highlights when available). The blackouts have forced me to root for other teams more because they aren't blacked out often or at all to me, but I can still watch Dbacks and Rockies games if I want.

Unfortunately, that's my boat- needing a dish to see the Cards, Twins, Royals and Beermakers.

My guess is that because Vegas isn't in-market for the other teams (Sharks, Warriors, Coyotes, Suns), the RSNs aren't in market (and unlike MLB, TV territories are set by RSN Footprints), and maybe the only solution for Cox is having a gametime only channel for A's/Giants/D-Backs games.

But then you can't see the Pads with Satellite, but those in Palm Springs and the Imperial Valley have no way to see the Pads. (Not ESPN/TBS, only games against LA teams and on WGN)

But I agree with you, other than not cutting a break for OTA games, it's Secondary RSNs that are the killer.

In Oklahoma City, MLB will not let fans watch the Royals even though KC is nearly a six-hour drive away and the Royals broadcast exactly ZERO games in the OKC market. To add to the insanity MLB also prohibits OKC fans from watching the Rangers (3 hours away), the Cardinals (8 hours away), and the Astros (8 hours away). (These times are estimates because I don't feel like going to mapqust now). That's 648 games per year. I, and, I imagine, many other fans in OKC would gladly shell out the $200 or whatever if MLB would only let us watch our team play on the internets. This is infuriating and irresponsible.

In Oklahoma City, MLB will not let fans watch the Royals even though KC is nearly a six-hour drive away and the Royals broadcast exactly ZERO games in the OKC market. To add to the insanity MLB also prohibits OKC fans from watching the Rangers (3 hours away), the Cardinals (8 hours away), and the Astros (8 hours away). (These times are estimates because I don't feel like going to mapqust now). That's 648 games per year. I, and, I imagine, many other fans in OKC would gladly shell out the $200 or whatever if MLB would only let us watch our team play on the internets. This is infuriating and irresponsible.

Here in Phoenix, the situation is even more ridiculous when it comes to MLB.tv. Subscribers to MLB.tv who live in Phoenix zip codes and the areas east of Phoenix can watch games of the San Diego Padres while those of us who live on the west side of Phoenix are blacked out of not only the Padre telecasts but the telecasts of their opponents as well. Someone I know who lives 2 miles from me can access all team's games including the Padres. Does that make any sense to anyone??? I'm over 400 miles from San Diego so i don't think allowing the San Diego games to be seen on MLB.tv in the areas west of Phoenix is going to threaten Padre attendance or TV ad revenues especially given San Diego telecasts are ok in this area on MLB's Extra Innings package. One other note, my zip code is in the same zip code as the stadium where the Padres play their spring training games which, at least in my opinion, makes the blackouts even more ridiculous.

If you have a dish with the Sports package and you're STILL not getting the Royals, then that's a different story. My guess is that Cox in OKC can't carry FSN Midwest/FSN KC for the same reasons. I'd call them up and see if they can make a deal for Royals games in Some Form. Otherwise, hook up a dish and get the Sports package if you can.

As for the Padres, since they won't allow their games on the dishes or on cable anywhere outside of San Diego County (except Vegas), they're just being insane.

The Padres (Cox4) were available via Extra Innings on DirecTV. Every game was available in HD. They do claim Tucson as part of their territory. This is what makes no sense to me...Cox owns the rights for the games, as they produce it locally. Cox is the major cable company in Tucson. Cox does not broadcast the games in Tucson, yet they don't relinquish the rights.

I also don't understand the idea that, just because a team owns the rights, they can claim this large geographical area to raise the costs for ad revenue. That's like saying that, because I have the potential to reach gazillions of folks because I'm posting this on the web, that a gazillion folks will actually read it.

That example of the Pads in Tucson is the Prime example of games essentially going Stale. Radio isn't even an option for Pads fans in Southern Arizona. And I think I have it bad having to some 30 White Sox games and some 20 Royals games (not to mention the others) going stale/getting eaten by the rightsholders.

That example of the Pads in Tucson is the Prime example of games essentially going Stale. Radio isn't even an option for Pads fans in Southern Arizona. And I think I have it bad having to some 30 White Sox games and some 20 Royals games (not to mention the others) going stale/getting eaten by the rightsholders.

To me, they should shrink the territorial rights to only the cities where the franchises are based in. For example, the television territory of the Yanks and Mets should be limited to the five boroughs plus Long Island; the state of New Jersey and the rest of New York State should be freed from television restrictions. Similar setups can be made for the other big city teams. Do the Dodgers and Angels really need Vegas? Can the Yankees live without Buffalo? Why should the Orioles have any rights to D.C., Norfolk or Charlotte?

Silly things like this ought to be dropped in favor of a more modest setup.

I think my point may not have been entirely clear. While I could shell out money for a satellite dish in OKC to buy the MLB package, I don't want to. (And even with the MLB satellite package, I think the Royals are blacked out in OKC.) All I want, please, is to be able to watch the Royals games live on my computer. Is that too much to ask? I will pay however much money MLBAM wants to charge for that privilege. I don't want cable, or satellites, I want the MLB.tv blackout restrictions for OKC to be lifted. Yes, they are a relic from a different time, and at one point there was a good reason for them. But we have the internet now. I wish MLB would come to its senses and sell its product to its fans.

Come on guys. Quit whining and strap on a pair! These clowns in suits do what they do because you're stupid enough to let them. If you can't keep your money in your pocket when you're not getting what you expect, then you'll get what you deserve. In case you haven't noticed, because of all your crying, b***hing and moaning, tv fans are not "really people", we're "markets", "territories", or "blackouts". You'll get a much better value keeping your $100 or more in YOUR pockets, instead of theirs. If the clowns in the suits don't change their tune after a year or so of "blaming the economy", instead of their own greed, you've just realized you're not as addicted to them as you thought. Take it from a diehard Cubs fan, who won't catch any games on WGN this year. I'll be fishing, or doing more productive things instead. I definitely won't be wasting any extra money and whining about my loss of games. Life goes on. Screw those clowns. I don't need their broadcasts to live, but they do want your money. Make them EARN IT!

MLB should allow paying customers to choose the team they want to watch; choosing a "personal home team" before the start of the season. It's not like MLB going to be able to "force" me to become a Red Sox fan simply by making them the only broadcast I received. What WILL be accomplished by that is I will cease being a baseball fan...THEN who will sponsors sell their crap to?

If MLB is worried about the economy driving down revenues, they should make their product more accessible. If I'm willing to pay for a premium service to view all games and it is not broadcast locally, the game should be available through Extra Innings or MLB.tv. I understand protecting local tv deals, but if there is no broadcast, there is no deal to protect.

The blackout policy makes no sense at all. I lived about 30 miles east of Pittsburgh two years ago and all of the Cleveland Indians games were blacked out on Extra Innings along with the ESPN Monday Night broadcasts. We were 3+ hours away from Cleveland, and could not pick over-the-air, cable, or radio broadcasts of the Indians. I'm sure that there are many other examples.

I live in San Antonio, and apparently I am closer to the Astros than the Rangers, but why not broadcast both equally? What are the mileage distances from the stadiums that they only show that team? In Nothern Virginia I would get both the Orioles and the Nationals on two separate channels even if they were playing at the same time. One went to commercial I would go to the other one.

Virginia is a great place to be a baseball fan

Tonight's, April 15th, ESPN Wednesday's game of the week is the Mets/Padres. A national televised game which is blacked out on DirecTV's MLB Extra Innings package in Vegas because San Diego claims Vegas as part of their local viewership audience to set advertising rates.

They, obviously, want their local SD audience to watch their game on their affliate rather than the ESPN nationally televised channel and, I imagine, anyone within SD's TV market can do so. But, since SD is allowed to claim Vegas as part of this audience, even though DirecTV is not allowed to carry the SD RSN, it means I'm blacked out of the ESPN airing. Also means I'm blacked out of the NY RSN channel that I get for subscribing to MLB's Extra Innings package, yeah.. the one fans pay for to watch out of market games, since SD wants their audience to watch on their channel.

So, for year after year of self-interest corporate deals and rule making that benefits everyone except those paying to watch the games, I'm blacked out of ESPN because I'm supposed to watch the SD feed. I'm blacked out of the SD feed because I don't live in SD's local market. I'm blacked out of the NY feed because I don't live in NY's local market. I'm blacked out of the national ESPN feed because SD claims Vegas as part of their market. I can't watch an imaginary 4th feed for people that don't live in NY, SD or in a land outside of SD/NY but still in America because no such place exists outside of the corporate hijacking of fans rights to watch what they pay for because nobody cares about the people paying for their product.

And apparently Oakland has now joined Arizona and San Diego in refusing to allow their games to be shown to Vegas residents whom subscribe to DirecTV's MLB Extra Innings as their games have been blacked out so far this year unless they play Anaheim and they allow us to watch them.

Nothing like being a fan that pays, for 10 years now, hundreds of dollars per year to watch MLB's Extra Innings package but not any of 6 MLB teams that claim a city that is hundreds of miles away from them, at least a 5 hour one way drive to the nearest MLB city as within their local market even though they don't air any games here. 6 seperate teams claim one city as their market. 3 of them don't even allow that city to designate their RSN channel as local to them. The other 3 retain game to game blackout rights, never known until game time, and sometimes forbid their games to be viewed even when they themselves refuse to carry the game.

I guess the way people stay in positions of authority is by making sure they never have to solve problems and constantly pa*s the blame around. MLB doesn't care. MLB teams don't care. TV stations don't care. You can get away with it but if you want to steal from me, at least, do so honestly.

There are many many places around the country that are in an MLB blackout zone that do not carry a local broadcast. I live in Santa Barbara which is in the Los Angeles blackout zone. About 30 Angels games are broadcast by KCOP, the LA affiliate for MyNetwork TV. The Santa Barbara affiliate for MyNetwork TV does not want to pay the extra fee to broadcast so I miss all those games. MLBTV is not an option due to blackout rules. MLB Extra Inning or other cable options are out for the same reason. Physically going to the game is impractical as it's a 3 hour drive to the stadium. This same situation
exists in many areas of the Midwest. An exception to the blackout rule for areas without a local broadcast was proposed to MLB for the 2009 season, but it died before the season started and we are left with the same situation as always. There are two possible solutions that I know of. 1) Subscribe to mlb.tv and use ip-spoofing to get around the ip address restriction. 2) Connect a slingbox to a location that can receive the game. Many have complained about the archaic blackout rules in an age of modern communications. The only option to get a local broadcast is mount a local campaign to persuade our local affiliate to purchase the broadcast rights to the Angels games. Haha good luck. I would be greatly tempted to purchase mlbtv if I could get access to every game period. Perhaps someday MLB will wake up and smell the money.