Sport comes in three separate layers
National networks
The big broadcast and cable sports channels. Included in almost every TV package and most streaming bundles. This is where the marquee national games live.
Regional sports networks
The channel carrying your local professional teams. Availability depends entirely on where you live and which provider you use, and this is the layer that most often goes missing when people switch.
League packages
Out-of-market subscriptions sold by the leagues themselves, for following a team from another city. Priced separately, and blacked out for local games.
Most disappointment in this area comes from assuming one layer covers another. A package heavy in national sports channels will not carry your local team's regional network, and a league package will black out exactly the games you can already watch locally.
Blackouts, explained once
Leagues sell local broadcasting rights separately from national ones. If a game is being shown by a regional network in your area, the out-of-market league package will black it out — because the local broadcaster paid for exclusivity in that market.
Working out what you need
-
1
List the teams you actually watch
Not the sports — the teams. Most households name two or three.
-
2
Find out which network carries each one
For local teams that will usually be a regional sports network; for national games, a national channel.
-
3
Check whether your provider carries that network
Ask specifically by name, and check it is in the tier you are buying rather than a higher one.
-
4
Only then consider a league package
And only for teams outside your market, since local games will be blacked out.
Ways to spend less on sport
- An over-the-air antenna gets nationally broadcast games free, in HD, with no subscription.
- Subscribe to a league package for the season and cancel in the off-season.
- If you follow one team, check whether that team's network sells a direct subscription.
- Regional sports fees are charged whether or not you watch — if you follow no local team, that is a reason to look at services that do not levy them.
- Some streaming services sell sports as an add-on you can switch on and off monthly.