Why are some NHL, MLS, MLB, NBA, NFL, CFL games blacked out?

Frustrating, isn’t it? We completely understand!

Professional sports leagues sell their televised content to TV stations under something called national and regional broadcast rights. When a TV station acquires the regional rights, only viewers who have subscribed to the channel and live in a team’s designated broadcast region, as defined by the league in which it plays, will be able to watch the match. If you are seeing a message on-screen saying that you can’t watch the game (a blackout), it means that you live outside of that team’s territory. We advise you to contact the league, streaming service and/or the station, to voice your concerns. It’s in their interest to keep you happy.

Learn more about blackouts of sports events and TV shows.

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