BLACKED_OUTBlacked Out
A regional blackout restriction prevents the viewer from watching this game on their current service, despite having a subscription that would otherwise carry it.
User-facing label: “Blacked out in your current area”
What This Means for Viewers
Blackouts occur when a game's local broadcast rights take priority over national or out-of-market streaming rights. The most common case: a viewer has MLB.TV or NBA League Pass, but the game involves a team whose home DMA matches the viewer's DMA. The local RSN holds exclusive live rights in that territory, so the out-of-market service is blacked out.
Common Causes
- The viewer is in the team's home DMA and has an out-of-market package (MLB.TV, NBA League Pass, NHL Center Ice) — these services black out local games.
- The viewer is in a secondary/extended blackout territory (some teams claim blackout rights in adjacent DMAs).
- A nationally-broadcast game (e.g., ESPN Sunday Night Baseball) is blacked out on ESPN+ in certain DMAs due to local RSN exclusivity windows.
- Regional sports network holdbacks — the RSN has exclusive live rights for a window (typically the duration of the live broadcast plus a post-game period).
How to Resolve
- Subscribe to a live TV streaming service that carries the local RSN in your DMA (e.g., YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream, Fubo).
- Check if the game is simultaneously available on a national network (some games air on both the RSN and a national channel).
- Wait for the blackout window to expire — out-of-market services typically make the game available 90 minutes after conclusion.