Why Does ESPN Plus Blackout Games?
With ESPN Plus launching more than three years ago, the subscription streaming service has become increasingly popular as a way of watching a wide range of live sports. However, there are still some restrictions to watching games on ESPN Plus and one of the main ones is that the service has a blackout policy, which can sometimes be frustrating.
What is a blackout?
A blackout is when a game is not available to watch live on a streaming service due to broadcast restrictions. This means that even if you subscribed to ESPN Plus, the game wouldn’t be available on the service at that time.
Why Does ESPN Plus Blackout Games?
There are a few different reasons why ESPN Plus blackouts games:
- Regional Restrictions: Some games are only available to watch live in certain regions, which means that ESPN Plus is not able to broadcast those games outside of certain areas.
- Broadcast Rights: Games that are broadcast on another TV channel (such as ABC or CBS) may not be legally allowed to be broadcasted live on ESPN Plus due to exclusive broadcasting rights.
- Pay-Per-View Events: Certain games, such as WrestleMania, are available as pay-per-view events that require a separate subscription. Therefore, ESPN Plus cannot show those games live on their service.
What Are The Alternatives To ESPN Plus?
If your favorite team’s games are being blacked out on ESPN Plus, there are a few alternatives that you can consider. These include:
- Satellite or Cable TV: If the game is available on another channel, you can always watch it live on your TV with a satellite or cable subscription.
- Online Streaming Services: There are a few other streaming services, such as Hulu or YouTube TV, that you can use to watch certain games. However, these services may not have the same blackout restrictions as ESPN Plus.
- Radio: You can always listen to the games on the radio if they are broadcast on a local station.
Although ESPN Plus has a blackout policy, there are still other ways that you can watch your favorite games. With the alternatives mentioned above, you should still be able to watch most games live on some type of platform.
