OT: Why NBA League Pass is so shady?

[Devilzsidewalk]

I think if ILP has no blackouts (including for games that are nationally broadcast in the USA), then I would definitely get it. Even though it is costly and it should be better than what it is.

If I could get the ILP version of LP here in the USA, then I would have few problems with it. I just hate the local and national blackouts.

I absolutely hate blackouts - I understand what they are trying to achieve, but they seem to have no regards to people who don't watch TV at all. How about still giving me the local stream but with some add-on charge which gets partially distributed to the local providers?

Or just feed in the local broadcast with commercials. I don't get why they can't figure this out. Like how is "nothing" their solution? Shouldn't that be the absolute last resort?

[HotRocks34]

I absolutely hate blackouts

Want to hear something insane?

Where I live (going to move in the near future, thankfully), I am blacked out of THREE teams. Totally ridiculous. A joke. And I usually have full league pass for the season.

I don't know if ILP users get blacked out of playoff games but my understanding was they were not blacked out of any regular season games. Man, that would be awesome.

The quality of LP should be better, for sure. But if it were not for the blackouts, to me, I'd be ok with the service.

I don't use my TV much, so the blackouts are a killer.

I like your idea of overcoming the blackouts. Add in a fee or something. I would pay it.

[Black Jack]

I think if ILP has no blackouts (including for games that are nationally broadcast in the USA), then I would definitely get it. Even though it is costly and it should be better than what it is.

If I could get the ILP version of LP here in the USA, then I would have few problems with it. I just hate the local and national blackouts.

You can sign up for a VPN and switch your IP to look like you're out of the country.

That said it's not worth it. I'm a cord-cutter (Comcast will never see one more dime from me) and I had subscribed to the US LP but between not having home (Warrior) games and the lagginess of the client (always locking up when the good plays happen and crowd gets loud), and the worst part, the replays only show made buckets.....it's just not worth it.

Now I have the sports bar down the street to watch games

[Sabas11]

I don't know if ILP users get blacked out of playoff games but my understanding was they were not blacked out of any regular season games. Man, that would be awesome.

It depends on the country you reside in I think. I split my time between France and Ireland, and have never experienced any blackout while in Ireland. Basketball is so small in that country that I don't think any TV channel has bought TV rights.

I do get blacked out of games while in France, you can't see the games on ILP which are also broadcasted on the TV channel that paid for the rights. It's not more than 2 games a week - but it includes playoff games - and if memory serves right you can also watch the replay the day after.

[naabzor]

None of you League Pass users have answered OP's questions yet.

Yeah you're right Is there someone who knows at least bitrate and frames per second of the streaming. It's really frustrating to buy something hoping that it is good because the NBA does not want to tell you what are you going to get.

I was intrigued by the package in which you can choose what teams you can see but honestly it's not available in europe. At least I think it's not available, I just can't find it. I can only do Premium, non Premium and the NBA TV crap.

[Sofia]

International blackouts may change depending on your local broadcast rights. If a local provider holds 'live and exclusive' broadcast rights for certain televised games, it's likely you'll get locked out while that game is on. You can still watch other matches at the same time, and watch the replay of the black out match straight after.

It may be worth contacting LP help if you are unsure of whether your country will have blackouts.

Also, be aware the broadcast contracts and exclusivity rights may change for regular season and various rounds of the playoffs... I remember a few years back when the east was at its worst, one of our local broadcast outlets proudly proclaiming they had Eastern semis live and exclusive, like anyone really gave a **** about those 2 series.

What is ILP? Oly thing I saw is NBA leaguepass, maybe I just saw one thing because I'm in europe but it said NBA LEAGUE PASS.

The I stands for International. You can only order it with a foreign IP and billing address. You will also not be able to use it if you travel to the US on vacation.

You can use it in the US, as long the game you are not in the blackout area of the game you are trying to watch, and depending on the national broadcast schedule. I had no issues watching Clips v Memphis playoff games in my hotel in New York or Seattle in 2012, and haven't really had any other issues that come to mind in other trips during regular season.

[gaspar]

Hello guys, I'm an Italian basketball fan and I want to see the up & coming NBA season. The only legal service online seems to be NBA League Pass. So I went on the official site and I saw that it is expensive: 26,99€ a month for the premium one and 20,99€ dor the standard one. I don't care about the little stuff that they give you for 6 euros a month (the historic vault is cool, but whatever) so I was heading toward the standard one.

But I want to know more details of the service and i can't find it. For example, what are the resolution available? The videos are 30 fps or 60 fps? What's the Bitrate? I heard it's "adaptive", but I remember that you can choose between some fixed presets but I can't find anything on the site that tells you all these technical stuff.

Can you please help me? And what do you think of NBA LP in general? It is a good service?

Thanks guys.

There's an NBA League Pass Kodi addon and the available options are:

720p @ 60fps (4500 kbps)
720p (3000 kbps)
540p (1600 kbps)
432p (1200 kbps)
360p (800 kbps)

[WhateverBro]

International league pass is a good service. It's a little bit expensive but for a basketball junkie such as myself, it's well worth it. The quality is generally good but can get poor if you watch live games that are in high demand (think christmas day, early sunday games, playoff games etc.) But generally that's not a problem.

I've had it since 06-07 and it's a much, much better product than it used to be. Back in 2007, we even got blackouts for the nationally televised games in the US but it's not that way anymore.

I don't know the exact bitrates but the quality works fine and will adapt to your internet speed. On my laptop it looks crisp but when I hook my computer up to my ''55 TV it's not great quality but it's definitely doable.

[Cresy06]

I'm from Europe as well, and I think ILP is pretty darn good. Quality is good and they rarely have any Issues with the streams.

Might not answer your Questions, but just an advice: When you want to buy the LP, just try out different proxy servers, the prices might differ if you try out other countries. Last year I bought it while using an Australian Proxy, and it was a lot cheaper! The year before that I found out that it was a lot cheaper in Spain, so I used a Spanish proxy. Its worth a try!

[HurricaneKid]

Or just feed in the local broadcast with commercials. I don't get why they can't figure this out. Like how is "nothing" their solution? Shouldn't that be the absolute last resort?

It's not that they haven't figured out, it's the financial arrangements that have been made.

I'm not going to defend the way it is done, I DO want to explain it. Because almost all of the complaints about league pass are because no one understands how it works.

ESPN/Turner are literally paying BILLIONS to televise NBA games. For paying this rate they get to chose games, they get to broadcast nationally, etc. They aren't paying BILLIONS so you can change the channel and watch the same game without their commercials. No games that are on these channels will be available on NBATv. And most people get that.

What they don't seem to appreciate is that the REGIONAL SPORTS Networks are next to eat. The Lakers signed a 20 year/3BILLION deal with TWC Sportsnet so these guys are paying a ton of money as well. Every team has a RSN and those channels carry a lot of clout with regional Cable coverage (mostly meaning they can charge a lot). So the NBA league pass offers a 1 team package for $119. You CANNOT buy your local TV area's team. That's already been sold off. And if you live in, let's just say, the Twin Cities and are a Knicks fan, you will NOT get the Knicks game when they are playing the TWolves because those games rights are already owned by the RSN.

The rest of the games simply don't have a significant market so they go in the NBA League Pass pool. These games are the only ones you are buying for your $200/yr. They use the RSN broadcasts and offer you a chance to get your fill.

But make no mistake about it. Your $200 does NOT put you first in line. It puts you after ESPN. It puts you after TNT and TBS. It even puts you behind Fox Sports Net Minnesota if that's where you live.

Is it fair to ask the guy 4th in line to pay $200? That's the real question. I had League Pass for years but I was mostly watching the big games (read NATIONALLY televised) and my local team which I was already getting. So while I can't change the channel if one of those games gets out of hand or hits a commercial break, I do have my $200 still.

[LOUiS-D]

None of you League Pass users have answered OP's questions yet.

That's because the biggest issues with LP are the ridiculous price, lock in contract and the blackouts. Any time it's brought up customers MUST spout their vitriol.

LP is $28.62 USD a month in Australia for the basic package. 5 years ago it was 10usd cheaper.

As far as I'm concerned anyone paying for LP is a traitor to other NBA fans and the league in general.

I refuse to re-subscribe until:

1) Subscription is month to month, opt out.
2) Blackouts are ended.
3) It's brought back down to a reasonable price in all regions.

A good and thriving service is ones that customers are happily loyal to. Not one that betrays the loyalty of its customers.

[Zvaart]

i have it since 13-14 season, and the quality got better every year. so did the price, obviously.
i paid last year 160 euro for the premium one (living in Eastern Europe).

Regarding OP's question, i don't think there is any image quality difference between any of the subscriptions. Only the features makes the difference. I have a very good internet connection (over 50mb/s on wi-fi - worst case scenario) so this might help as well.

No blackouts ever here as well.

[nike1]

None of you League Pass users have answered OP's questions yet.

That's because the biggest issues with LP are the ridiculous price, lock in contract and the blackouts. Any time it's brought up customers MUST spout their vitriol.

LP is $28.62 USD a month in Australia for the basic package. 5 years ago it was 10usd cheaper.

As far as I'm concerned anyone paying for LP is a traitor to other NBA fans and the league in general.

I refuse to re-subscribe until:

1) Subscription is month to month, opt out.
2) Blackouts are ended.
3) It's brought back down to a reasonable price in all regions.

A good and thriving service is ones that customers are happily loyal to. Not one that betrays the loyalty of its customers.

ILP is month by month if you want.. its what i do.

[LOUiS-D]

ILP is month by month if you want.. its what i do.

I know you pay month to month, but last time I was subscribed you were on the hook for the whole season and there was a cancellation fee. Has that changed?

[nike1]

ive never been on the hook for the season,
never had to pay a cancellation fee.

[E-Balla]

Its 1080p, 60 fps on LP.

[Devilzsidewalk]

Or just feed in the local broadcast with commercials. I don't get why they can't figure this out. Like how is "nothing" their solution? Shouldn't that be the absolute last resort?

It's not that they haven't figured out, it's the financial arrangements that have been made.

I'm not going to defend the way it is done, I DO want to explain it. Because almost all of the complaints about league pass are because no one understands how it works.

ESPN/Turner are literally paying BILLIONS to televise NBA games. For paying this rate they get to chose games, they get to broadcast nationally, etc. They aren't paying BILLIONS so you can change the channel and watch the same game without their commercials. No games that are on these channels will be available on NBATv. And most people get that.

What they don't seem to appreciate is that the REGIONAL SPORTS Networks are next to eat. The Lakers signed a 20 year/3BILLION deal with TWC Sportsnet so these guys are paying a ton of money as well. Every team has a RSN and those channels carry a lot of clout with regional Cable coverage (mostly meaning they can charge a lot). So the NBA league pass offers a 1 team package for $119. You CANNOT buy your local TV area's team. That's already been sold off. And if you live in, let's just say, the Twin Cities and are a Knicks fan, you will NOT get the Knicks game when they are playing the TWolves because those games rights are already owned by the RSN.

The rest of the games simply don't have a significant market so they go in the NBA League Pass pool. These games are the only ones you are buying for your $200/yr. They use the RSN broadcasts and offer you a chance to get your fill.

But make no mistake about it. Your $200 does NOT put you first in line. It puts you after ESPN. It puts you after TNT and TBS. It even puts you behind Fox Sports Net Minnesota if that's where you live.

Is it fair to ask the guy 4th in line to pay $200? That's the real question. I had League Pass for years but I was mostly watching the big games (read NATIONALLY televised) and my local team which I was already getting. So while I can't change the channel if one of those games gets out of hand or hits a commercial break, I do have my $200 still.

I understand all that - it's always about ownership and money, but that's not a valid excuse. That's just a bunch of hurdles that they created with their separation of broadcast rights across mediums. Nothing about that changes anything. No viewers care about or sympathize with the tangled web of exclusive rights that they weaved. Figure.It.Out.

It's like if I opened a restaurant and there's this burger of the month membership club, and you come in with your membership and you try to order a bacon cheeseburger, and I say "no" and give this long sob story about exclusive distributor rights and blah blah blah, that's why you can't have the bacon cheeseburger if you live in the 55108 zip code. You'd lift me off the ground by my tie and say "wtf is wrong with you, give me the damn burger you weirdo"...or at least that's what you should do. It's just like that. Exactly the same. Right? Right.

[King of Canada]

Worst part about LP is that you can't DVR and pause games. It's VERY inconvenient.

[King of Canada]

Or just feed in the local broadcast with commercials. I don't get why they can't figure this out. Like how is "nothing" their solution? Shouldn't that be the absolute last resort?

It's not that they haven't figured out, it's the financial arrangements that have been made.

I'm not going to defend the way it is done, I DO want to explain it. Because almost all of the complaints about league pass are because no one understands how it works.

ESPN/Turner are literally paying BILLIONS to televise NBA games. For paying this rate they get to chose games, they get to broadcast nationally, etc. They aren't paying BILLIONS so you can change the channel and watch the same game without their commercials. No games that are on these channels will be available on NBATv. And most people get that.

What they don't seem to appreciate is that the REGIONAL SPORTS Networks are next to eat. The Lakers signed a 20 year/3BILLION deal with TWC Sportsnet so these guys are paying a ton of money as well. Every team has a RSN and those channels carry a lot of clout with regional Cable coverage (mostly meaning they can charge a lot). So the NBA league pass offers a 1 team package for $119. You CANNOT buy your local TV area's team. That's already been sold off. And if you live in, let's just say, the Twin Cities and are a Knicks fan, you will NOT get the Knicks game when they are playing the TWolves because those games rights are already owned by the RSN.

The rest of the games simply don't have a significant market so they go in the NBA League Pass pool. These games are the only ones you are buying for your $200/yr. They use the RSN broadcasts and offer you a chance to get your fill.

But make no mistake about it. Your $200 does NOT put you first in line. It puts you after ESPN. It puts you after TNT and TBS. It even puts you behind Fox Sports Net Minnesota if that's where you live.

Is it fair to ask the guy 4th in line to pay $200? That's the real question. I had League Pass for years but I was mostly watching the big games (read NATIONALLY televised) and my local team which I was already getting. So while I can't change the channel if one of those games gets out of hand or hits a commercial break, I do have my $200 still.

I understand all that - it's always about ownership and money, but that's not a valid excuse. That's just a bunch of hurdles that they created with their separation of broadcast rights across mediums. Nothing about that changes anything. No viewers care about or sympathize with the tangled web of exclusive rights that they weaved. Figure.It.Out.

It's like if I opened a restaurant and there's this burger of the month membership club, and you come in with your membership and you try to order a bacon cheeseburger, and I say "no" and give this long sob story about exclusive distributor rights and blah blah blah, that's why you can't have the bacon cheeseburger if you live in the 55108 zip code. You'd lift me off the ground by my tie and say "wtf is wrong with you, give me the damn burger you weirdo"...or at least that's what you should do. It's just like that. Exactly the same. Right? Right.

These corps DO NOT give a crap about anything making sense for the consumer, etc... They will go with the option that makes the most money and that's it. They are ran by dinosaurs. What that means in this case I don't know, but I do agree they will have to eventually work something out. I'm Canadian, so I have lots of experience with this. It's similar to how HBO operates in Canada. They sign major deals with our crappy big cable companies, so in Canada we literally can't get HBO unless we sign up for a cable packages and then pay an extra $20 per month. The web service is not even available to us. The consumer loses. It's the reason why Canadian pirate HBO shows and the reason that Ballstreams existed.

[khufure]

Its 1080p, 60 fps on LP.

For me the whole last year it was 30fps. How do you get 60fps?