No Red Wings? Nooooooooooooo!

by Ryan Weiss on Oct 2, 2010 2:10 AM CDT in News

If you're a DISH Network customer, you probably already know this: Fox Sports Detroit is no longer being carried by the satellite giant.

Due to a contract dispute between DISH and FSN, the details of which I won't go into, DISH has dropped 19 regional FSN networks from its programming packages. This includes FSN Detroit, which carries the majority of Red Wings, Tigers and Pistons games during the regular season.

For hockey fans this comes at the worst possible time. The Red Wings open their season on Oct. 8, which is next week. I foresee a lot of switching to rival Direct TV if angry Red Wings fans are not accommodated. If you watch your games on another TV provider, fear not for you are not affected. But us Dish-ites have been given the royal screw job.

I tried for many years to get cable from Charter Communications, but they always gave me a laundry list of excuses that I do not care to remember. When I found out Dish was available in my woodsy area, it was like a savior. Finally, I could watch the teams that I love on a regular basis.

Now, DISH is taking that away from me. As you can imagine, I'm not happy. I will NOT go through a Red Wings season ever again without at least the option of watching every game. Frankly, I don't care if Fox is trying to squeeze more money out of DISH, or if the satellite provider is shortchanging FOX. I just want my Red Wings back. Now.

Do I hear Direct TV calling my name? You have 72 hours, DISH.

Tweet Comment 20 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

post in

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/charterdirect

and ask them for quate on cost to run cable to your house they can/will get it done its just question of how much you want to pay

by Sarah Cardwell on Oct 2, 2010 4:28 AM CDT reply actions

dish drops fsn

i am so glad we got rid of the dish,not just becuase of bad weather but not many channels.i got wow cable and i get all those fox sports stations and a lot more other sports networks,a lot of them are in high def. the cable was alot cheaper than the dish

by Dave P on Oct 2, 2010 4:33 AM CDT reply actions

I'm in the same boat

And then last night, I saw that the wings game was on NHL network, however it was blacked out in my area because it was on a local channel.

I’m very close to dumping dish as well

by TigerFanGR on Oct 2, 2010 8:43 AM CDT reply actions

damn

I’m glad I didn’t get Dish. I thought, I’d probably just watch it at my friend’s or go to BDubs, since I don’t watch TV except for sports. Seriously, why does it have to be so damn difficult to watch hockey? This is worse than DirectTV and Versus.

by Gander on Oct 2, 2010 8:43 AM CDT reply actions

DirecTV had a point with Versus.

Versus was trying to charge nearly ESPN prices when they launched, an absolutely stupid prospect for a channel on which the bread-and-butter is the fourth major sport in the United States and backed up by sailing. I don’t understand what DISH plans on getting out of this dispute other than a boatload of pissed customers.

Twitter

by john.kmiecik on Oct 3, 2010 11:18 AM CDT up reply actions

Directv

I live in Bowling Green Ohio and I got Directv last summer and found out I got FSD for the first time ever. I got to watch all the Tigers games I wanted, which was awsome given the only time I could watch them with cable was when they were playing the Indians on FSOH. I couldn’t wait for hockey season to start so I could watch the Wings and not have to shell out for Center Ice. Much to my dismay, all Red Wing games are blacked out on FSD. I still haven’t found a good reason why. Anyone familiar with the blackout restrictions for hockey?

by BGWINGS on Oct 2, 2010 10:32 AM CDT reply actions

You pretty much said it.

The NHL and television providers want you to buy Center Ice. I can’t remember the exact name of the DirecTV sports package that enables it, but you actually get every single Fox Sports affiliate from Detroit to Southwest. You’ll find that to be the case with any major American sport on those channels; they’re simply blacked out. College games you should be able to see, although I can’t think of many major college basketball or football teams with exclusive contracts to a Fox Sports affiliate.

Long story short, you’ll need to shell out for Center Ice if you want to watch the Wings with any kind of regularity on television.

Twitter

by john.kmiecik on Oct 3, 2010 11:16 AM CDT up reply actions

$$$$$

All major league sporting events (NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL) are available on DirecTV ONLY if you purchase the respective sports package (Center Ice in the NHL’s case).

It doesn’t matter if you get the regional sports network that typically carries the actual games. They will be blacked out unless you have purchased the sports package for that sport.

by Big Z in Orlando on Oct 5, 2010 2:06 PM CDT up reply actions

Sucky

That sucks AND blows, in fact. Glad I’m getting railed in the ass by Comcast instead.

by plopperrawr on Oct 2, 2010 11:21 AM CDT reply actions

Stupid

These stupid corporate bigwigs do not care about the end user. What is more valuable to Dish, my one time early cancellation fee and never having me as a customer again?, or making the deal with FSN and keeping my $90+/month rolling in?

We will soon see….

by bluerider on Oct 2, 2010 12:35 PM CDT reply actions

I don't have Dish anyway

But this really sucks. The consumer should be their top priority, but for them, it…isn’t

by DetroitSports on Oct 2, 2010 1:31 PM CDT reply actions

wow that is just unamerican

i have charter cable which i think is overpriced. I have looked seriously at dish and directv, but as far as i could see, neither of them carried CBC – gotta have Don Cherry.

Which reminds me of another issue. I always thought that CBC and/or TSN ought to be making deals to get on American cable distribution in places beyond here in Michigan. Having hockey available from networks that KNOW the sport (nbc/vs are dorky) would go far in making more fans of the sport. More than what Gary Bettman tries to do.

by wowjimi on Oct 2, 2010 2:07 PM CDT reply actions

You'll be hard pressed to find CBC/TSN anywhere else.

There simply isn’t demand for those stations outside of the states bordering Canada. CBC and TSN would have to charge absurdly-low per subscribe rates to get anyone else to bother, including the satellite players. As for the die-hard fan angle, that’s the reason NHL Network exists. It originates within the United States and has an artificially low per subscriber rate.

Twitter

by john.kmiecik on Oct 3, 2010 11:13 AM CDT up reply actions

what a joke

The Red Wings will come back stronger
RESTORE THE ROAR 2010 Detroit Lions

by GOLDIGGAH on Oct 2, 2010 4:53 PM CDT reply actions

Buckeye Cable has my vote

I switched to Buckeye Cable here just about 2 years ago,and I have Versus (even though its not the best,its in HD unlike CBC which I would prefer since Hockey Night in Canada was always great to watch) and I have FSD in HD and havent ran into blackout problems or anything like that. They have even occasionally picked up FSD+ coverage on their local Buckeye Cable Sports Network from time to time. Most blue jackoffs game blackout though on FSOhio,which is kinda funny but hey I got my Wings in HD so who cares. I wish I could get TSN or CBC in HD,id love that…i believe my cousin in Howell,MI started getting NHL network on his cable package so I am kinda jealous. Either way,still miss the days of hockey on ESPN and seeing the college playoffs on ESPNU just makes me miss it more and hate Bettman more. Id say ditch DISH network quickly before friday.

by Jimbo5203 on Oct 2, 2010 6:40 PM CDT reply actions

I don't know if any American carrier carries CBLT-HD.

I can’t think of any off the top of my head. Even a couple of the small, local Detroit carriers don’t carry any of the CBC stations in HD. I think it’s a “lucky to just have it at all” situation.

Twitter

by john.kmiecik on Oct 3, 2010 11:20 AM CDT up reply actions

Buffalo Too

I know no one cares about the Buffalo but I received an email from them today stating that Dish is also dropping MSG which carries the Buffalo games.

Let’s here it for FIOS!!!!!

by Dirac on Oct 2, 2010 11:09 PM CDT reply actions

Extremely jealous of you.

I wish we had FiOS here in Michigan!

Twitter

by john.kmiecik on Oct 3, 2010 11:21 AM CDT up reply actions

Hilarious.

DISH is becoming a gigantic joke in the industry. They’re letting crap like this make them bleed even more customers than they already were over to DirecTV. Their marketing is just awful and misleading; now they’re letting the major regional sports player just vanish?

DirecTV has to be laughing hard right now and DISH retention has to be crying.

Twitter

by john.kmiecik on Oct 3, 2010 11:11 AM CDT reply actions