Red Sox games on national TV

[radiojay1]

I have Cox Cable with digital and HD in Rhode Island. Sometimes I will see Red Sox games on ESPN during the week, like on Wednesday night against the Tigers. WGN America (in Chicago) is also great because you can see their national broadcasts when the White Sox or Cubs play the Red Sox. When the Red Sox played the Phillies I was able to see the Sunday game on TBS for the first time. Being a Yankee fan, these channels are a nice alternative to only being able to watch NESN. Knowing I am in the Red Sox TV broadcast coverage area, national broadcasts are usually blacked out when the games are on NESN. Do blackout restrictions always apply when games are on NESN? I was wondering how it works because I like being able to see some games on a different channel. I know this does not apply to Fox on Saturdays or ESPN on Sunday nights where they are the only networks covering the games.

 

[WMC2006]

Do blackout restrictions always apply when games are on NESN?

I don't know but there's only a handful of games each year that are NOT on NESN. Fox and ESPN put the Sox on nationally each year a few times each but, otherwise, every game is on NESN.

 

[bmf316nhl]

Yesterday's sox/braves national broadcast on TBS was blacked out in Pawtucket RI

 

[Mainedude2007]

The Sox games on national TV should be blacked out in New England, unless the cable company screws something up. ESPN has exclusive Sunday night rights and Fox has exclusive Saturday rights. If ESPN runs a game during the week or MLB Network carries a game, it's supposed to be blacked out in Sox broadcast territory (MLB Net usually just feeds another game, ESPN did this until 2006 or so)

One interesting note: Fox's national window beings 3 hours before their games. So (for example if the Sox play Kansas City away at 2 on a Saturday afternoon and Fox has a 4pm game, the Sox game (and any game that starts from 1 to 7pm, when Fox's game would presumably end) would not be available on the national MLB Extra Innings package but would be available on NESN within New England.

 

[KeithE4]

One interesting note: Fox's national window beings 3 hours before their games. So (for example if the Sox play Kansas City away at 2 on a Saturday afternoon and Fox has a 4pm game, the Sox game (and any game that starts from 1 to 7pm, when Fox's game would presumably end) would not be available on the national MLB Extra Innings package but would be available on NESN within New England.

Games that start at 1 PM ET are not blacked out on MLB.TV (I don't have Extra Innings to check it, but the blackout rules usually apply to both equally) if the national games start at 4.