Bobcats on Cable and Satellite

[Michael Thompson]

Over the past 4 days we have received more than 100 calls and emails from Bobcats fans across the Carolinas who can't find our broadcast on Fox Sports Carolinas (FSCR) or SportSouth (SPSO) on their cable or satellite system. After a weekend of phone calls and research, the following are the facts related to the current distribution and carriage of the Bobcats on FSCR and SPSO:

- FSN South has distributed 70 Bobcats broadcasts on FSCR and SPSO to every cable and satellite operator in North and South Carolina
- The following cable operators have opted to pick up the Bobcats on FSCR and SPSO; Time Warner Cable in Charlotte, Greensboro, Fayetteville, Raleigh and Winston-Salem; Mi-Connection (Mooresville, NC); SkyLine Communications (West Jefferson, NC) and Southern Coastal Cable, LLC (Georgetown, SC)
- If your cable operator is not among those listed above, it means they have made the decision to not carry the Bobcats this season on FSCR and SPSO
- Satellite providers DirecTV and Dish Network have opted to limit their carriage of the Bobcats on FSCR and SPSO to the NBA-designated inner market: a 75-mile radius around the city of Charlotte
- It should be noted that neither DirecTV nor Dish Network have the ability to perfectly define a 75-mile radius in their geo-coding of subscribers
- Neither DirecTV nor Dish Network will make Bobcats games available on FSCR or SPSO beyond the NBA 75-mile inner market radius because they both decided not to pay the
fee necessary to cover the NBA's outer market fees
- Regardless of a cable or satellite operator's decision to carry the Bobcats on FSCR and SPSO, all of our games are blacked out on NBA League Pass in North and South Carolina per NBA rules
- The best course of action to remedy this situation is to contact your cable or satellite operator directly and express your desire to watch the Bobcats on FSCR and SPSO

If you have any other questions regarding carriage of the Bobcats on FSCR and SPSO by cable and satellite operators, please let me know and I will do my best to answer them.

[Michael Thompson]

I have just learned of one caveat. Time Warner Cable in Raleigh/Fayetteville opted to only pick up Bobcats games on FSCR.

[spectre]

Awesome...we're all screwed!

I can't believe that the pitiful deal we had before with TWC is actually better than this. And our only resort is for the 20-30 of us sat people in the triangle is to bitch to some Indian DISH representative who couldn't give a shit?

Way to take care of the diehard fans that want to actually see this team.

:ranting:

[WAM9]

I have just learned of one caveat. Time Warner Cable in Raleigh/Fayetteville opted to only pick up Bobcats games on FSCR.

That is horrible! So if you live in the 2nd largest market in NC you don't get to watch but every 4th game or so. Unacceptable.

Some people say I am an eternal optimist about our roster but this damn TV deal frustrates me to no end. I can't imagine it's that hard to get the games available in Raleigh. Poor planning and it does nothing but add fuel to the fire for the critics of this franchise. How can even I defend this? What can I say? This is pitiful.

In the past, all away Bobcats games were available on NBA league pass. Hopefully this will still be the case and not "all blacked out in NC and SC" like Mr. Thompson has suggested.

If you can't tell, I have never been more frustrated with this franchise.

[Mr Guy]

So am I correct in understanding that means we're totally hosed in the triangle for all games on SportSouth?

TWC doesn't carry SportSouth and apparently the satellite providers are blocking it, so there's not even the "go to a sports bar" option?

[Muttley]

I wonder why TWC-Raleigh wouldn't pick up SportSouth? They could even put it on the extra-cost "Sports Tier," which only costs something like $3 to subscribe to anyway. I would wonder what would stop them from having this channel. Could it possibly cost more than having FS-Atlantic or one of the other two FS-somethings that are on the sports tier? You could get rid of all 3 of those channels and replace it with SportSouth and there would likely be more people happy than there would be frustrated with their loss.

[davcbow]

I told ya folks its all about the money.... They "the providers" do not care about fans they want the money, the 75 mile rule is the blackout zone to force everyone to the home games, I didn't know it meant the away games too. Come on Michael Thompson does the bobcats want fans or does it want the money? To me, a little give and take is in order.... Boy you sure can tell it isn't the good ole days no more....:cool:

[Michael Thompson]

I appreciate your frustration and understand it completely. Please know that it's extremely frustrating for us as well. We sold our broadcast rights to a regional sports network, who in turn made it available to every cable and satellite operator in two states. Now there are cable and satellite operators making the business decision to keep their subscribers from watching games on FSCR and SPSO. It's a difficult situation for the Bobcats, our broadcast partner, and our fans, and if it were up to us everyone would carry FSCR and SPSO throughout the Carolinas. That's the only way we're going to build this brand regionally, and it's something both the Bobcats and FSN South are committed to doing. Please keep the pressure on your cable or satellite operator to give you the programming you want to see.

[bozzy]

Charter in the upstate SC said they talked to FSN. But apparently they didn't like what they heard. It seems we will not be getting any games this year. Apparently, Charter doesn't mind getting the rights to the Atlanta Thrashers games on SportsSouth but could care less about the Bobcats. That tells you a lot about what they think about the Bobcats.

[Shrimpy_Jackson]

Maybe we should group up those of us with the two different satellite services and threaten to switch providers, or perhaps make a petition, if enough of us sign it maybe they'll change their mind. If neither of those work, I suggest we storm the complex. BYO grappling hooks though. I can't afford to go around handing out siege equipment.

[Mustachio]

That is horrible! So if you live in the 2nd largest market in NC you don't get to watch but every 4th game or so. Unacceptable.

Some people say I am an eternal optimist about our roster but this damn TV deal frustrates me to no end. I can't imagine it's that hard to get the games available in Raleigh. Poor planning and it does nothing but add fuel to the fire for the critics of this franchise. How can even I defend this? What can I say? This is pitiful.

In the past, all away Bobcats games were available on NBA league pass. Hopefully this will still be the case and not "all blacked out in NC and SC" like Mr. Thompson has suggested.

If you can't tell, I have never been more frustrated with this franchise.

no real reason to be frustrated with the franchise... they struck a deal with the idea of reaching more people. If you live in the Triad for instance, the deal is awesome. I get every televised game and get a much better production quality. The real problem doesn't lie with the Bobcats, it lies with the company that has stamped their name on the freaking arena and then decides not to carry the games in certain areas.

Something needs to be done about Time Warner Cable.

[spectre]

I appreciate your frustration and understand it completely. Please know that it's extremely frustrating for us as well. We sold our broadcast rights to a regional sports network, who in turn made it available to every cable and satellite operator in two states. Now there are cable and satellite operators making the business decision to keep their subscribers from watching games on FSCR and SPSO. It's a difficult situation for the Bobcats, our broadcast partner, and our fans, and if it were up to us everyone would carry FSCR and SPSO throughout the Carolinas. That's the only way we're going to build this brand regionally, and it's something both the Bobcats and FSN South are committed to doing. Please keep the pressure on your cable or satellite operator to give you the programming you want to see.

First off no one will tell us what the terms FSN is asking for nor what DISH (or the other providers) is holding the line at. 2nd, DISH has pretty much said they will not be carrying LP this year...so if they're willing to make that decision nationwide then I doubt 100 pissed off Bobcats' fans are going to make a difference.

Michael, does FSN not get ANY revenue from League Pass? Isn't "any" better than "nothing"?

The sat providers don't lose a darn thing, esp. when they take a similar stand in not paying FSN's extra fee. The only ones who lose are us fans, FSN and the Bobcats.

Is there no way the Bobcats and FSN can do something to work this out? Will you not lose MORE revenue by non exposure vs. cutting the fee?

[spectre]

no real reason to be frustrated with the franchise... they struck a deal with the idea of reaching more people. If you live in the Triad for instance, the deal is awesome. I get every televised game and get a much better production quality. The real problem doesn't lie with the Bobcats, it lies with the company that has stamped their name on the freaking arena and then decides not to carry the games in certain areas.

Something needs to be done about Time Warner Cable.

You'd think an organization that has screwed up the television situation TWICE in 4 years would have had a clue to research exactly how it would have been under FSN this season.

To make that point...obviously they knew LP would be blocked out this year. With DISH, normally they charge before the season starts and they make a point of saying there are NO refunds. If DISH had sold LP this season I'd have been stuck for 170 bucks and still not got to see the team play.

It's like they don't have a clue what's going on.

For the record Mr. Thompson...I'm not on your case. I realize you're only the voice we're hearing and not the culprit.

[rynodawg]

I have directv in new bern with league pass and was surprised to see the bobcat games blacked out. Luckily I bought LP for new orleans (transplanted military) but was looking forward to keeping up with the bobcats as well.

Are these 'outer market' fees NBA related? Or is FSN simply asking too much for their programming? Obviously directv feels the fee outweighs the customers they would gain from carrying the games in eastern NC. Either way, the Bobcats franchise is not fault free in this. It seems like they didn't realize half the state would be blacked out until after the season started. UNACCEPTABLE if you are negotiating a TV deal for a struggling franchise.

The panthers have a ton of support out here in this area,, and the bobcats need a TV deal that can tap into that.

well, i called directv to complain, not that the customer service guy understood what I was complaining about. I hope it works out for everyone here.

[Jeff41]

First off no one will tell us what the terms FSN is asking for nor what DISH (or the other providers) is holding the line at. 2nd, DISH has pretty much said they will not be carrying LP this year...so if they're willing to make that decision nationwide then I doubt 100 pissed off Bobcats' fans are going to make a difference.

Michael, does FSN not get ANY revenue from League Pass? Isn't "any" better than "nothing"?

The sat providers don't lose a darn thing, esp. when they take a similar stand in not paying FSN's extra fee. The only ones who lose are us fans, FSN and the Bobcats.

Is there no way the Bobcats and FSN can do something to work this out? Will you not lose MORE revenue by non exposure vs. cutting the fee?

Ummm, just to clarify one issue.. Dish IS carrying NBA League Pass. I don't know who told you otherwise, they have been offering the free preview of it this entire week. The problem is that the Bobcats are blacked out on both North and South Carolina on League Pass because Fox South and SportSouth have the rights to the games regardless of whether we can see them or not.

[Jeff41]

You'd think an organization that has screwed up the television situation TWICE in 4 years would have had a clue to research exactly how it would have been under FSN this season.

To make that point...obviously they knew LP would be blocked out this year. With DISH, normally they charge before the season starts and they make a point of saying there are NO refunds. If DISH had sold LP this season I'd have been stuck for 170 bucks and still not got to see the team play.

It's like they don't have a clue what's going on.

For the record Mr. Thompson...I'm not on your case. I realize you're only the voice we're hearing and not the culprit.

After talking to a representative at Fox Sports South this morning, it seems that the sat and cable providers are the problems. The lady at Fox said that the entire state of NC and SC is Bobcats territory and that this coverage area was offered to Dish, Directv, and the cable companies. Dish and Directv only chose a 75 mile radius, most cable companies also only chose the 75. I am in Winston-Salem, and the game tonight is showing up on an alternate channel and I am NOT being blacked out for the first time this season so maybe Dish has fixed issues with some areas because I could not get Saturday's game versus the Heat.

The whole issue here is that the sat and cable providers think VERY little about the Bobcats and that their fans don't care if they can see the games or not. Blame the Bobcats for limiting their coverage the past seasons on the crappy News 14 deal, but it looks to me they went through a major ordeal to get out of that arrangement and hook up with Fox and SportSouth so the Carolinas could now get them. It's just unfortunate that the Bobcats are a relatively new team and they don't have the fanbase established enough to demand a more widespread tv coverage.

[spectre]

Ummm, just to clarify one issue.. Dish IS carrying NBA League Pass. I don't know who told you otherwise, they have been offering the free preview of it this entire week. The problem is that the Bobcats are blacked out on both North and South Carolina on League Pass because Fox South and SportSouth have the rights to the games regardless of whether we can see them or not.

Ummm...

http://www.dishnetwork.com/packages/ppv/sports/basketball/default.aspx


NBA LEAGUE PASS on DISH Network Season Ticket - Channels 560 - 572

NBA LEAGUE PASS brings you maximum coverage of your favorite NBA action with up to 40 regular season games a week not otherwise available in your local area. Plus your subscription includes NBA LEAGUE PASS Broadband, NBA LEAGUE PASS Stats Central, NBA TV, and select games in high definition.
Check back here next season to order NBA League Pass.
If you notice, on that page there is no "order now" like it is withe the college ticket right above that.

Regardless, I just called DISH (again) and they say it's NOT available. They said that they are still negotiating with the NBA however.

What you've been seeing is the FREE PREVIEW, which is going to disappear on November 5th unless they can reach a deal.

[Jeff41]

That doesn't make any sense, they are running commercials advertising the League Pass and giving the number to order plus why would they run the free preview if they aren't going to offer the package?

[Lewey]

Comporium in York County just told me they will not be showing any games this year and maybe longer. Reason being, the new agreement is asking a 537 % increase in price from the previous agreement. They said with the way the economy is right now they will not pay it. So I'm screwed!>:(

[spectre]

After talking to a representative at Fox Sports South this morning, it seems that the sat and cable providers are the problems. The lady at Fox said that the entire state of NC and SC is Bobcats territory and that this coverage area was offered to Dish, Directv, and the cable companies. Dish and Directv only chose a 75 mile radius, most cable companies also only chose the 75.

The whole issue here is that the sat and cable providers think VERY little about the Bobcats and that their fans don't care if they can see the games or not. Blame the Bobcats for limiting their coverage the past seasons on the crappy News 14 deal, but it looks to me they went through a major ordeal to get out of that arrangement and hook up with Fox and SportSouth so the Carolinas could now get them. It's just unfortunate that the Bobcats are a relatively new team and they don't have the fanbase established enough to demand a more widespread tv coverage.

Of course Fox is going to put it on the providers. What she didn't mention (or you failed to mention) was that they charge a FEE to DISH, DirecTV, etc. on top of the fee they're already charging just to show the Bobcats' games.

I don't see how Bobcats' management gets a pass. Did they not know FSN would charge an extra fee? Didn't they have any idea that the providers might consider that fee too much? Just how many folks who aren't Bobcats' fans would it piss off if all of a sudden DISH starting charging 20 bucks a month for FSN instead of the 5.99?

Is the fee a flat rate or is it a %? Are we talking 1 million or 5,000?

Maybe the Bobcats should have paid a part of the fee themselves to...I don't know...give the team more exposure? Why should DISH take that risk if it is a flat fee? After all, it's the Bobcats who benefit when the State can see the games.

At the VERY least, they need to kill that blackout on LP (I can at least switch to DirecTV).

[Jeff41]

This situation really sucks and I hate it for the team because they need to grow the fanbase, but at the end of the day, Bob Johnson has to point the finger right back at himself for the HORRIBLE C-SET and News 14 deals that he initiated and thought were brilliant moves. I've been able to watch none of the games until now other than the ones on the local channel 48 which has like 10-12 games. Although the Fox South deal has benefited me greatly, it seems that less people are going to get the games now than with the News 14 which is something I didn't even imagine was possible. Wow

[spectre]

That doesn't make any sense, they are running commercials advertising the League Pass and giving the number to order plus why would they run the free preview if they aren't going to offer the package?

Give 'em a call.


Reason being, the new agreement is asking a 537 % increase in price from the previous agreement.

Are you serious....537%?

So does anyone still think it's the provider's fault?

[Jeff41]

Of course Fox is going to put it on the providers. What she didn't mention (or you failed to mention) was that they charge a FEE to DISH, DirecTV, etc. on top of the fee they're already charging just to show the Bobcats' games.

I don't see how Bobcats' management gets a pass. Did they not know FSN would charge an extra fee? Didn't they have any idea that the providers might consider that fee too much? Just how many folks who aren't Bobcats' fans would it piss off if all of a sudden DISH starting charging 20 bucks a month for FSN instead of the 5.99?

Is the fee a flat rate or is it a %? Are we talking 1 million or 5,000?

Maybe the Bobcats should have paid a part of the fee themselves to...I don't know...give the team more exposure? Why should DISH take that risk if it is a flat fee? After all, it's the Bobcats who benefit when the State can see the games.

At the VERY least, they need to kill that blackout on LP (I can at least switch to DirecTV).

Agreed, everyone can share the blame here. Ultimately, the Bobcats are going to have to bite the bullet and step in and pay a portion of the fees themselves or this 75 mile radius stuff isn't going to change. The Bobcats simply aren't popular enough at the moment for there to be widespread outrage outside of this radius. And even if there was, what good does it do calling the CSR guy in India and complaining to him? He doesn't even know what the NBA is from my experiences. Horrible situation

[Jeff41]

Give 'em a call.



Are you serious....537%?

So does anyone still think it's the provider's fault?

But see that can be misleading if that number is accurate. If the rate they were paying was 2 cents per subscriber, it would mean the new rate would be 9 cents. It's not like they were paying $10 per subscriber and it would now be $50.

[Bobcat4Ever]

Comporium in York County just told me they will not be showing any games this year and maybe longer. Reason being, the new agreement is asking a 537 % increase in price from the previous agreement. They said with the way the economy is right now they will not pay it. So I'm screwed!>:(


I'm calling those SOB's right now and I am LIVID.

[Mustachio]

what else are the bobcats supposed to do though. If they sold tv rights to Nickelodeon it would have been the same deal.

Your anger should be directed towards Time Warner and Dish/Direct. Bombard them with angry emails and threats. Hell ill help even though i get to see em.

[x2pacalypse]

oh...FUCKING AWESOME....this game is supposed to be on fsn tonight, but instead, its fucking kentucky incest faggotville fucking pussy ass shitty basketball

FUCK THIS SHIT

[Dead_Real]

Looks like I have FSN Bobcats/Carolinas on channel 50 they're showing the 2008 preview and the game airs right after. Like I expected we'll get our 31 games in the trangle but we will either have to buy a ticket or pray for a stream online just to support our team.

[swetooth9]

oh...FUCKING AWESOME....this game is supposed to be on fsn tonight, but instead, its fucking kentucky incest faggotville fucking pussy ass shitty basketball

FUCK THIS SHIT

same, i only get fsn south i think and it's the kentucky bball game right now...

[Jennings]

fsn here Charlotte is playing the game, I don't know what channel the hd is. It's not 290. :\ Anyone know??

[M.Peezie]

Anybody got FSN on HD. I live in the Charlotte area and have Time Warner but cannot find this supposed HD feed they talked about on the pre game show. I tried MOJO channel but no dice. Anybody got it on HD??

[Dead_Real]

same, i only get fsn south i think and it's the kentucky bball game right now...

Do you have Time warner cable?

I'm watching but it's not in HD

[Dunk]

I have TWC in Matthews and the game is on FSNS channel 40 in non-HD. I can't find Fox Sports Carolinas for the HD feed. I checked all my other HD channels and it's not on in HD, I think.

College basketball is listed in the channel guide, not the Bobcats. Again.

[Jennings]

Ok this is bullshit. Why would you even say your going to have 16 games in hd and then not show it!!?? It doesn't make sense to me. Has anyone seen it in hd?? If your having layoffs, you should layoff the dombass that said they were having hd games and dosn't deliver.

[tondi]

Here in Lenior, on Charter cable the game was scheduled to be shown but I got Kentucky MFing basketball also.

[bozzy]

Here in Lenior, on Charter cable the game was scheduled to be shown but I got Kentucky MFing basketball also.

Charter does not have a deal in place for Bobcats games. It's doubtful they will anytime soon either.

[spectre]

Bozzy...from the old site? Welcome!

[catsfan]

same, i only get fsn south i think and it's the kentucky bball game right now...


i got the UK game 2 hours b4 the cats game,so i lucked out

i for 1 am happy with the deal so far,just wish i got sports south tho>:(,i can only watch games on FS Carolinas


but its better that the 10-15 games on WMYTV games last year,my area didn't get news 14 Carolina till 2 months after the season

*on a side note,i love news 14.....been trying to win the question of the night for weeks,on Sports night:cool:

[Bobcat4Ever]

Yeh all I got was those Kentucky inbreds raping each other in the ass

Fuck whoever did this

[Alex]

This is such a pathetic situation. Does anybody in this organization know how to complete any type of business transaction successfully?

Everything this team does from a business point is a step backwards. How are you gonna advertise HD programming and then not even show it in the city where the team plays?

PATHETIC.

[Jeff41]

Everything the Bobcats have done since they got to Charlotte has basically been on the list of how to make your business fail. Getting out of the News14 deal SHOULD have been a good deal for everyone in NC & SC, but even that has amazingly been botched. I want this team to succeed more than anyone, but they just keep digging the hole deeper. Until Bob sells the team and some competent people are brought in, I don't see anything changing.

The Bobcats make people around here, including myself, miss George Shinn.

[TheBeagle]

Geez. I've laughed and I've cried while reading this thread. It just....it just....wow. I'm with Mustachio, even though I've never had trouble picking up a Bobcats game since year one, I'd like to help out in any way I can. I'll call numbers and talk to these Indians and tell them I know a crapload of diehard fans that are missing out on their team because of bullshit telecommunication politics.

From what I'm understanding, if you've got TWC in the Carolinas, you have no trouble getting any games, whether FSNCarolina or SportSouth.

FSN South has enabled any and all cable AND sat companies to carry Bobcats games if they so choose.

If you live outside of some nebulous 75 mile radius of Charlotte AND are a sat subsriber, you're SOL because of some NBA outer radius rule.

There is a fee that FSN South charges for allowing their channel to be part of a given cable or sat provider's selection.

Some of these cable and sat provider's who haven't accepted the fees are screwing over Bobcats fans.

Now, I don't know what the fees are, but 1) if they are astronomical, the Bobcats organization needs to either foot some of the bill, or needs to have some strong words with FSN South and the trouble they are causing the fans, and 2) if the fee is reasonable, they should quit their petty protesting and pay the fee already. I mean, get a life; you're customers are paying you to be able to view television, the least you could do is pay a little bit and broaden your broadcasting horizons.

It seems to me, at present, that everyone BUT the fans are at fault. The Bobcats are at fault for not researching the agreement they entered into with FSN South back in April. They were, and for good reason, so eager to get rid of the News14 deal and to, ostensibly, air more games across a wider area they likely overlooked some fine print that is biting them, but moreso, the fans in the ass. Still, the problem with the games not being picked up by varying cable and sat providers is not the franchise's fault; that's petty squabbling between FSN South and the respective providers, who are the ultimate culprits in this senselessness. Until I see the fee FSN South is charging for providers to air games, I can't say who is most blameworthy between the two. I'd say the Bobcats are at 25% fault, and FSN South and the providers occupy the other 3/4s.

I'm very interested in this, so whatever info y'all continue to get, post it here!

[jdub28]

I dont know who is at fault and dont really care. If Im not in the special "Bobcats are your team region" WHY ARE MY GAMES STILL BLACKED OUT ON LEAGUE PASS?

I called Dish and we just kept going in circles. "Hello, why are the Bobcats blacked out on League Pass?" "You should watch them on your RSN." "They are blacked out there too." Then they read me my zipcode and the blackout message that appears on their website.

[Carolina X]

I live about 78 miles outside of Charlotte and subscribe to Charter Cable. Needless to say, right now I can not see any games. If I switch to Dish Network and purchase the league pass, will I be blacked out of road games?

[bozzy]

I live about 78 miles outside of Charlotte and subscribe to Charter Cable. Needless to say, right now I can not see any games. If I switch to Dish Network and purchase the league pass, will I be blacked out of road games?

I'm not sure how satellite works but for cable if any part of the cable system's coverage area is in the 75 mile range, then you get blacked out. So just because you are outside the range, most likely, you are considered still in the blackout area.

[Michael Thompson]

Bobcats games are blacked out on League Pass because of an NBA rule put in place to protect each team's broadcast partner. Every cable and satellite operator in North and South Carolina has the ability to carry the Bobcats on FSCR and SPSO. That means the League Pass blackout is in effect for every cable and satellite operator in North and South Carolina. It's the only way to protect Fox Sports South and the investment they've made.

Like every company in the world, Fox Sports South is a business trying to recoup the money they've invested by providing a product or service in exchange for money. In this case, FSN South made a significant investment in obtaining the television broadcast rights to the Bobcats, and are now turning around and offering the opportunity to air the broadcasts they now own for a fee (and I'm not sure where the 500% number came from, but I suspect it is, as one poster wrote, an increase along the lines of "this used to cost us $0.0002 and now it's $0.0012 so that's a 500% increase") like every other broadcast partner for every other team in every other league (except the NFL where no teams own their television broadcast rights). The situation is extremely frustrating for the Bobcats, FSN South and all those who live in areas where the cable and satellite providers have made a decision for you, and won't let you watch the Bobcats play.

Looking at the big picture, our move to FSN South is still the best thing for the Bobcats. More people are able to watch the team play than ever before, and by partnering with FSN South we've found a way to get into every household and business in North and South Carolina. The cross-promotional opportunities that exist with Hurricanes hockey, ACC sports and everything that gets shown on SportSouth are unprecedented for this franchise, and the quality of the broadcast is self-evident. Now we need to keep the pressure on cable and satellite operators who have made decisions that prevent everyone from watching Bobcats games on channels they all carry, and get this fixed for our fans.

[spectre]

Well, until we know what the increased fee is how do we assess blame? Also, if the fee is so minimal why don't the Bobcats' organization just pick it up, as it's MUCH more beneficial to you guys then it is to DISH to have the games air in these blacked out areas?

I'm going to cross post Fatlever's post from RGM (with your permission Fats) as it's the best comment I've seen so far:


agreed, the bobcats should be having a fit. they should be on the phones with all the local cable companies working out a deal to get their games on tv. just sayin "well, we gave them the option to pick up the games and they didnt, oh well, nothing we can do" that's a losing mentality. if the local cable cos dont want to pick up the games because they dont want to pay the extra fees to fsn, then the bobcats should work out a deal to pay the fees for the cable cos or work out a deal with fsn to get the fees reduced or dismissed.

the bobcats keep saying its not their fault. who cares whose fault it is. the bobcats are the ones getting screwed by fsn and the cable cos. dont make the fans do your dirty work for you.

You guys keep trying to put the onus on us to get the sat/cable companies to come around...yet we have absolutely NO pull with said companies. I'm in the woods and have no access to TWC. What am I going to do, threaten to watch the 3 over the air channels?

You guys on the other hand are a multi million dollar business AND are in an actual partnership with FSN.

[WAM9]

Well, until we know what the increased fee is how do we assess blame? Also, if the fee is so minimal why don't the Bobcats' organization just pick it up, as it's MUCH more beneficial to you guys then it is to DISH to have the games air in these blacked out areas?

I'm going to cross post Fatlever's post from RGM (with your permission Fats) as it's the best comment I've seen so far:



You guys keep trying to put the onus on us to get the sat/cable companies to come around...yet we have absolutely NO pull with said companies. I'm in the woods and have no access to TWC. What am I going to do, threaten to watch the 3 over the air channels?

You guys on the other hand are a multi million dollar business AND are in an actual partnership with FSN.

I agree 100% with this post.

[bozzy]

More people are able to watch the team play than ever before

More people may be able to watch 'some' games. But less people are able to watch the games that were promised. Many TW customers do not get SportsSouth. So while they get the FSN games, they do not get the SportsSouth games. So these customers are getting less games. And from what you posted before, most other cable carriers are not going to show the games at all. I'm still wondering how this is a better deal than before. It seems to me it is just more frustrating than before. People are getting guide data that says the game is there and it's not. Other people are getting guide data that doesn't show the game at all but it is shown. This isn't going to help the Bobcats gain more fans but it is only going to frustrate them.

Just look at the post on Charlotte.com about how the Bobcats and FSN are talking about how many more people can see the games this year. Almost every single comment is a complaint that they can't see the game. I fail to see how this is helping the Bobcats image.

[millst2]

I thank you for inquiring about the carriage of Fox Sports’ Bobcats broadcasts and expressing your concerns about the unavailability of these broadcasts on our lineup. Please allow me to address the points you have made and hopefully you will understand our decision to pass on carrying these broadcasts. Please note that our programming contracts with Fox (and all other content providers as well) prohibit me from disclosing terms and conditions to the public, so I will try to provide as much information as possible while honoring our obligation to Fox.
The response you received from Fox did contain some facts but did not contain two very important facts:

1- Fox gave all cable operators in the Carolinas the option to pay an exorbitant surcharge (in addition to the license fees we already pay them) for Bobcats games for the 2008- 2009 season or have these games replaced with alternate programming. No such surcharge was in place last year for the games they aired.

To put this in perspective, imagine your landlord came to you and gave you a choice of A), pay 50% more on your rent from now on (with an annual increase each year to follow) to stay in the same home you have been renting for years with nothing added for this additional rent, or B) vacate your home 72 times a year between October and May for 3 hours at a time whether it is convenient or not. Now also consider that you are contractually obligated to live in this home for several more years before you can negotiate for a better lease. How many people could afford the increase? Where will the additional money come from to pay this additional rent? While it is a huge inconvenience, most would have to accept option B. Oh by the way, the rent is still going to go up annually regardless of which option you choose.

2- There are dozens of cable operators in North and South Carolina. Fox named only four operators in the Carolinas who opted to “pick up” the games. The reason for such low participation is because most of us operators cannot afford to absorb the additional license fees and did not want pass the surcharge on to our subscribers in the form of a rate increase. We do not feel all subscribers should have to pay for content that would be only be viewed by a small percentage of subscribers.

In response to your point about control over content, our customer service reps are correct- we don’t control the content. We have no interest in the Atlanta Hawks, Kentucky Wildcats, or archiving old boxing matches. In fact, cable operators are prohibited from replacing or blacking out programming without authorization from the networks. They have complete control to blackout, cancel, or substitute programming at will. We merely rebroadcast what is sent to us. The only exception is that some networks allow us to insert local commercials a couple of times an hour in lieu of the network commercial.

As far as the channel guide, this information is provided by the networks to a service such as TV Guide who then distributes it to the cable operators. Here again, we don’t control this information either. I spoke with a Fox representative last Thursday about the inaccuracy of this information. He advised that Fox is aware of this and will be working to correct the situation by providing the alternate programming information for the systems that aren’t broadcasting the Bobcats games. Let’s hope this is resolved soon.

When you contacted Fox about this, you may have actually done all cable operators a favor. The programmers want and need to hear from those who watch or desire their programming. We actually receive reports from some networks when a request in our service area is received, which then leads to a dialog between the two parties. We are then given a chance to discuss the terms and conditions of their carriage requirements. Although it doesn’t always happen, the networks will occasionally adjust their license fees to make their content a viable option for the operator. In this case, if Fox hears from enough disgruntled subscribers, they might be open to discussing their terms and conditions as well. The fact that only four operators in the Carolinas opted to carry the Bobcats games should have sent loud enough of a message.


While I’m sure this is not the response you were hoping for, I do hope you can understand how difficult this decision was for us. Should conditions become more favorable, we will certainly evaluate them in hopes of reaching a carriage agreement for the Bobcats games. In the meantime, I invite you to notify me with any programming concerns you might have. As I cautioned before, I am contractually prohibited from discussing terms and conditions, but I will address your concerns to the fullest of my abilities.




===============


There you have it! From the VP of my service provider. Bobcats have their heads up their asses and now 90% less people will be able to watch the game than when it was aired on News 14. What a damn Joke.

[spectre]

Looks to me that the principals involved...Bobcats, FSN & representatives of the cable providers...need to get together and try to work this out.

This is a team that has no excited base like other expansion teams. It's in a college basketball crazed state where there are plenty of other FREE diversions on TV. This isn't Chicago or Detroit...the Bobcats have to WORK for fans. If the Bobcats want to be successful then they need to consider that and rethink what they've done here.

Thanks millst2.

[millst2]

Looks to me that the principals involved...Bobcats, FSN & representatives of the cable providers...need to get together and try to work this out.

This is a team that has no excited base like other expansion teams. It's in a college basketball crazed state where there are plenty of other FREE diversions on TV. This isn't Chicago or Detroit...the Bobcats have to WORK for fans. If the Bobcats want to be successful then they need to consider that and rethink what they've done here.

Thanks millst2.

I agree spectre

The whole issue apparently is Fox Sports bought the rights but want to charge the rest of the markets a pretty substantial increase to license rights to show the games in their areas. The guy I talked to on the phone stated they would have had no issues staying with News 14 since they had no increase in costs to let the subscribers view them, but the new Fox Sports deal they can not justifying raising every subscribers rates for a low % of the viewers wanting to see the game.

I was able to watch last year but this year I haven't been able to watch one on television. Except for the one on TNT. What I find funny is that even with Time Warner having their name on the stadium, their viewers can not even watch the games except in certain markets.

What a clusterfuck

[CMc$]

I got 4 or 5 games before and now I have 71, so it is not all bad.

71 bobcats games is worth ditching cable and luckily I'm just inside the 75 mile radius.

[bozzy]

The whole issue apparently is Fox Sports bought the rights but want to charge the rest of the markets a pretty substantial increase to license rights to show the games in their areas.


It's strange because none of the cable companies had a problem with keeping the Hurricanes on FSN w/ the new FS Carolinas branding. In my area we even get about 15 of their games on the FSN HD channel. I live in SC and am not even close to the Raleigh area, yet my local Charter has no problem paying for this. This is why I have a hard time believing the deal FSN and the Bobcats are giving the cable companies is very fair.

[TheBeagle]

I was able to watch last year but this year I haven't been able to watch one on television. Except for the one on TNT. What I find funny is that even with Time Warner having their name on the stadium, their viewers can not even watch the games except in certain markets.

millst2, what part of Davidson County do you live in that you don't get the games? I'm up here in Arcadia and a TWC subscriber and have never had trouble getting Bobcats games, and I'm not part of the Forsyth County cable because my channel numbers are different from theirs.

For me, FSCarolinas is 51 and SportSouth is 47. Is that the same as yours?

[x2pacalypse]

i got more fucking games the 2nd year when they came on PAX and last year on mytv or w/e

this year the only games ill get is if espn or tnt decide to show the cats

good fucking job, im about through with this franchise, i'm not going out of my way to support a team that doesn't even give a shit about the fans

[spectre]

Kind of a similar situation with the Blazers and Seattle:

Double trouble for fans of the Blazers in Seattle (http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/tailgate/index.ssf?/base/sports/1225853711222360.xml&coll=7&thispage=1)

The difference? The Blazers are still in negotiations trying to get it resolved and not saying it's all on the fans.


The Blazers are doing what they have to do to help Comcast protect a 10-year deal that pays the team as much as $13 million per. That money doesn't come without protective perks.

But this is getting old.

Shilling made a great point about Seattle as a "local" market. If the Blazers are on KGW, you can't get that broadcast in Seattle. And you can't get the game on the NBA package, because it's blacked out. Now you've got zero coverage in your "local" market.

That could change before the distribution situation does. Sarah Mensah, the Blazers' chief marketing officer, said the Blazers are in early talks with the league about the broadcast rights to their over-the-air games. They might be able to work a deal to get those on in Seattle.

[kyuss]

O.K. --- the team is not winning yet.
the main stars stay hurt.
i can't watch them on local tv.
national tv will not televising them.
I can't drive 3-1/2 hours often to see them.

WHAT IS THERE TO SUPPORT!!!! A LOOSING BOX SCORE 80% OF THE TIME!!!!

[MattD]

you cant actually be blaming the bobcats for this can you?


every single cable/satellite company had the option to carry games, many turned it down. that it outside the bobcats control

[x2pacalypse]

you cant actually be blaming the bobcats for this can you?


every single cable/satellite company had the option to carry games, many turned it down. that it outside the bobcats control

its the bobcats' responsibility to make sure the games are shown, they should have researched their plan to begin with, at least asked the companies "hey you're gonna show the games right?"

thats all it would have taken rather than wasting time and money on this deal...another red strike in the financial balance for the bobcats....

just tack on the fucking extra probably 15$ mil it would take to ensure all the cable companies provide for the areas, in the long-run you will be making like 10 fold that number if you can get this right

i swear, sometimes i think i could make better decisions than the FO

[Dunk]

You can price it appropriately. Offer different tiers for certain games or carrying certain amount of games or whatever. If I sell a widget for $10 and people only want to pay $5, I either have to sell it for less and take less margin, not sell as many, or sell it for less and figure out how to reduce my costs and make the same margin on the product.

I don't know the structure of the deal so I can only speculate. But given the popularity of the Cats in the area, I would have offered the rights close to free for the first year just to get them exposure and have it escalated in the later years as the team hopefully wins more or something. Once the team starts winning and people start watching, you can raise rates pretty quick as advertisers will jump on board.

[bozzy]

you cant actually be blaming the bobcats for this can you?


every single cable/satellite company had the option to carry games, many turned it down. that it outside the bobcats control

Wow. It's beginning to bring back memories of C-SET. Again, what is the difference between the current deal and the C-SET deal? I'm not seeing much difference except even some TW systems aren't even carrying the games. The Bobcats are doing the same thing they did before and blaming everyone else and telling fans they need to pressure their cable company. If they think this is going to bring fans to the Bobcats, then they are sorely mistaken. You can't ask fans to pressure companies when you don't even have many fans to begin with.

[bozzy]

I don't know the structure of the deal so I can only speculate. But given the popularity of the Cats in the area, I would have offered the rights close to free for the first year just to get them exposure and have it escalated in the later years as the team hopefully wins more or something. Once the team starts winning and people start watching, you can raise rates pretty quick as advertisers will jump on board.

They should take a lesson from the Carolina Hurricanes who understand how important a fan base is.

[G-Force for MVP]

Is tonights game vs the mavs going to be on?

[kickazzz2000]

Is tonights game vs the mavs going to be on?

Who knows. Orlando game was supposedly an FSN game too, but didn't come up.

[ziggy]

Is tonights game vs the mavs going to be on?
I'm in the Charlote area with Time Warner Cable and its on.

[ziggy]

Here is a recent article by the News & Observer saying that the Bobcats TV ratings are down 65%

http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/story/1309819.html

With ratings that dire, The Bobcats should be knocking down the doors of decision makers at Fox Sports & the Satellite companies to try to get some kind of resolution worked out.

[spectre]

Let's see...they pretty much block out every part of the state except within a 90 mile radius of Charlotte and viewership goes down?

Wow...who'd have thunk it?

I have no doubt that Bob Johnson's wife was the brains behind BET.

[jeffre]

The reason the ratings are down so much is probably because some of their games last year were broadcast on over-the-air channel WJZY Channel 46(Channel 8 on cable). Ratings are always higher on free channels over cable because more people have access.

Another reason the ratings are probably down is because some people probably dont even know the games are on TV or which channel is broadcasting. For the first week or two of the season the games were not showing up on the guide on TWC. They have since fixed that problem. But still the weekly TV schedule in the Charlotte Observer which many people use all week never have their games listed. According to my TV schedule from the Charlotte Observer SportSouth has the Atlanta Thrashers game on tonight. Which is wrong of course because obviously the Bobcats are on in the Charlotte area. Not once this season has the weekly tv schedule that comes with the Sunday paper listed the Bobcats game. So I would venture to guess there are a good number of people that arent even aware that the games are on. You would think the Bobcats organization would be all over this but, if I had to bet, I would say that they are probably not even aware their games are not being listed in the local newspapers schedule.

Plus they have started the season 4-9 after an 0-8 preseason. Thats also a recipe for lack of viewership.

[polarcat]

spectre hit the nail on the head. serioulsy...... now i feel how chicago sports fans felt in the '90's. whomever signed off on the tv deals and/or marketing wiz should be looking for a job. not to dwell on the past, but lately the decisions that have and haven't been made are making me really miss the identity that charlotte had with the hornets early on. the murals on the side of the buildings, zo & lj's all-star calibre personas and the bond the city had with the team. bob's cats, availability of games throughout the states and p.r. has lead to the lack of interest this go-round. i really hope the powers that be didn't assume that just because you put a new team with some local players and a state of the art arena in uptown that droves of people would flock there like the original team did.

[Alex]

spectre hit the nail on the head. serioulsy...... now i feel how chicago sports fans felt in the '90's. whomever signed off on the tv deals and/or marketing wiz should be looking for a job. not to dwell on the past, but lately the decisions that have and haven't been made are making me really miss the identity that charlotte had with the hornets early on. the murals on the side of the buildings, zo & lj's all-star calibre personas and the bond the city had with the team. bob's cats, availability of games throughout the states and p.r. has lead to the lack of interest this go-round. i really hope the powers that be didn't assume that just because you put a new team with some local players and a state of the art arena in uptown that droves of people would flock there like the original team did.

you really hope that but that's exactly what happened and that's why we're in this mess right now.