Introduction

• NHL Blackout Rule Terms and Definitions
• If an NHL game is blacked out, and it is being carried locally, subscribers must tune to their Regional Sports Network (RSN) or local Over The Air (OTA) television station to see the game

• Member Club: the NHL determines which NHL Member Club (team), if any, each cable system falls into, along with a corresponding Blackout Area

• The entire service area of each cable system, even if servicing multiple cities / towns, must be blacked out for games with blackout restrictions

Resolution Steps

• NHL Blackout Rules
• 50 Mile, Sphere, and Outer Blackouts: every cable system’s service area is designated as one of these blackout types

• 50 Mile Blackout

50 Mile blackout area falls within the television territory of the local Over the Air television station designated by the NHL, Sphere of Influence, and the Regional Sports Network carrying the game

This system must be blacked out of NHL games when any of the following blackout identifiers appear on the schedule

• Example: if a cable system in Atlanta, GA is within the Atlanta Thrashers Member Club area, and is assigned 50 Mile, Sphere, or Outer as a blackout assignment, this cable system is blacked-out

• Sphere Blackout

 

When a cable system is designated as having a Sphere blackout, it falls outside the 50 Mile blackout area (does not have a local Over-The-Air television station carrying the game), but is still designated by the NHL as a Sphere of Influence area for the local team and the Regional Sports Network carrying the game

• Example: Dover, Delaware is within the Philadelphia Flyers Member Club area and is assigned a Sphere blackout assignment. When a Sphere or Outer blackout is required for a Philadelphia Flyers game, this system will be blacked-out

• Outer Blackout
  

  When a cable system is designated as having an Outer blackout, it falls outside the 50 Mile and Sphere blackout area, but within the television territory of the Regional Sports Network carrying the game. It must be blacked out of NHL games only when the identifier Outer appears on the schedule

  • Example: a cable system in Tucson, AZ is determined to fall within the Phoenix Coyotes Member Club area and is assigned Outer as their blackout assignment. When there is an Outer blackout required for a Phoenix Coyotes game, this system is blacked-out