SNY Coverage

[UConn76]

Eagerly signed up for SNY after I moved to Minneapolis, MN this summer thinking that I could watch any of our televised football/basketball games.

Watched the 2nd half of the Rhode Island / Syracuse game and right when SNY moved to UConn coverage, (UConn up 3-0) the dreaded 'this program is blacked out in your area' message came on.

Obviously I don't understand the blackout rules in this case, but hard for me to understand that SNY could show the SU game and then blackout the UConn game in Minnesota.

Am I faced with having all future UConn games that are slated for SNY (currently Buffalo, Western Michigan, and WVU) being blacked out?

If so, I'd cancel my Sports Package here in MN and go for ESPN Game Plan..but I don't think I'm assured that ESPN would pick up UConn's games each week.

Suggestions?

 

[pepband99]

I'm not aware of an SNY-side blackout for our game at all. It could be from the SEC side, as they controlled the TV rights for this game. It was syndicated elsewhere (whereas the Cuse game was on Gameplan, and the rights controlled by the Big East).

In short - you're likely fine for UConn home games and conference games, but might be SOL again for OOC away games.

 

[UConnSportsGuy]

I went to Nashville for the game and set my DirectTV to record the game on SNY for me. When I got home last night (I live in Chicago), I found that it did not record the game because it was blacked out by Direct TV. I have no idea why that is....I am hoping that pepband99 is right and it is just because of the SEC rights. This is the first time that I have ever had our game blocked out...so it better just be this game and not continue. I have been watching the UConn games on the extended sports package on Direct TV since I moved to Chicago 5 years ago, and this is the first time this has happened. So hopefully this is the last time for the both of us UConn76.

 

[Revrat]

I'm in Minneapolis as well. Same as you with Direct TV. I'm kinda bummed. It never happened last year with football or basketball but if they are going to black out the games theres certainly no reason for me to have the Sports Pack. I'm not really able to swing the gameplan either at the current time so ESPN3 it is.

I have a feeling it's a case where when it's on Gameplan it's blacked out. When it's not it will be on SNY. Maybe I just got lucky last year and ESPN wasn't enforcing the blackouts.

 

[pepband99]

I'm pretty sure I'm right - see http://sec.xosdigitallabs.com/Portals/3/SEC Website/Clearances.pdf for this week's game.

There are affiliates in both Minny and Chicago, so they will get SNY blacked out. Same likely happened this week.

 

[IMind]

I don't think it's Gameplan... I'm pretty sure it's entirely because it was an SEC home game. The home conference controls the rights, and it looks like in my area CSN-Philly had the rights to the game... and they aren't on DirecTV.

 

[UConnSportsGuy]

I don't think it's Gameplan... I'm pretty sure it's entirely because it was an SEC home game. The home conference controls the rights, and it looks like in my area CSN-Philly had the rights to the game... and they aren't on DirecTV.

Well, we better not end up in the SEC in this conference re-shuffling then!

 

[uconnfan68]

Eagerly signed up for SNY after I moved to Minneapolis, MN this summer thinking that I could watch any of our televised football/basketball games.

Watched the 2nd half of the Rhode Island / Syracuse game and right when SNY moved to UConn coverage, (UConn up 3-0) the dreaded 'this program is blacked out in your area' message came on.

Obviously I don't understand the blackout rules in this case, but hard for me to understand that SNY could show the SU game and then blackout the UConn game in Minnesota.

Am I faced with having all future UConn games that are slated for SNY (currently Buffalo, Western Michigan, and WVU) being blacked out?

If so, I'd cancel my Sports Package here in MN and go for ESPN Game Plan..but I don't think I'm assured that ESPN would pick up UConn's games each week.

Suggestions?

was also available on ESPN3, if you have access to it.

 

[UConn76]

I'm not aware of an SNY-side blackout for our game at all. It could be from the SEC side, as they controlled the TV rights for this game. It was syndicated elsewhere (whereas the Cuse game was on Gameplan, and the rights controlled by the Big East).

In short - you're likely fine for UConn home games and conference games, but might be SOL again for OOC away games.

Appreciate the feedback...What you say makes perfect sense as opposed to the answers you get from Directv which simply includes a high level reference to professional sports blackout rules. In looking at the SNY webpages, they make specific reference to UConn and Syracuse rules without going into any specific details. This one had to be a SEC rule. Hopefully Buffalo doesn't command that much respect!

 

[UConn76]

I'm in Minneapolis as well. Same as you with Direct TV. I'm kinda bummed. It never happened last year with football or basketball but if they are going to black out the games theres certainly no reason for me to have the Sports Pack. I'm not really able to swing the gameplan either at the current time so ESPN3 it is.

I have a feeling it's a case where when it's on Gameplan it's blacked out. When it's not it will be on SNY. Maybe I just got lucky last year and ESPN wasn't enforcing the blackouts.

Thanks...I ended up watching the game on ESPN Gameplan (and my wallet is $25 lighter for doing so) but the game was from the SEC Network and wasn't even in HD...

 

[caliUconnfan]

I don't think it's Gameplan... I'm pretty sure it's entirely because it was an SEC home game. The home conference controls the rights, and it looks like in my area CSN-Philly had the rights to the game... and they aren't on DirecTV.

I hope that is the case because I added the sports pack to my Directv to be able to see Uconn games and was peeved as hell that we were blacked out. If its only for this one game that is welcome news.

 

[pepband99]

See my link in prior post. There are multiple California affiliates, too...

 

[Section138]

I went to Nashville for the game and set my DirectTV to record the game on SNY for me. When I got home last night (I live in Chicago), I found that it did not record the game because it was blacked out by Direct TV. I have no idea why that is....I am hoping that pepband99 is right and it is just because of the SEC rights. This is the first time that I have ever had our game blocked out...so it better just be this game and not continue. I have been watching the UConn games on the extended sports package on Direct TV since I moved to Chicago 5 years ago, and this is the first time this has happened. So hopefully this is the last time for the both of us UConn76.

Were you back in CT last weekend working on the shack?

 

[weyuo]

I was just over the border in MA... I mean just over the border and got blacked out by SNY. Watched it on ESPN3 but some poor shmuck from Comcast is gonna get an earful over this one. I don't care if they don't care.....I'm going to irritate somebody as much as I was irritated when I checked the SNY schedule all week and they had the UConn/Vandy game scheduled then with less than 3 hours before game time SNY shows "off the air" for that time slot.

 

[IMind]

Well, we better not end up in the SEC in this conference re-shuffling then!

I guess I'd have to go back to local cable. *shudders*

I have one of the few small independent local cable providers left... and let me tell you this is one instance where a small home grown operation does NOT provide better customer support.

 

[dsturdy5]

This is a comcast issue. This happened to me during basketball season too. In short, during the Louisville home game, I saw the first two or three baskets and then it was dropped. I called Comcast and they didn't even know that they carried SNY up here. Then they said it was blacked out due to the game being available on Full Court. Well, full court is not available in my area. I was able to see every UConn hoops game live on SNY last year, whether it was on full court or not, save for this one and no one could tell me why. I got literally 100 different excuses ranging from "you have an old box that was shipped to you from New York and it hasn't been properly wiped so it thinks you should get that channel" (um, no I don't) to the "it's on game plan, but we don't offer that package so you are SOL" excuse. I read them a list of other stations I get around SNY (Comcast Sports Bay Area, MTN, etc) and they said those channels do not exist. I guess I was watching some alien transmission then. Comcast is too big for its own good and doesn't know its ass from its elbow.

If you have DirecTv they black out live games unless you get the specific sports package. IE, if you don't have the MLB package, they also black out the mets games out of market on SNY.

 

[caliUconnfan]

DS- I don't think you have it right for direct tv when it comes to college sports. Pepband clarified above that it has to do with who holds the rights to the games. Since this week was @ SEC school they control the distribution. I am expecting that the rest of the SNY games will be carried on direct tv like they were last year. I will say that I definitely feel for your frustration because Directv couldn't give me any explanation either.

 

[dsturdy5]

DS- I don't think you have it right for direct tv when it comes to college sports. Pepband clarified above that it has to do with who holds the rights to the games. Since this week was @ SEC school they control the distribution. I am expecting that the rest of the SNY games will be carried on direct tv like they were last year. I will say that I definitely feel for your frustration because Directv couldn't give me any explanation either.

Then that has changed. When I had DirecTv (albeit about 4 years ago) you needed to purchase Game Plan to get any of the games even if you had the sports pack. You could only see replays on the regional sports networks.

 

[UConnSportsGuy]

Then that has changed. When I had DirecTv (albeit about 4 years ago) you needed to purchase Game Plan to get any of the games even if you had the sports pack. You could only see replays on the regional sports networks.

That is only if you live in CT. I live in Chicago and have been watching the UConn games on the Direct TV extended sports pack for over 5 years now. This past weekend was the first game (football or basketball) in which I could not get in my area.

 

[caliUconnfan]

That is only if you live in CT. I live in Chicago and have been watching the UConn games on the Direct TV extended sports pack for over 5 years now. This past weekend was the first game (football or basketball) in which I could not get in my area.

that is the same experience I had. Hoping it was just the whole SEC rights thing. Will know for sure when Buffalo game is here.

 

[pepband99]

that is the same experience I had. Hoping it was just the whole SEC rights thing. Will know for sure when Buffalo game is here.

Not necessarily. MAC TV rights are a mess, compared to the SEC. It's really on a conf-by-conf basis.