League Pass questions

#1
I was getting all set to subscribe to League Pass because it's on $49/season - until I was told to enter my zip code for viewing area. Then I saw this fine print message:

"Based on your current location, you will be unable to view LIVE KINGS games or nationally broadcast games on ESPN, ABC or TNT via your League Pass, League Pass Premium, or Team Pass subscription (inclusive of NBA TV). Locally blacked out games will be available 3 days after the live broadcast, while nationally broadcast games will be available 3 hours after the live broadcast."

Wtf? So if I'm understanding this, I will never be able to see Kings live games?
I live in Carmichael - 95608 zip code. Why wouldn't I. E
 

Mr. S£im Citrus

Doryphore of KingsFans.com
Staff member
#2
League Pass was really not created for the benefit of fans of the local market team. It was honestly created for the benefit of fans like me. The league wants local market fans to watch the games via their regional broadcast partners, which I imagine to be a suboptimal solution for cord cutters.
 
#3
League Pass was really not created for the benefit of fans of the local market team. It was honestly created for the benefit of fans like me. The league wants local market fans to watch the games via their regional broadcast partners, which I imagine to be a suboptimal solution for cord cutters.
It would seem like the LP market would be local market fans. Of course we want to see our local team games. So there is really no point in me getting LP because I'd never be able to see live Kings games.
 
#4
I was getting all set to subscribe to League Pass because it's on $49/season - until I was told to enter my zip code for viewing area. Then I saw this fine print message:

"Based on your current location, you will be unable to view LIVE KINGS games or nationally broadcast games on ESPN, ABC or TNT via your League Pass, League Pass Premium, or Team Pass subscription (inclusive of NBA TV). Locally blacked out games will be available 3 days after the live broadcast, while nationally broadcast games will be available 3 hours after the live broadcast."

Wtf? So if I'm understanding this, I will never be able to see Kings live games?
I live in Carmichael - 95608 zip code. Why wouldn't I. E
What they're telling you is, if/when you subscribe to League Pass (as I have also done) the KINGS games on the League Pass channels will be blacked out. Meaning you have to watch KINGS games on the NBCSCA channel only (as Slim mentions above).

You are boxed-in to the KINGS local broadcast and cannot view the opposing teams broadcast. But rest assured, you will be able to watch the games LIVE. Just not using the LP channels. You can only watch the out-of-market teams (such as Golden State) via those channels.

When you watch any non-KINGS game you typically have the ability to choose between 2-3 different versions of the broadcast/stream. One for each of the different teams and sometimes a "4K" option (if you also subscribe to 4K service). You won't get those options for KINGS games, but will for all other games.

Now wrt ESPN, ABC, TNT broadcasts -- if the KINGS game is ONLY available via that channel, you will get it. They only blackout those feeds out when the game is also broadcast locally via NBCSCA.

Same exact thing happens for SF Giants games. As a lifelong Dodgers fan, I have subscribed to MLBTV for many years in order to watch Dodgers games. And I can watch the Dodgers broadcast or the broadcast from the opposing team. However, whenever the Dodgers play the Giants -- I cannot view the Dodgers broadcast and only have access to the Giants feed and their announcers, as I reside in what is considered the Giants broadcast market.

In short, if you plan to watch KINGS games ONLY, you do not need League Pass (since you reside in Carmichael and in the KINGS local market). You only need League Pass to follow the other 29 NBA teams. The lone exception is if your provider doesn't offer NBCSCA. If that's the case, I'd look into using a different subscriber (such as YouTube TV), because adding LP won't solve that problem.

Depending upon the provider, you might be able to purchase a monthly subscription versus a seasonal one. I opted for the monthly because it was cheaper than the seasonal option.
 
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#5
What they're telling you is, if/when you subscribe to League Pass (as I have also done) the KINGS games on the League Pass channels will be blacked out. Meaning you have to watch KINGS games on the NBCSCA channel only (as Slim mentions above).

You are boxed-in to the KINGS local broadcast and cannot view the opposing teams broadcast. But rest assured, you will be able to watch the games LIVE. Just not using the LP channels. You can only watch the out-of-market teams (such as Golden State) via those channels.

When you watch any non-KINGS game -- you typically have the ability to choose between 2-3 different versions of the broadcast/stream. One for each of the different teams and sometimes a "4K" option (if you also subscribe to 4K service). You won't get those options for KINGS games, but will for all other games.

Now wrt ESPN, ABC, TNT broadcasts -- if the KINGS game is ONLY available via that channel, you will get it. They only blackout those feeds out when the game is also broadcast locally via NBCSCA.

Same exact thing happens for SF Giants games. As a lifelong Dodgers fan, I have subscribed to MLBTV for many years in order to watch Dodgers games. And I can watch the Dodgers broadcast or the broadcast from the opposing team. However, whenever the Dodgers play the Giants -- I cannot view the Dodgers broadcast and only have access to the Giants feed and their announcers, as I reside in what is considered the Giants broadcast market.

In short, if you plan to watch KINGS games ONLY, you do not need League Pass (since you reside in Carmichael and in the KINGS local market). You only need League Pass to follow the other 29 NBA teams. The lone exception is if your provider doesn't offer NBCSCA. If that's the case, I'd look into using a different subscriber (such as YouTube TV), because adding LP won't solve that problem.

Depending upon you subscriber, you might be able to purchase a monthly subscription versus a seasonal one. I opted for the monthly because it was cheaper than the seasonal option.
They only have one, season subscription that o can tell.
 
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#8
They only have one, season subscription that o can tell.
I'm sorry, I edited my response a few times before posting it and originally explained that before abbreviating it thereafter. It is NBC Sports California.

All KINGS games are broadcast on that channel. And many, if not most, streaming/TV providers in this area include the channel in their subscription packages, as they do over-the-air channels such as 3, 10, 13, 31, 40 and 58.

So, with that in mind, what that disclaimer is telling you is that you can only watch KINGS games by selecting the NBC Sports California channel. You won't be able to watch them using their KINGS League Pass channel. Only out-of-market subscribers will have access to their KINGS League Pass channel because those fans don't have access to NBC Sports California channel like you do.

Conversely, if you also subscribe to League Pass, you will have access to the other 29 teams League Pass channels since you don't have access to their local feeds like the local fans in those areas do. Make sense?

And to also repeat, when the KINGS are on National TV such as ESPN or ABC, you will only be blacked out from viewing those channels when the game is also broadcast on NBC Sports California. If it isn't, then those games will not be blacked out.

You will always have access to live KINGS games, it's just understanding that 99% of the time it will be via the NBCSCA channel only.
 
#9
Anyone have NBC Sports California? That sounds like something only available using like a firestick, which I don't have or want.
Who is your streaming/TV provider?

The link @Section 101 posted above shows some of the providers that offer that channel. And, no, you don't have to use a firestick or external device to get it. You just need to subscribe to a streaming/TV provider that offers the channel.

DirectTV has it. Dish Network has it. YouTubeTV has it. Most, if not all, local cable providers have it.

You may very well have access to it and not know it.
 

Capt. Factorial

trifolium contra tempestatem subrigere certum est
Staff member
#10
I will remind everybody that for legal reasons (i.e. we can't afford to be sued) we cannot allow and will remove any links to illegal streams, or offers to provide such.
 

Capt. Factorial

trifolium contra tempestatem subrigere certum est
Staff member
#11
Anyone have NBC Sports California? That sounds like something only available using like a firestick, which I don't have or want.
NBC Sports California is only available through a cable/satellite/tv-streaming service. From what I recall of your previous discussions here, you do not have (and do not particularly want) to purchase one of those services.

NBA League Pass will not help you, as you understood above, because you live in the local broadcast area of NBC Sports California.

On the surface it seems counterproductive for the league to black out the local team on League Pass, since that is the team most locals would want to buy League Pass to watch. But in fact, it makes perfect sense. NBC Sports California (for the Kings, and 29 other local broadcasters - Regional Sports Networks, or "RSNs") pay the NBA for the rights to exclusively broadcast the vast majority of local games in their area (exceptions sometimes exist for games picked up on national broadcasts). The RSNs then turn around and contract with various local providers (cable, satellite, tv streaming) and get those local providers to pay a fee to host the RSN content, which is usually the games and not a whole lot else worthwhile. Still, the local providers pay the fee (typically for RSNs, I believe this is on the order of a few dollars per customer per month) because they know that many, many of their customers will insist on getting the RSN in their TV package, and will choose another provider if the RSN is not available. Every once in a while there are situations where a local provider and an RSN cannot come to an agreement, resulting in that provider's customers being unable to watch local teams, but it is uncommon.

So, ultimately, the TV consumers (and advertisers) pay the local TV providers, the local TV providers pay the RSNs, and the RSNs pay the NBA. Now, if the NBA were to allow League Pass (for a full season...about $150?) to show local teams, that's cheap relative to a TV subscription (usually coming up to say $800-$1600 per year), and a lot of sports fans would ditch the TV subscription in favor of League Pass (plus, possibly MLBtv and NFL Sunday Ticket) to save money. Of course, this would lead to the local TV providers losing money, not being willing to pay as much to the RSNs, the RSNs would not be able to pay as much to the NBA, and the NBA would in the end lose money (despite having more League Pass subscriptions). The dirty little secret is that even if a local TV subscriber doesn't watch their RSN, they still pay for it. If you assume that, say, 1/3 of local TV subscribers actually watch their RSNs, that means that 2/3 of the money ultimately filtering to the NBA through RSNs is actually subsidized by people who wouldn't even consider buying League Pass - if the RSN route went away altogether, under that assumption League Pass would effectively have to be a lot more expensive for the NBA to get the same amount of money (and the RSNs and local TV providers would also lose out on a big portion of their revenue stream). So they have an agreement - the NBA will provide League Pass, but you can't get any games you can legally purchase through a local TV subscription.

Bottom line, you're out of luck. Buying a local TV subscription of some sort is your only chance, unless you want to park yourself at a sports bar, or find a friend who has a local TV subscription...etc. It's designed that way on purpose.
 
#12
NBC Sports California is only available through a cable/satellite/tv-streaming service. From what I recall of your previous discussions here, you do not have (and do not particularly want) to purchase one of those services.

NBA League Pass will not help you, as you understood above, because you live in the local broadcast area of NBC Sports California.

On the surface it seems counterproductive for the league to black out the local team on League Pass, since that is the team most locals would want to buy League Pass to watch. But in fact, it makes perfect sense. NBC Sports California (for the Kings, and 29 other local broadcasters - Regional Sports Networks, or "RSNs") pay the NBA for the rights to exclusively broadcast the vast majority of local games in their area (exceptions sometimes exist for games picked up on national broadcasts). The RSNs then turn around and contract with various local providers (cable, satellite, tv streaming) and get those local providers to pay a fee to host the RSN content, which is usually the games and not a whole lot else worthwhile. Still, the local providers pay the fee (typically for RSNs, I believe this is on the order of a few dollars per customer per month) because they know that many, many of their customers will insist on getting the RSN in their TV package, and will choose another provider if the RSN is not available. Every once in a while there are situations where a local provider and an RSN cannot come to an agreement, resulting in that provider's customers being unable to watch local teams, but it is uncommon.

So, ultimately, the TV consumers (and advertisers) pay the local TV providers, the local TV providers pay the RSNs, and the RSNs pay the NBA. Now, if the NBA were to allow League Pass (for a full season...about $150?) to show local teams, that's cheap relative to a TV subscription (usually coming up to say $800-$1600 per year), and a lot of sports fans would ditch the TV subscription in favor of League Pass (plus, possibly MLBtv and NFL Sunday Ticket) to save money. Of course, this would lead to the local TV providers losing money, not being willing to pay as much to the RSNs, the RSNs would not be able to pay as much to the NBA, and the NBA would in the end lose money (despite having more League Pass subscriptions). The dirty little secret is that even if a local TV subscriber doesn't watch their RSN, they still pay for it. If you assume that, say, 1/3 of local TV subscribers actually watch their RSNs, that means that 2/3 of the money ultimately filtering to the NBA through RSNs is actually subsidized by people who wouldn't even consider buying League Pass - if the RSN route went away altogether, under that assumption League Pass would effectively have to be a lot more expensive for the NBA to get the same amount of money (and the RSNs and local TV providers would also lose out on a big portion of their revenue stream). So they have an agreement - the NBA will provide League Pass, but you can't get any games you can legally purchase through a local TV subscription.

Bottom line, you're out of luck. Buying a local TV subscription of some sort is your only chance, unless you want to park yourself at a sports bar, or find a friend who has a local TV subscription...etc. It's designed that way on purpose.
Thanks - that explanation of coverage makes sense. I may look into NBC Sports California. I am not sure if I can get it or not, as I'm not really technically proficient about that stuff. I have Xfinity, which i get the Internet on and a cable subscription as well with only a few local channels. So then can I get NBC Sports California?
Sometimes Max (which I have) broadcasts Kings games, but that's only once in a while.
 
#14
Thanks - that explanation of coverage makes sense. I may look into NBC Sports California. I am not sure if I can get it or not, as I'm not really technically proficient about that stuff. I have Xfinity, which i get the Internet on and a cable subscription as well with only a few local channels. So then can I get NBC Sports California?
Sometimes Max (which I have) broadcasts Kings games, but that's only once in a while.
Another option would be to cancel Xfinity (if it doesn't have the Kings RSN) and sign up for a streaming service that carries the Kings RSN (i.e. Hulu, FuboTV, YouTube TV, etc.) and use them during the Kings season (late October through April/May). After the season is over, you can cancel the service until the Kings season starts again in late October. These streaming services usually doesn't require annual contracts anymore and can be cancelled at anytime.
 

Capt. Factorial

trifolium contra tempestatem subrigere certum est
Staff member
#15
Thanks - that explanation of coverage makes sense. I may look into NBC Sports California. I am not sure if I can get it or not, as I'm not really technically proficient about that stuff. I have Xfinity, which i get the Internet on and a cable subscription as well with only a few local channels. So then can I get NBC Sports California?
Sometimes Max (which I have) broadcasts Kings games, but that's only once in a while.
When you say you have Xfinity, do you mean that they are your broadband internet provider, or your cable television provider? Xfinity does both, but it's only the cable television package that will do you any good. If you only have a few local channels (perhaps the Xfinitiy "limited basic" tier of cable?) then your package won't have NBC Sports California, but you would be able to upgrade your tier (for $$$!) to a tier that does have NBC Sports California. If that's something you would consider you should probably call Xfinity and tell them you're interested in NBC Sports California and see what they can offer you.
 
#16
When you say you have Xfinity, do you mean that they are your broadband internet provider, or your cable television provider? Xfinity does both, but it's only the cable television package that will do you any good. If you only have a few local channels (perhaps the Xfinitiy "limited basic" tier of cable?) then your package won't have NBC Sports California, but you would be able to upgrade your tier (for $$$!) to a tier that does have NBC Sports California. If that's something you would consider you should probably call Xfinity and tell them you're interested in NBC Sports California and see what they can offer you.
Yes, I have Xfinity cable & the "limited basic" tier of cable. So I'd have to upgrade to $$$.....well, that sucks. Not able to afford that, & more so, t's not practical to pay that much more just for the one channel I want.
 

Mr. S£im Citrus

Doryphore of KingsFans.com
Staff member
#17
It would seem like the LP market would be local market fans.
Since you're getting a lot of helpful information from other locals, I just wanted to respectfully beg to differ on this one point: local market fans are definitely not the demographic that League Pass is trying to sell to. For years, the most consistent messaging in League Pass advertising has been, "Get up to 40 out-of-market games a week with NBA League Pass!" They've never marketed the product for fans of the local team; they expect those people to watch via the RSNs.
 

pdxKingsFan

So Ordinary That It's Truly Quite Extraordinary
Staff member
#18
As someone who subbed League Pass through the entirety of the glory days I concur with Slim, League Pass was originally pitched as a way for out of market fans to track their team or for uberfans to watch every game every night. For a while they actually splintered it into those two - where you could just buy a single team league pass, but as more and more of it moved to online they brought it back into the full price all service.

The local issue has to do with your local cable provider's rights. Comcast pays the bajillion to the RSN and to ESPN for exclusive carry and force you into $100s per month bundles.

Your best options as a local customer would be to find a generous Comcast patron to password share with, or find someone to go in halfises with on a YouTube TV subscription. As of this writing, neither seems to have gone down the route of Netflix and others of clamping down on password sharing, and I am able to use my mother's Comcast account to watch on CA Sportsnet when the Kings play the stinking Blazers - who have the worst TV deal in all of the NBA to my knowledge - their games can't be streamed by Portland locals AT ALL because Root Sports has zero online presence.
 

Krunker

Northernmost Kings Fan
#19
I am in Alaska with League Pass and can watch all the games directly except when they play the blazers (which is dumb but whatever, Root Sports)..
 
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pdxKingsFan

So Ordinary That It's Truly Quite Extraordinary
Staff member
#20
I am in Alaska with League Pass and can watch all the games directly except when they play the blazers (which is dumb but whatever, Root Sports).
Are you freakin kidding me? Root has Alaska territoried out?!? I honestly didn't think it could get stupider than blacking out the Blazers across Oregon and parts of Washington that can't get Root.
 

Mr. S£im Citrus

Doryphore of KingsFans.com
Staff member
#21
Are you freakin kidding me? Root has Alaska territoried out?!? I honestly didn't think it could get stupider than blacking out the Blazers across Oregon and parts of Washington that can't get Root.
I believe that, geographically, Portland is the nearest NBA market to Alaska (as the crow flies), so that's probably why. I believe that the market closest to Hawaii is Sacramento but, when I was stationed out there, the "local" team was the gd lakers.
 

pdxKingsFan

So Ordinary That It's Truly Quite Extraordinary
Staff member
#22
I believe that, geographically, Portland is the nearest NBA market to Alaska (as the crow flies), so that's probably why. I believe that the market closest to Hawaii is Sacramento but, when I was stationed out there, the "local" team was the gd lakers.
I was under the impression territories had some kind of fixed limit but I guess it would make some sense to still give Alaska and Hawaii a "team" instead of giving them the best game in some people's minds.
 

Mr. S£im Citrus

Doryphore of KingsFans.com
Staff member
#23
You would think so, but that doesn't seem to be how it plays out in practice. @Makaveli lives in AL, but League Pass has apparently decided that the Pelicans are his "local" team, so their games get blacked out for him.
 

Warhawk

Give blood and save a life!
Staff member
#24
Who is your streaming/TV provider?

The link @Section 101 posted above shows some of the providers that offer that channel. And, no, you don't have to use a firestick or external device to get it. You just need to subscribe to a streaming/TV provider that offers the channel.

DirectTV has it. Dish Network has it. YouTubeTV has it. Most, if not all, local cable providers have it.

You may very well have access to it and not know it.
I believe the bolded is incorrect. They dropped it a couple of years ago and never picked it up again, forcing me to switch to DirecTV to be able to continue watching the Kings. My wife and I liked Dish Network much better for a variety of reasons (ease of use, fewer technical issues, nicer skipping and fast forwarding features, channel designations, pricing, etc.) but that's neither here nor there at this point.
 

pdxKingsFan

So Ordinary That It's Truly Quite Extraordinary
Staff member
#26
You would think so, but that doesn't seem to be how it plays out in practice. @Makaveli lives in AL, but League Pass has apparently decided that the Pelicans are his "local" team, so their games get blacked out for him.
I guess the other part of the equation is that home territories may span 75-100 miles but if an RSN becomes available in a wider area they probably get exclusive rights to that area beyond the exclusive.

In that regard it would make sense for Hawaii to take on the LA RSNs. I could see AL actually having New Orleans and Atlanta RSNs and both teams blacked out.

Alaska had to pick someone I guess?

I also don't quite understand why the Kings are blocked out when I visit family in Carmel because they get Comcast Sports Bay Area but not CSN California. Whereas Sacramentans get both. When the Sonics were around we got their games on cable as well. I don't recall if we had our flavor of Comcast NW for Seattle and Portland, or it was just one channel the way Root currently has deals with multiple Portland and Seattle teams.
 
#27
I believe the bolded is incorrect. They dropped it a couple of years ago and never picked it up again, forcing me to switch to DirecTV to be able to continue watching the Kings. My wife and I liked Dish Network much better for a variety of reasons (ease of use, fewer technical issues, nicer skipping and fast forwarding features, channel designations, pricing, etc.) but that's neither here nor there at this point.
My apology, I saw some information listing the channel number on Dish Network and didn’t recognize it as out of date.

Thanks for the correction.
 

Warhawk

Give blood and save a life!
Staff member
#28
My apology, I saw some information listing the channel number on Dish Network and didn’t recognize it as out of date.

Thanks for the correction.
No worries. I was hoping I was wrong and briefly checked again but it appears they still don't carry it. Which is a shame because I would pay a separate fee to be able to switch back to Dish and get Kings games there.