Sports blackouts

[Big43B]

I live in Ottawa.

Ottawa is playing Tampa Bay.

In Tampa Bay.

I can't watch for some reason. Maybe they think I should fly out to watch the game?

What exactly am I paying for again? No wonder people find streams on the web to watch instead of subscribing.

[WelshTerrier · Accepted solution]

Good Day & Welcome to the Bell Community Forum.

Which Bell TV service & package do you subscribe to? Ottawa vs Tampa  Bay was broadcast on TSN 5 at 7:00pm on Thursday evening.

Games available on TSN5 to viewers in the Senators region only:

2025-26 Ottawa Senators on TSN Regional Schedule

FYI Only.

TSN blocks hockey games due to NHL regional blackout rules, which prevent viewers outside a team's designated broadcast region from watching games televised by their local regional broadcaster. These restrictions, mandated by the NHL to support local teams and their agreements with regional sports networks, require viewers to subscribe to out-of-market packages like Sportsnet+ or NHL Centre Ice to watch games in their area if they are not in the team's home region.

Take care.

[dks · Accepted solution]

Thank you for your concern. As @WelshTerrier has said, these decisions are made by the NHL and their franchise owners. Bell has no control over these agreements and is legally obligated to abide by them. Blackout rules apply to all markets, depending on the league and the team. If you have specific concerns about Senators games being blacked out in your market, you should direct them to the NHL and the team owner. 

[exNortel34]

Hey @Big43B, I am experiencing the same problem.  I have the Sports package and live in Ottawa.  Using the Bell Fibe app on my phone, I can watch the Senator games (on the TSN list), but the Bell Fibe app on my Smart TV shows the Blackout message.  When a Sens game is on Sportsnet - it's ok on my phone and TV.  I called Bell support and they were of no help - even suggested that I call TSN.  Since I pay Bell for the package, they should fix it.  I'll continue to complain until it gets resolved.

[dks]

Thanks for your question. Please see the helpful replies with green check marks for places to direct your concerns.

I have a theory as to why you could watch the game on your phone but not your TV, but you would need to provide more information. Was your phone connected to your local wireless or the cellular network when you were watching the game? 

[Marco 99]

Same here. I suspect it is our IP address from our ISP is located outside of Ottawa region. Bell should use a different method to determine our location 

[dks]

Thank you for your thought. That was exactly what I was going to suggest. The Bell Fibe/Satellite TV networks and the Bell Mobility may take the same game feed, but they broadcast and locate users in two different systems. If a Bell Mobility phone has an IP outside the blackout zone, you can watch the game on your phone but not on Fibe/Satellite.  IP location is foundational to the internet itself. IP location blocking or geo-blocking is used to comply with sports league contract requirements. That is unlikely to change.

Any complaints should be directed to the sports league and to the specific team, who are the ones who require blackouts, usually for the reason of wanting to sell more arena tickets. It is a flawed argument when some sports arenas are sold out for every game. In that case, customers can be referred to premium sports channels. 

[Boss man]

Why cannot I see The montreal Canadians vs Ottawa tonight

[WelshTerrier]

Good Day & Welcome to the Bell Community Forum

It is somewhat difficult to answer your question based on the lack of information that you have provided. You can watch Ottawa vs. Montreal on SN1 Channel 1409 on Fibe TV if this station is included as part of Bell TV subscription.

NHL games involving the Montreal Canadiens are blacked out in the region defined by the NHL, which includes Quebec, the Maritimes, and southeastern Ontario. This means games are unavailable on out-of-market packages like Centre Ice and national streams, and are instead shown on local regional broadcasters.

You may not be able to watch the Montreal Canadiens because of regional blackouts, which are based on where you live. Games broadcast by regional sports networks like TSN (in English) and RDS(in French) are blacked out outside the team's designated market area.

Take care.

[Slauko]

TSN AND SPORTS NET. I PAY FOR FULL SPORTS PACKAGES AND YET DN GAMES ARE BLACKED OUT. FIBE TV ONLY WORK FROM MY WIFI. . EQ.

[WelshTerrier]

Good Day & Welcome to the Bell Community Forum.

This is a peer-to-peer website. As such, we do not have access to your account & billing records. 

It is somewhat difficult to answer your question based on the lack of information that you have provided. Please tell us more.

Which Bell TV service & package do you subscribe to? Which region of Canada do you live in?

TSN blocks hockey games due to NHL regional blackout rules, which prevent viewers outside a team's designated broadcast region from watching games televised by their local regional broadcaster. These restrictions, mandated by the NHL to support local teams and their agreements with regional sports networks, require viewers to subscribe to out-of-market packages like Sportsnet+ or NHL Centre Ice to watch games in their area if they are not in the team's home region.

TSN has regional broadcast rights for the Montreal Canadiens, Winnipeg Jets, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Ottawa Senators games, which are subject to blackouts if you are outside the team's specific region as defined by the NHL.

TSN's Full Regional Hockey Broadcast Schedules

If a game is blacked out for you on TSN, it means the regional rights for that specific game belong to another broadcaster in your area (likely Sportsnet) or an out-of-market package like NHL Centre Ice is required to watch it.

Bell has no control over these agreements and is legally obligated to abide by them. Blackout rules apply to all sports markets and are linked to regional broadcast scheduling.

If you have specific concerns, you should redirect them to the appropriate league & the team owner.

Take care.

[dks]

Thanks for your concern. Game blackouts are not controlled by Bell but are required by the various sports leagues. Blackouts are enforced by legal contracts. Your concern should be directed to the leagues and the team owners who mandate these requirements. The issue is explained in forum posts found here.