Fansided

Lawsuit fighting MLB, NHL blackouts granted class-action status

By Nathaniel Reeves

Jun 4, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; NHL commissioner Gary Bettman at a press conference with the Stanley Cup before game one of the 2014 Stanley Cup Final between the New York Rangers and the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 4, 2014; Los Angeles, CA, USA; NHL commissioner Gary Bettman at a press conference with the Stanley Cup before game one of the 2014 Stanley Cup Final between the New York Rangers and the Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /
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The designation could be an important step for fans filing a lawsuit against exclusive rights and territorial restrictions. 

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A lawsuit filed by fans against the MLB, NHL, Comcast, DirecTV and others has been granted class-action status, according to arstechnica.com.

A class-action certification, granted on Thursday by U.S. District Court of New York Judge Shira Scheindlin, allows the fans to fight collectively instead of on an individual basis. While there is still a long way to go in the process, it could be an important step for the lawsuit.

It also comes as a blow to the MLB and NHL, who argued that the lawsuit couldn’t be considered class-action because removing territorial rights would be beneficial for some fans and detrimental for others. For the vast majority of fans, the current blackouts rules only drive prices up and don’t allow many to watch their home team.

The lawsuit centers around exclusive rights and territorial restrictions for the broadcasting of MLB and NHL games. With exclusive rights, fans living in out-of-market areas are forced to buy pricey packages that broadcast games from every team, rather than just the one they want.

However, consumers with those packages such as MLB.TV often can’t watch the team in their own home market due to blackout restrictions. That’s a definite negative for fans, who often only have one option and must pay more for it.

The plaintiffs are arguing that such rules are unnatural and uncompetitive. That could be difficult to prove, and there’s certainly a lot of money made with out-of-market packages for both sports.

New MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has at least hinted into the possibility of ending the blackout rules in the future. It may not happen immediatelyt, but every fan can at least be happy that there is some progress to end the dated rules and regulations.

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