I'm not sure how long Sportnets local deal with the Flames is, or how this case affects Canada, but the local TV packages may be able to be sold independently if this case is won.
http://www.cbssports.com/nhl/eye-on-...d-after-ruling
Quote:
The blackouts have long been a point of contention among fans when it comes to GameCenter Live, in particular. They are of course designed to protect the ratings of the network that owns the TV rights for the local team, but the consumer is often a big loser in that scenario.
It's not just for teams in their home markets. For instance, in Iowa (where I got to find this out for myself the hard way), a fan who purchases the GCL package is likely to have games blacked out for each of the Chicago Blackhawks, Minnesota Wild and St. Louis Blues, whether that individual's cable provider carries the networks that those teams are on or not. That's a loss of a significant amount of games despite the cost associated with the service for the consumer.
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