OLN and Hockey
So, has anyone else experienced OLN's hockey blackouts?
The NHL contracted with OLN to televise hockey games for this season, instead of ESPN (I miss Barry Melrose's mullet, BTW). Sounds good in theory. However, in actuality, the Comcast-owned sports channel blacks out the games on for all non-Comcast carriers in an effort to force them to carry OLN as a lower-tier channel rather than as part of an upgraded digital/satellite programming package. They believe that by doing this, customers will complain directly to the carrier forcing the carrier to drop OLN to a lower tier. Conveniently OLN's web site "fan forum" has been down "for maintenance". Hmmm... Perhaps a barrage of flames burned a hold in the site.
I dropped down to a cheaper DISH package and put the saved money toward NHL Center Ice! Now I will happily watch my hockey anyway, regardless of OLN. I'd rather pay DISH than reward OLN for their "bait-and-switch". They have been touting their hockey coverage since August. And now it is really only for those who have Comcast. What am I supposed to do? Go back to Comcast? Um, no. They don't carry Altitude, the regional channel for the Colorado Avalanche. DISH carries it. I love watching the Avs on Altitude, but I need a little more hockey than just the Avs...
So, I'm going to take my toys out of OLN's sandbox and play with the nicer toys in DISH's sandbox. *sticks out tongue*
The NHL contracted with OLN to televise hockey games for this season, instead of ESPN (I miss Barry Melrose's mullet, BTW). Sounds good in theory. However, in actuality, the Comcast-owned sports channel blacks out the games on for all non-Comcast carriers in an effort to force them to carry OLN as a lower-tier channel rather than as part of an upgraded digital/satellite programming package. They believe that by doing this, customers will complain directly to the carrier forcing the carrier to drop OLN to a lower tier. Conveniently OLN's web site "fan forum" has been down "for maintenance". Hmmm... Perhaps a barrage of flames burned a hold in the site.
I dropped down to a cheaper DISH package and put the saved money toward NHL Center Ice! Now I will happily watch my hockey anyway, regardless of OLN. I'd rather pay DISH than reward OLN for their "bait-and-switch". They have been touting their hockey coverage since August. And now it is really only for those who have Comcast. What am I supposed to do? Go back to Comcast? Um, no. They don't carry Altitude, the regional channel for the Colorado Avalanche. DISH carries it. I love watching the Avs on Altitude, but I need a little more hockey than just the Avs...
So, I'm going to take my toys out of OLN's sandbox and play with the nicer toys in DISH's sandbox. *sticks out tongue*