Rumblings: NBA to stream games live in local markets?

by damir on Oct 27, 2008 4:15 PM PDT

The NBA is poised to become the first major U.S. sports league to stream live games in local markets, an aggressive offering that will set up a showdown between cable operators and regional sports networks.

http://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/article/59753

Hopefully the NBA does this, and with today's technology, they can offer HD feeds, too. I'd pay for this over giving money to Comcast any day of the week. Probably cheaper, too.

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Ooh! Do It

Do it Now.

"You're really making me feel good about myself, little man," says Oden as he starts dancing after scoring a goal. "You better come harder than that."

by BlueBooYay on Oct 27, 2008 4:26 PM PDT reply actions

do it!

and even if you don’t, make it sound like you will, so Comcast panics into lowering their demands with the dish providers.

Rule #1 of nitpicking is to get it right.

by douglast on Oct 27, 2008 4:47 PM PDT reply actions

YES!

You have my permission, now go get it done……

Witty Unpredictable Talent and Natural Game

by iDea on Oct 27, 2008 4:54 PM PDT reply actions

Apparently they are working on it

http://www.nba.com/leaguepass/online.html

But so far, I can’t sign up via all access. Only for the WNBA and D-League.

Odenied: If you're given lemmings—make lemming-ade (Bow4Meow)

by Norsktroll on Oct 27, 2008 5:13 PM PDT reply actions

This

The thing proposed in the link is a different thing from the NBALP Online. That NBALP Online is still restricted to blackouts.

ROTUNDITYDOTNET

by damir on Oct 27, 2008 5:13 PM PDT up reply actions

it only helps local people. “The NBA will use geo-blocking technology to ensure that people outside of a team’s territory will not be able to access its games online to comply with the league’s local marketing rules.”

Anyone know what these “local marketing rules” are? Does that explain the blackouts far beyond driving distance to a game?

""I'm going to coach this team the best way I see fit. You can't rush it. You can't force it. When you force it, you end up losing, and I think you slow the growth down even more. There's a good chance we're going to go through rough times." - Nate McM 10/25/08

by jorga on Oct 27, 2008 5:35 PM PDT reply actions

So what do they do for Seattle?

Force us to watch the Thunder or allow us to watch the Blazers.

Actually, knowing David Stern, probably give us the finger.

by DonkeyShins on Oct 27, 2008 10:01 PM PDT up reply actions

what a great move.

I tell you, the NBA is by far the best run league. This will ensure in the future that all local fans will have some way to watch their team if say, some greedy bureaucratic cable company wants to hold on to their monopoly for as long it can leaving thousands of hungry fans with no home access to their teams games.

by oden is GOD OF WAR on Oct 27, 2008 5:44 PM PDT reply actions

yeah right, that scenario would never happen

by shralpster on Oct 27, 2008 6:24 PM PDT up reply actions

So it still wouldn't help people who don't live in the Portland area.

Very sad. I would pay money to watch the Blazers on my computer, but I don’t even have the opportunity to do so. The NBA is missing the boat.

"Greg Oden is the strongest guy in the NBA" - Channing Frye.

by TallTimber on Oct 27, 2008 6:17 PM PDT reply actions

Old News...

Hate to break it to ya, but this was posted way back in August, and so far nothing new has come from it. I’m forced to believe at this point that such a thing wouldn’t happen this season, since the NBA needs to clear it with cable operators like Comcast who, in many cases, have paid for the exclusive rights to broadcast games in local markets. Considering how long it’s taken Comcast and the dish companies to come to any kind of terms (1.3 years, and counting), I would expect this kind of legal process to take a while.

Until then those of us under contract to DirecTV and Dish will continue to take what we can, pester the hell out of both companies, and go blind leaning WAY too close to our monitors in an effort to make out which player is which because their heads are comprised of exactly four separate pixels.

Bleh.

by ChrisB803 on Oct 27, 2008 9:44 PM PDT reply actions