Will Fox Ever Let Me Live in Peace?
by SamFels on Apr 5, 2008 12:34 PM CDT
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PrintIt's bad enough that we don't get all the Fox games on Extra Innings.....
It's bad enough that those of use who have Extra Innings can't get to see all the Fox games on our package as is, but now they get to block out every single game during the day? The game today wasn't on during Fox's 4pm EST window, why is it not on my package? Disgraceful.
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This is Bull S!!!
i pay 180 dollars to strictly watch all he Cubs games and they block out all my saturdays. Saturday is the one day where I am able to watch the full game. Fox is not even showing games right now so this is ridiculous.
I called direct tv to get some sort of explanation and the first guy i talked to told me that YES i should be getting all of these games. Then he ended up transferring me to someone else who said I don't get Saturday or Sunday games ever. Which is incorrect because i believe i will be getting all the games tommarrow.
This is absolutley ridiculous and if i wasn't obsessed with baseball i would boycott. But honestly there needs to be somothing we can do or something, because after this I don't think I will be getting extra innings anymore after this year.
i hear ya
Its never fun having the white sox as the only game you can watch, especially when other games could be watched on the package. For some weird reason as long as detroit keeps losing i feel alittle better about the cubs because atleast we have 1 win.
Im stuck
watching just the Nationals and Cardinals. BORING!!! ha by the way i just called direct tv again and now they just have a recording up because so many people have been calling in complaining. I have also been hung up on twice today. I am very upset with direct tvs nonsense
I feel your pain...
I'm "out of market" and can usually get all the Cub games via MLB.com, but they black out the ones that are on Fox *even if they're not shown in my area*! It's completely ridiculous, and the problem gets worse the better the Cubs play - if they're in contention, Fox will pick up more of their games.
It drove me to cancel my video subscription this year....I'll just listen to Pat and Ron with the radio call, which is always there, thank goodness.
"Eighty-five percent of the world is working. The other fifteen percent come out here." - Lee Elia, 1983
by CaughtInTheVines on Apr 5, 2008 1:40 PM CDT reply actions
I have
i have extra innings and i get the game...but i also live 50 miles from houston so maybe thats why...
THIS IS THE YEAR!!
that is way
because its still a local game for you. I live in NC on the border of Virginia so I am still getting the nationals cardinals game
Note and BIG TIP
I get extra innings too and it blows on Saturday! However, I believe MLBTV also has the same problems or at least they did last year.
My piece of adfvice when we are scheduled to be on FOX but it's out of market:
Check FOX Sports International. They tend to air Cubs games for a majority of the time when it's an option. It's in Spanish but if you can get an english audio feed on the computer it works.
It's Fox Sports En Español.
But, sorry, they had the Padres-Dodgers game today and they'll have the Dodgers game again next week. Fox will have that game in some markets but the main one will be Yankees-Red Sox.
by Fraggin Judge on Apr 5, 2008 6:47 PM CDT up reply actions
The answer is No
Fox will never let you live in peace. They pay a ton of money and they want you blacked out. So you're going to be blacked out. No matter how much money you are paying for EI, Fox is paying a lot more.
This is why I get Gameday audio, so I can listen to Pat and Ron on Saturday afternoon games. It's not going to change.
It's a girl! Born 1-18-08. 2246 PST. 8 lbs. 1 oz.
We've ranted about this before.
It's idiotic. The three-hour window BEFORE the Fox game should be open to EI. There's absolutely no reason NOT to, other than this obvious fact: the people who decide MLB broadcast rights look something like this:
The bad news for you outside of Chicago is, there are nine more of these Saturday games. (Saturday, 6/21 and Saturday, 9/27, noon starts, are on WGN.)
"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx
Whoa, is there a draft in here?
All of a sudden I felt a chill...
Alan Trammell: Assistant (to the) Manager
Write MLB
Enough people bitch about it perhaps something can be done. It can't be only the Cubs, and since there's 29 other teams represented by this blogging system I'd bet the 29 other "Al's" would want their fans to do the same.
And to top it all off, its the worst case excuse for a sports network. Oh dear Lord to have all the games on WGN again!
Do write, but...
the TV contract is not up for renewal until 2011. As unfair as it is, look at the blackout from the network affiliates perspective. Since nowadays there are many other games on cable, the ratings for the Saturday "Game of the Week" were lower every year. The blackout ensures that only one game will be on during the day on Saturdays in most markets, thus avoiding any further loss of baseball viewers to other channels. The problem is that the network only covers 2 or 3 games but many other are scheduled during the day, especially in the cold months. So, it would be more realistic to ask teams to schedule more games on Saturdays after 7:00 P.M. Eastern, when the blackout ends.
by Fraggin Judge on Apr 5, 2008 6:54 PM CDT up reply actions
No, here's the problem.
The "Game of the Week" has now been locked into the late-afternoon timeslot (3:55 EDT). ALL the games are on during that time period.
What harm does it do to allow EI telecasts in the 1-4 pm EDT time period? The vast majority of those games will end (as today's Cubs game did) BEFORE the Fox game starts.
Blacking out games that people ARE interested in only pisses them off and makes them angry at Fox, which makes them, in my estimation, LESS likely to watch the Fox game.
JMHO
"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx
True.
But the contract is already in place. it's a bad one for the fans, but it's there. I think it's more realistic for now to ask the teams to schedule more night games on Saturdays during the warm months.
Unfortunately, the early games conflict with the Fox Pre-game Show at 3:30 ET and some, like the Yankees' game today, run past 4:00 P.M. ET. And in future years, Fox might go back to early Saturday games if they think it's convenient.
The truth is the "Game of the Week" is a relic with no relevance in today's world of multiple channels. What TBS will do on Sundays, with no blackouts, is more realistic. That Saturday exclusivity, like you say, might be hurting Fox more than they know. But it's in the TV contract and MLB gets more money from Fox by granting them that exclusivity.
by Fraggin Judge on Apr 5, 2008 8:15 PM CDT up reply actions
Unfortunately, the Cubs cannot schedule night games on Saturdays.
So that makes Cubs fans away from Chicago the ones affected the most by the Saturday day-long TV blackout. So I understand everyone's disgust at Fox and MLB. This is another example of how TV contracts ruin fans' enthusiasm and enjoyment.
So, the alternative I proposed above (more Saturday night games) is directed at fans from other teams (unless you can convince the politicians in Chicago to allow night baseball in Wrigley on Saturday nights; no chance for now, I think) and to the Cubs only when they play away on Saturday.
by Fraggin Judge on Apr 5, 2008 8:32 PM CDT up reply actions
At the same time...
... how much money are they losing from people who MIGHT sign up for EI or MLB.TV if they knew they could watch all these games?
The Fox pre-game show. Yeah, that's worth preserving to black out seven or eight games (as was the case today).
There was another problem with a Cub game back in 2006 in Cincinnati, which started at 6 pm EDT instead of 7 pm EDT -- and was thus blacked out. Stupid. At the VERY least they could have allowed it to be joined in progress at 7 pm EDT.
My rule is very simple in this case: if you are willing to pay to see MLB games, you should be able to see any game you care to, any time, anywhere. Period.
"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx
true
I mean i spend 180$ for all the games plus an extra 50$( i think 50) for that strike zone chanel thing. That is alot of money ecspecially when i mostly only watch cubs games.
The sad thing is no matter how much money i pay there is no way i can see these games. I mean honestly i would pay an extra 30$ or whatever just to see these 9 or so games that will be blocked out. It is just very frustrating and very stupid planning my the companies.
And i don't know if anyone else made a phone call to direct tv today but they were horrible to deal with. I was getting one answer from one person and then the opposite response from the next person i talked to. During this whole process i had two different people hang up me.
I have already spent hundreds of dollars on tickets for wrigley and buy food ect. there. I have spent hundreds of dollars on Cubs merchandise. I have also spent hundreds of dollars on being able to see these games. It would be nice MLB did not make this kind of stuff so difficult and ridiculous.
I totally agree.
I don't think it's good business to force fans to watch the game the network or MLB wants them to watch. The fan should watch the game he wants to watch. It's his money. Unfortunately, the TV contract is structured to protect the advertisers and Fox. When will they learn that most fans are not going to sit and watch the game they don't want to watch? I can understand not showing other games over the air or basic cable, but not on pay per view (EI) or the computer (MLB.TV) either? Ridiculous and bad business. But that's TV business nowadays.
by Fraggin Judge on Apr 7, 2008 1:09 AM CDT up reply actions
The anser is to write FOX not MLB
Write FOX Sports and tell them you will not be watching any of thier Saturday baseball as long as the silly blackout rules are in effect. It probably won't have any effect, but if enough people stuck to it they might consider changes in the future.
It might also help to email your congressman. What the cause needs is a high profile person to bring it to the general public's attention.
Regardless, there's probably no changing it, but it would help if the problem was more high profile.
"There's nothing wrong with this team that more hitting, more pitching, more fielding, and more hitting couldn't help." Bill Buckner
Congress isn't a bad idea.
It was Sen. Kerry's intervention last year that got MLB to sign a deal for EI with Comcast and other cable companies, so that it wasn't just on DirecTV.
"That's my opinion and if you don't like it, well, I have others." ~ Groucho Marx
Surprised Kerry
had any time for that, I figured he was busy with that other sport:
Alan Trammell: Assistant (to the) Manager
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