The Bruins game is blacked out due to broadcasting rights agreements, typically preventing local viewing when a national network carries the game.
Ever find yourself excitedly settling in for a Bruins game only to be met with a black screen? The frustration is real, and you’re not alone. Many fans wonder: why is the Bruins game blacked out?
These blackouts happen because of complex contracts between different broadcasting companies. National networks secure exclusive rights, so local providers cannot show that game. This ensures that those national carriers receive the viewership they paid for.
Why is the Bruins Game Blacked Out?
Ever get ready to watch the Boston Bruins, only to find the game is blacked out? It’s frustrating, right? You’re not alone! Many hockey fans run into this problem, and it often leaves them scratching their heads. But don’t worry, there are good reasons why this happens. Let’s explore the world of sports blackouts and figure out why sometimes you can’t see the Bruins play on your TV or streaming device.
Understanding TV Blackouts
Okay, let’s start with the basics. A TV blackout means that a specific sporting event isn’t shown on television in a particular area. It’s like the game is wearing an invisibility cloak just for your location. Why do these blackouts exist? They’re mainly about protecting the local team’s ticket sales and the broadcast rights of the game.
The Role of the League and Broadcasters
The NHL, like other professional sports leagues, works with TV networks (like ESPN, TNT, or local sports channels) to broadcast games. These networks pay big money for the right to show the games, and they get to decide which games go where. It’s a bit like a pie – everyone wants a piece, and there are rules about how it’s sliced.
The league and the broadcaster have agreements. These agreements include guidelines about areas where the games can be broadcast and the areas where the broadcast is not permitted. Because a specific local sports broadcaster has the rights to show the local market game, the league will blackout other national broadcasters. This encourages people in the local market to watch the game on the broadcaster that has the rights, and also encourages people to attend the games in person.
These deals often involve a concept called “territorial exclusivity.” This basically means a network might have the sole right to broadcast games within a specific area. They pay a premium for this exclusivity, and in return, they expect that viewers in their area will tune into their channel or streaming service to watch the game. Therefore, a game that is broadcast nationally may not be shown locally because a local broadcaster has the exclusive rights to that market. This results in the national broadcast being blacked out locally.
Local Market Blackout Explained
The most common reason you encounter a blackout of a Bruins game is due to local market restrictions. This means that if you live within the Bruins’ designated territory (Boston and surrounding areas), a national broadcast of their game might be blacked out in your area. Instead, the game is intended to be shown on the local sports network like NESN (New England Sports Network) which has the exclusive broadcast rights.
Think of it like this: the goal is for people in Boston to watch the game on NESN, which paid for those local broadcasting rights. Blacking out other networks forces viewers to use the local network.
How Geographic Location Impacts Blackouts
Where you live is a big factor in whether you encounter a blackout. These zones are determined by the team’s market and the broadcaster’s agreements. The areas are often based on zip codes. You might find that you’re close enough to Boston to get the local blackout of a national broadcast. But a few zip codes over, you might get to see the national broadcast. It depends on where the line is drawn between the broadcast territories.
Why Blackouts Exist
The next big question is why do these blackouts even exist? Why can’t everyone just watch any game they want?
Encouraging Game Attendance
One key reason for blackouts is to encourage people to buy tickets and go to the games in person. This is a big driver of revenue for teams. If everyone could just watch every game on TV, many fewer people might actually buy tickets. So, blackouts help drive attendance at the TD Garden.
Protecting Broadcasters’ Rights
As stated, TV networks and streaming services pay huge sums for the right to show hockey games. By enforcing blackouts, they ensure that their investment in broadcasting rights is worthwhile. If anyone could stream any game, anywhere, the value of their contracts would decrease. These blackouts help them recoup some of that investment.
Impact of Streaming Services
The rise of streaming services has added a layer of complexity to the blackout situation. Streaming services such as ESPN+, Hulu, and others also have broadcast rights to NHL games. However, these rights are usually not exclusive, which means that a local broadcaster might still have the rights to your local games, even if it is also on a streaming platform. It may sound confusing, and that is because it is, in fact, quite complicated to figure out which games are being blacked out on which platforms for your local market.
Streaming services are also subjected to blackout rules. Even if you subscribe to a streaming service that carries NHL games, you might still encounter blackouts due to local market restrictions. This is because the broadcast rights are still subject to the same geographical limitations. You may have a subscription that gives you a variety of different NHL games, but some games will still be blacked out locally.
Types of Blackouts
Not all blackouts are the same. There are different types of blackouts you might come across, let’s take a closer look.
Local Blackouts
These are the most common type of blackouts, which happen in a team’s local market area. As described above, these blackouts protect the local TV broadcaster that has bought the rights to show the game and also encourages local people to attend the game in person.
National Blackouts
National blackouts happen when a major network has the rights to show the game nationally. Sometimes a local broadcaster will not have rights to games that are broadcast nationally, but that is rare. More commonly, a national blackout happens if there is a local game being broadcast on a local channel at the same time as the game that is being nationally broadcast. These blackouts are more common in areas where multiple teams are located near each other and have overlapping broadcasting zones.
Out-of-Market Games
You can always try to get access to out-of-market games. Services like NHL Center Ice or ESPN+ provide out-of-market broadcasts for subscribers. However, even with these services, you will still be subject to the blackout rules for your area. These services are useful to see games that are not in your local market but will still not help if a game is blacked out in your area due to local market restrictions.
How to Check if a Game is Blacked Out
So, how do you know if a game is going to be blacked out? It can be tricky, but there are a few things you can do.
Check your TV Guide
The first place to check is your local TV guide. See if your local sports network (like NESN for the Bruins) is scheduled to show the game. If a national broadcast is blacked out, the local broadcast will generally be listed. Sometimes it will be listed as “blacked out” on national broadcasters if a local affiliate is broadcasting at the same time.
Visit the NHL Website
The NHL website has a section that lists game times and broadcasters. Sometimes, they also have information regarding blackouts for individual games. It’s a good place to verify game availability information, even if you can’t see all the blackout restrictions on the site.
Use a TV Provider App
Your TV provider app might also have some information regarding the broadcast information for a specific game. Some apps even provide information on blackouts, although it may not always be available or accurate. However, it can be worth the try if you are wondering which games might be available in your local market.
Use a Third-Party App or Website
Some third-party websites or apps provide schedules for sports broadcasts, including blackouts. These sites use information available from broadcasters and the league and may provide information you cannot find anywhere else.
Are There Ways Around Blackouts?
While we can’t suggest any methods that break the terms of service of the broadcasters, we can say that some people find that if they are far enough from their local market they may have the chance to watch out-of-market broadcasts on streaming services. Another potential workaround for certain situations is using a VPN, which allows a user to connect to a server in a different location. However, using a VPN to bypass blackout restrictions is likely to violate the terms of service of the streaming provider, and so we can not recommend that practice.
The Future of Blackouts
The way we watch sports is changing rapidly with streaming gaining popularity. This has made blackouts a bigger topic of conversation because of the complexity of rights ownership, and the different broadcasting rules and restrictions. Leagues and broadcasters may need to adapt their approach to satisfy fans who are increasingly used to streaming services and wanting access to content on demand.
While it is possible that the system may become more complex before it is simplified, many fans are hoping that the next generation of broadcasting and streaming contracts may create more flexibility for fans to be able to see more of their games.
Blackouts can be annoying. But, they serve important purposes. They protect broadcasters’ investments, increase revenue for teams, and encourage fans to attend games in person. If you’re frustrated with blackouts, you can look for ways to get access to out-of-market games, or find an awesome sports bar to watch the game with your fellow fans.
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Final Thoughts
Ultimately, regional broadcasting rights cause most blackouts. When a local network holds exclusive rights, national broadcasts get blocked in that area. The NHL and local carriers negotiate these complex agreements.
This means, the team’s games get shown on a regional sports network instead. Viewers must have that specific channel on their cable or satellite to watch. Understanding these contracts answers ‘why is the bruins game blacked out’ in your area, you must purchase the required channel to watch.
