mlb.com

[Maxbialystock]

I've been using it for at least 5 years to watch Sox games. MLB has a policy that games on mlb.com can't interfere with local teams coverage of games. I lived in Fairfax County, so that meant Nationals and, far more often, Orioles games would be blacked out. This was fine because I could get them on the local TV station.

Now I live in Greensboro, NC and have learned that despite the much greater distance from Washington and Baltimore, I am still blacked out from watching their games even though there is no other means (TV or otherwise) of watching their games down here. Plus Atlanta--of course-- is on the blackout list.

What makes all this worse in my opinion is that there is also no possibility this season that I could attend any of these games in person. In other words, MLB and especially the Orioles and Nationals franchises are throwing away a viewing customer to whom they could show commercials (on mlb.com) between innings and when pitchers are changed during an inning.

One more thing. mlb.com offers two feeds for most games (that aren't shown on cable by ESPN or Fox): the home team's and the visiting team's. Given that, I wonder why they don't just blackout the Sox feed (NESN) when the Sox are playing the Braves, Nationals, or Orioles.

To me it's dumb, but what do I know?

[Thunder]

I would consider subscribing to ESPN+, especially if you watch other sports too. $5.99/month and you get MLB out of market coverage. I personally haven't used it because I live in NE and get NESN, but I don't believe there are blackouts

[notin]

I've been using it for at least 5 years to watch Sox games. MLB has a policy that games on mlb.com can't interfere with local teams coverage of games. I lived in Fairfax County, so that meant Nationals and, far more often, Orioles games would be blacked out. This was fine because I could get them on the local TV station.

Now I live in Greensboro, NC and have learned that despite the much greater distance from Washington and Baltimore, I am still blacked out from watching their games even though there is no other means (TV or otherwise) of watching their games down here. Plus Atlanta--of course-- is on the blackout list.

What makes all this worse in my opinion is that there is also no possibility this season that I could attend any of these games in person. In other words, MLB and especially the Orioles and Nationals franchises are throwing away a viewing customer to whom they could show commercials (on mlb.com) between innings and when pitchers are changed during an inning.

One more thing. mlb.com offers two feeds for most games (that aren't shown on cable by ESPN or Fox): the home team's and the visiting team's. Given that, I wonder why they don't just blackout the Sox feed (NESN) when the Sox are playing the Braves, Nationals, or Orioles.

To me it's dumb, but what do I know?

MLB's blackout rules are archaic. They divided up the entire country into regions "controlled" by each team and everyone in that region is subject to blackouts. So people in El Paso cannot watch Ranger games because MLB wants to encourage attendance. Because those El Pasans need to make that 10 hour drive!

Not sure why MLB has been so insistent on preventing people from watching it's product....

[mvp 78]

MLB's blackout rules are archaic. They divided up the entire country into regions "controlled" by each team and everyone in that region is subject to blackouts. So people in El Paso cannot watch Ranger games because MLB wants to encourage attendance. Because those El Pasans need to make that 10 hour drive!

Not sure why MLB has been so insistent on preventing people from watching it's product....

It's the only thing keeping those tv contracts at such a high $$$ amount.

[Maxbialystock]

I would consider subscribing to ESPN+, especially if you watch other sports too. $5.99/month and you get MLB out of market coverage. I personally haven't used it because I live in NE and get NESN, but I don't believe there are blackouts

I do get espn+ and can assure the blackout extends there as well.

[Thunder]

I do get espn+ and can assure the blackout extends there as well.

Search MLB streams on Reddit. You don't need an account. They'll have links to various games. Some of the sites are sketchy, but safe as long as you don't click on anything else. Buffstreamz is a pretty reliable site, and it's one of the few there that are free. I used to use it all the time for NFL games, but the new security system I have doesn't let me through. It's not pretty, but it's something.

[Northern Star]

MLB's blackout rules are archaic. They divided up the entire country into regions "controlled" by each team and everyone in that region is subject to blackouts. So people in El Paso cannot watch Ranger games because MLB wants to encourage attendance. Because those El Pasans need to make that 10 hour drive!

Not sure why MLB has been so insistent on preventing people from watching it's product....

I may be wrong, but I thought blackout rules had nothing to do with attendance - certainly not for a market ten hours away by car. It's all about protecting the local cable channel's revenue.

Well, guess what, dipshits? I don't have cable. My only choice is to watch on the computer. So if those local cable channels want to offer a subscription service for cordcutters, maybe we'll talk.

(NOTE - this is based on the situation a few years ago, I don't know what the state of play is now with local cable channels and online. I know they were offering it for their existing subscribers in some cases).