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June 7, 2022 10:27 pm  #1


Court Decision Concerning Illegal Streaming Of NHL Games

An interesting decision involving illegal Streaming:

12ft | Canadian broadcasters given 'unprecedented' ability to force internet providers to block illegal NHL streams | National Post


 

Last edited by Media Observer (June 8, 2022 3:43 pm)

 

June 7, 2022 11:50 pm  #2


Re: Court Decision Concerning Illegal Streaming Of NHL Games

A reminder to anyone streaming the games illegally that cbc.ca and cbcsports.ca have the games they carry available for free.  You can also watch on CBC Gem.  This isn't promoted on the broadcast because the primary rights holder, Rogers, wants customers to pay for Sportsnet Now.

Last edited by Tomas Barlow (June 8, 2022 1:40 am)

 

June 8, 2022 12:04 am  #3


Re: Court Decision Concerning Illegal Streaming Of NHL Games

What an interesting decision. As someone who makes a point of not looking at pirated material out of principle (yeah, I'm in the minority, I know) this won't affect me. But it does seem like a bit of judicial overreach and just another court siding endlessly with Bell and Rogers. (Although in this case, they would seem to be within their rights. It just won't do anything to endear them to an already angry public.)

The comments on the original page in the newspaper are filled with not unexpected extreme vitriol from upset would-be viewers, who make a point that they're paying way too much for sports channels they don't want and yet can't pay to see the games that they do.

One writer even notes the NHL Centre Ice package being offered online is available - but all local teams are blacked out. What, he asks quite reasonably, is the point of paying anything to see games you have no interest in? I wonder how many of them will find a way around this edict or even cancel some of their current cable and wireless, looking for alternatives?

Some other questions:

-Will the sites involved still work if they're watched under a VPN?
-How long before the pirates figure out a quick fix?
-Why are they only censoring hockey, when a lot of these sites also show MLB and other sports? The article states there will be a blockade of the sites involved half an hour before and until after the game ends. What about other sports they show?
-The date on this article on the National Post site is June 7, 2022. Why does the Clear This Page version say December 31, 1969?

We have definitely not heard the last of this. Even if they are morally wrong on this issue, you don't screw with Canadians and their hockey games without expecting a huge backlash. I'll be curious to see what form it comes in.

 

June 8, 2022 1:52 am  #4


Re: Court Decision Concerning Illegal Streaming Of NHL Games

I hope our sports channels get real on pricing.  On cable they get $3 or $4 per subscriber but they charge $14.99 and $19.99 respectively online.  If you want everything you need TSN and Sportsnet which costs $35 a month.

ESPN+ in the US is $6.99, and it carries virtually every major sports property.

 

June 8, 2022 4:57 am  #5


Re: Court Decision Concerning Illegal Streaming Of NHL Games

I hope it backfires. 
If they block the illegal viewer, they block that same viewer from seeing ads.
At the end of the day when all is said and done, the whole idea is to see as many ads as possible, whether the viewer saw them legally or not.
 


RadioWiz & RadioQuiz are NOT the same person. 
RadioWiz & THE Wiz are NOT the same person.

 
 

June 8, 2022 7:29 am  #6


Re: Court Decision Concerning Illegal Streaming Of NHL Games

I use NHL66 for hockey games. They offer both visiting and home team telecasts for all NHL teams. All commercials are blocked. The same company also offers MLB66, NBA3000 and NFL5. However, I have not sampled the other three sites. so I can't say if they are reliable.

 

June 8, 2022 8:16 am  #7


Re: Court Decision Concerning Illegal Streaming Of NHL Games

Under this ruling, the site you cite could be one of those blocked. I'm not sure how a VPN would affect it, depending on what the ISPs do. Just be ready for it not to be there.

 

June 8, 2022 9:37 am  #8


Re: Court Decision Concerning Illegal Streaming Of NHL Games

RadioActive wrote:

Under this ruling, the site you cite could be one of those blocked. I'm not sure how a VPN would affect it, depending on what the ISPs do. Just be ready for it not to be there.

Duly noted. Since this NHL season is almost completed, I will have to wait until October to see if NHL66 has been blocked. Haven't needed to use a VPN yet. I may in October.

 

June 8, 2022 10:21 am  #9


Re: Court Decision Concerning Illegal Streaming Of NHL Games

mace wrote:

RadioActive wrote:

Under this ruling, the site you cite could be one of those blocked. I'm not sure how a VPN would affect it, depending on what the ISPs do. Just be ready for it not to be there.

Duly noted. Since this NHL season is almost completed, I will have to wait until October to see if NHL66 has been blocked. Haven't needed to use a VPN yet. I may in October.

It's "Whack-a-Mole" .. whatever streaming sites disappear, others will pop up .. 
 

 

June 8, 2022 11:40 am  #10


Re: Court Decision Concerning Illegal Streaming Of NHL Games

g1210 wrote:

It's "Whack-a-Mole" .. whatever streaming sites disappear, others will pop up.

That's exactly what I've been thinking. The history of this kind of thing has shown that if there's a will, they'll find a way. Remember when firms like Disney were authorized to send fines to individual computer users for downloading illegal copies of their films? It was very controversial and if memory serves, perfectly legal for the big movie companies to do it. 

Does it still go on? I haven't heard about any legal letters going out in years. But illegal downloading hasn't stopped. I don't think it ultimately worked then and I don't think this will work now. 

 

June 8, 2022 11:48 am  #11


Re: Court Decision Concerning Illegal Streaming Of NHL Games

Radiowiz wrote:

I hope it backfires. 
If they block the illegal viewer, they block that same viewer from seeing ads.
At the end of the day when all is said and done, the whole idea is to see as many ads as possible, whether the viewer saw them legally or not.
 

Even if the illegal viewer sees that ad, it's not counted is it? How is the broadcaster supposed to know how many viewers saw that ad on a stream they don't know about or control, and properly set the rates per advertisement?

We can complain about the cost of streaming and subscribing to these channels and fault the many things these media companies do, but these guys paid for the rights fair and square and should have the opportunity to make money properly off of the product they sell. 

 

June 9, 2022 12:50 am  #12


Re: Court Decision Concerning Illegal Streaming Of NHL Games

Radiowiz wrote:

I hope it backfires. 
If they block the illegal viewer, they block that same viewer from seeing ads.
At the end of the day when all is said and done, the whole idea is to see as many ads as possible, whether the viewer saw them legally or not.
 

Not if they can't prove people are seeing the ads.  You can't sell numbers you can't measure.  Also most pirate sites steal the video from NHL.TV which shows a graphic instead of commercials.

 

June 9, 2022 12:53 am  #13


Re: Court Decision Concerning Illegal Streaming Of NHL Games

RadioActive wrote:

g1210 wrote:

It's "Whack-a-Mole" .. whatever streaming sites disappear, others will pop up.

That's exactly what I've been thinking. The history of this kind of thing has shown that if there's a will, they'll find a way. Remember when firms like Disney were authorized to send fines to individual computer users for downloading illegal copies of their films? It was very controversial and if memory serves, perfectly legal for the big movie companies to do it. 

Does it still go on? I haven't heard about any legal letters going out in years. But illegal downloading hasn't stopped. I don't think it ultimately worked then and I don't think this will work now. 

I would argue that illegal downloading has been curbed dramatically by Disney "opening the vault" permanently with Disney+.   It's easier to pay 5 or 6 bucks than deal with poor quality illegal streams.

 

June 9, 2022 3:19 am  #14


Re: Court Decision Concerning Illegal Streaming Of NHL Games

Tomas Barlow wrote:

Not if they can't prove people are seeing the ads.  You can't sell numbers you can't measure.  Also most pirate sites steal the video from NHL.TV which shows a graphic instead of commercials.

The best way to screw the pirate over is to stop charging $30 (or so) a month for the sports pack. Just let it go for free.
All of a sudden there is a large audience watching legally with no need to pay a pirate for anything, leaving the pirate with no money to be made.  
 


RadioWiz & RadioQuiz are NOT the same person. 
RadioWiz & THE Wiz are NOT the same person.

 
 

June 14, 2022 3:20 pm  #16


Re: Court Decision Concerning Illegal Streaming Of NHL Games

The slippery slope argument is always so lazy.
People are stealing. Period. That’s illegal.
If someone sneaks into a game they get kicked out and charged for trespassing. Why should the internet be any different?
By the way, CBC has the games for free at cbc.ca.
Simple.

Last edited by Tomas Barlow (June 14, 2022 3:20 pm)

 

June 15, 2022 8:40 pm  #17


Re: Court Decision Concerning Illegal Streaming Of NHL Games

And so it begins...

Canadian NHL fans won't be able to access NHL Live in 2022-23

"To get the full slate of out-of-market NHL games as they did with NHL Live, subscribers will have to pay for the Sportsnet Now Premium streaming service, which Rogers refers to as SN NOW Premium....

"Rogers does admit on its website that the SN NOW Premium package next season will not allow viewers to switch between home and away broadcasts or listen to radio broadcasts, features which were available through NHL Live."

 

June 15, 2022 11:05 pm  #18


Re: Court Decision Concerning Illegal Streaming Of NHL Games

So this makes sense.  Sportsnet plans to offer an expensive inferior product beginning next year and wants to make sure no Canadian can ever see how bad it is by comparison.