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James636 · 07-10-2005, 10:01 AM

The DirecTV Sports Pack is pretty much worthless when:

a) It consists of 80% Fox Sports Net channels, all of which show the same awful programming (pool, poker, "The Worst Damn Show on Television,"cheerleading, "The Sports List," etc.)

b) When something worthwhile is on one of the regional sports networks (particularly college football classics on the Sunshine Network), it is blacked out. This just started happening about a year ago. As far as I know, the only sports telecasting rights that exist are for live sporting events, not the LSU-Florida game played in October 2004 or a Florida State game played in 1995. If there indeed are blackout restrictions on these game replays, it's an absolute crock. But my guess is that Rupert Turdoch wants you to watch FSN if you're looking for sports.

c) I was an NHL Center Ice subscriber for a couple years, and this used to allow me to see game replays late at night. I could go out at night, come home, and have three or four of that night's hockey games to watch, because many of the regional sports networks re-air the games a couple of hours after they're over. However, this has changed. I have MLB Extra Innings this year, and now all replays are blacked out, even though I'm paying $160 for the package and assumed that replays would be part of it. Once again, the reason is because Rupert (may he die of Alzheimer's) wants me to watch the inane programming of FSN. I assume it's the same now for all sports.

This is what happens when the carrier and the channels are "corporate cousins." The carrier pushes the viewer to watch the channels in which it has an ownership interest, and blocks worthwhile programming on competing networks that it happens to carry. What is The Sunshine Network worth to me if I can't see the college football replays? What are NESN, MSG, and YES worth to me if I can't watch hockey and baseball replays? I'm paying for all of them as part of the sports pack. What is FSN worth to me if all twenty-plus FSN channels show the same horrendous crap, with no alternative? It's a scam. Piss on News Corp.

07-10-2005, 10:01 AM	#1
James636 High Definition is the definition of life. Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 35	Sports Pack no longer worth it.... The DirecTV Sports Pack is pretty much worthless when: a) It consists of 80% Fox Sports Net channels, all of which show the same awful programming (pool, poker, "The Worst Damn Show on Television,"cheerleading, "The Sports List," etc.) b) When something worthwhile is on one of the regional sports networks (particularly college football classics on the Sunshine Network), it is blacked out. This just started happening about a year ago. As far as I know, the only sports telecasting rights that exist are for live sporting events, not the LSU-Florida game played in October 2004 or a Florida State game played in 1995. If there indeed are blackout restrictions on these game replays, it's an absolute crock. But my guess is that Rupert Turdoch wants you to watch FSN if you're looking for sports. c) I was an NHL Center Ice subscriber for a couple years, and this used to allow me to see game replays late at night. I could go out at night, come home, and have three or four of that night's hockey games to watch, because many of the regional sports networks re-air the games a couple of hours after they're over. However, this has changed. I have MLB Extra Innings this year, and now all replays are blacked out, even though I'm paying $160 for the package and assumed that replays would be part of it. Once again, the reason is because Rupert (may he die of Alzheimer's) wants me to watch the inane programming of FSN. I assume it's the same now for all sports. This is what happens when the carrier and the channels are "corporate cousins." The carrier pushes the viewer to watch the channels in which it has an ownership interest, and blocks worthwhile programming on competing networks that it happens to carry. What is The Sunshine Network worth to me if I can't see the college football replays? What are NESN, MSG, and YES worth to me if I can't watch hockey and baseball replays? I'm paying for all of them as part of the sports pack. What is FSN worth to me if all twenty-plus FSN channels show the same horrendous crap, with no alternative? It's a scam. Piss on News Corp. Last edited by James636; 07-10-2005 at 10:05 AM.