Watching Playoffs in Europe

[UK flame]

Hi,

Do any of the other European based flame fans know what the best way to see the playoff games on tv/online in this part of the world?

I know there are dodgy internet streams, but most often they are so blurred seeing the players is tricky let alone the puck.

Thanks

[Thor]

Spend the money for NHL Gamecenter, only $29.99 USD and you get HD streaming of all the games.

[UK flame]

Originally Posted by Thor

Spend the money for NHL Gamecenter, only $29.99 USD and you get HD streaming of all the games.

Does that work outside North America? I've always been concerned that they'd take my cash and then that blackout warning would mean I don't get to see what I want!

[icarus]

In the UK I think you need to subscribe to Premier Sports (£9.99 per month), as they are showing the playoffs and so NHL Gamecenter is likely to be blacked out. You can stream Premier Sports online.

[Daryei]

When I lived there, Game Center ended up being up being the best option, as long as games weren't blacked out because or Premier Sports.

Premier Sports is a specialty station on Sky and online. http://www.premierplayer.tv

[UK flame]

Thanks all.

Now to slowly start turning nocturnal!

[Thor]

Originally Posted by icarus

In the UK I think you need to subscribe to Premier Sports (£9.99 per month), as they are showing the playoffs and so NHL Gamecenter is likely to be blacked out. You can stream Premier Sports online.

I'm pretty sure that is wrong, I know people who have gamecenter in the UK.

There might be "featured" games which are being shown on premier sports which would be blacked out on gamecenter, but those are rare as I understand it. Maybe easy to bypass with Hola unblocker?

Is NHL GameCenter LIVE™ available outside of the U.S.?

NHL GameCenter LIVE™ is currently available for purchase globally with the exception of Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden. The product is available in English only.

[Itse]

In Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden you can get Gamecenter through Viaplay.

[UKflames]

It is a combination of all of the above.

I have GCL and it works perfectly fine, excellent picture quality etc, however whichever game(s) that Premier sports, the satellite channel on Sky, is showing are blacked out for 48 hours. The playoffs are when this becomes the biggest problem as the amount of games they can show reduces we see more and more blackouts.

I am gutted to say that they seem to have chosen the Flames/Nucks series to show from the choice in the West, so blackouts galore for flames fans. You can get round this with a VPN if you have one.

[calgaryboy]

Happy, satisfied customer of GCL here. It was always my dream to be able to watch every Flames game since I was a kid, last 7-8 years it is my hockey reality. From 2008 to 2011 I was a subscriber of ESPN NHL player, then they made GCL available for Europe. Watching via ps4 now, was using ps3 last few years. If you have quality stable internet connection /I do, 50/50Mbits/ the quality is superb, HD 4500kbps, 60fps. If you want to use it only in the afternoons etc, it is not so stable, because many people watch GCL in the afternoon in Europe. But if you are like me, who love to watch only LIVE game, then the night streams are fantastic! Woke up for each and every Flames game this season again, and had no problem! The only problem is lack of sleep :-) But who cares, it is all about the Flames!!!!! GO FLAAAAAAMEEEESSSS!!!!!!!

[calgaryboy]

And here in Czech republic there are no blackouts, you can watch any game you want. As UKflames wrote, different story in UK......

[icarus]

Originally Posted by Thor

I'm pretty sure that is wrong, I know people who have gamecenter in the UK.

There might be "featured" games which are being shown on premier sports which would be blacked out on gamecenter, but those are rare as I understand it. Maybe easy to bypass with Hola unblocker?

Nope, it's right; I have both Gamecenter and Premier Sports, out of necessity.

Premier Sports FAQ's:

Q: What games will be blocked live on GameCenter online?

A: 12-15 games we select to broadcast live each week, Most of the playoff games from rounds 1 and 2, all of the playoff games from round 3, the Stanley Cup Final matches, the Winter Classic and other outdoor games and the All-Star matches.

Q: When can GameCenter show the games they have to block in the UK?

A: They can make games available after the live event has finished.

Q: Why are Premier Sports making GameCenter block games?

A: The channel invested heavily in the new 4 year contract to bring 15 games a week of NHL to UK television. Protecting our investment is a priority which also means the long-term television coverage of the NHL in the UK remains viable.

Premier Sports playoff schedule (so far):

NHL Playoffs on Premier Sports
Thu 16 Apr Ottawa Senators @ Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre 00:00 Live
Thu 16 Apr Calgary Flames @ Vancouver Canucks Rogers Arena 03:00 Live
Thu 16 Apr NY Islanders @ Washington Capitals Verizon Center 10:00 Delayed
Thu 16 Apr Chicago Blackhawks @ Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena 12:00 Delayed
Fri 17 Apr Pittsburgh Penguins @ NY Rangers MSG 00:00 Live
Fri 17 Apr Winnipeg Jets @ Anaheim Ducks Honda Center 03:30 Live
Fri 17 Apr Minnesota Wild @ St. Louis Blues Scottrade Center 17:20 Delayed
Fri 17 Apr Detroit Red Wings @ Tampa Bay Lighting Amalie Arena 22:00 Delayed
Sat 18 Apr Ottawa Senators @ Montreal Canadiens Bell Centre 00:00 Live
Sat 18 Apr Calgary Flames @ Vancouver Canucks Rogers Arena 03:00 Live
Sat 18 Apr Chicago Blackhawks @ Nashville Predators Bridgestone Arena 17:15 Delayed
Sat 18 Apr NY Islanders @ Washington Capitals Verizon Center 22:00 Delayed
Sun 19 Apr Pittsburgh Penguins @ NY Rangers MSG 01:00 Live

I recommend UK residents just bite the bullet and subscribe to Premier Sports, it is a rolling £9.99 per month contract so you can cancel after the Flames win the Cup in June.

[devo22]

GLC is fantastic, have been very happy with it for 3 seasons now. Great quality and good value for the price. No blackouts in Austria either.

[Samuelsson]

Every stream I've used up until now has been crystal clear and no lag. Sure, in the list you're given there's always the more grainy ones, but you just avoid them and choose the good ones.

Side question: do you have to have Sky for Premier Sports - or do they have an online streaming service?

[icarus]

Originally Posted by Samuelsson

Every stream I've used up until now has been crystal clear and no lag. Sure, in the list you're given there's always the more grainy ones, but you just avoid them and choose the good ones.

Side question: do you have to have Sky for Premier Sports - or do they have an online streaming service?

I don't have Sky. I just stream onto my laptop and HDMI cable to my tv.

[Thor]

Ouch that sucks for the UK.

A few seasons back I had to fight it out with the NHL because they included Iceland with the other nordic nations even though we had zero options on TV here to watch under their signed agreement with a nordic broadcaster. Eventually thanks to a nice lady at NHL HQ they lifted Iceland completely and they never block any games here anymore.

All 3 of us who watch hockey in Iceland

[Itse]

Originally Posted by Thor

All 3 of us who watch hockey in Iceland

Well that's about a quarter of the adult population, so not so bad really

[J79]

This is my first year using GCL and I'm surprised by the quality 95% of the time.
No blackouts for me either.

I'm not really technical, but I believe UK and Scandinavian NHL fans can get around blackouts by changing their IP address to a (for instance) Dutch IP-address and then register for GCL.
(not sure if that's completly legal)

[Thor]

For Chrome you can use Hola unblocker, but I'm not sure if the GCL is tied to your billing and not your IP?

[Itse]

Originally Posted by J79

This is my first year using GCL and I'm surprised by the quality 95% of the time.
No blackouts for me either.

I'm not really technical, but I believe UK and Scandinavian NHL fans can get around blackouts by changing their IP address to a (for instance) Dutch IP-address and then register for GCL.
(not sure if that's completly legal)

I haven't noticed any blackouts here in Finland. I think Viaplay owns all the rights to all Nordic countries.

Everybody probably just kind of forgot Iceland while making that deal.