My grandma sometimes is unable to watch the Chicago Cubs on the MLB.TV program on a Roku box since MLB.TV thinks that she is in Chicago based on her IP. This results in a blackout when the Cubs are in Chicago. The IP should be located in central Wisconsin.
Do you guys think it would be worth getting and paying for a static IP? Or is there another way to get around this?
Recently she has been able to watch just fine, but it is annoying when this issue occurs.
Could do a Vpn at router level or ask isp about a static address
One thing you should do is complain, since clearly she not receiving what she should be, especially if she is paying for a service. A static IP might not fix that as it depends where the ISP is saying it is or what geoip providers have decided its located at. IPs have no geographic binding, its basically all made up or guessed.
I used Private Internet Access for NHL it worked but at least 40+ games were blackout due to national broadcasting. I was never able to watch every game regardless of my location. Call customer support and tell them their information is incorrect and to update it. If the game is on tv in your state its blacked out doesn't matter where the team is located. I stopped using Game Center NHL because of this reason. Im a NY Rangers fan and alot of the games are on NBCSports since that is national its blacked out. If the Cubs are playing on ESPN or NBCSports its blacked out probably. These services don't cater well to fans of popular teams that are nationally broad casted like Redsox,Cubs,Yankees,Dodgers,etc.
What @kevinheinrich said. I used to work for Charter and would get calls about this all the time. If the program is blacked out another entity paid to have it only on a specific channel thus you must watch it on that channel there is NOTHING you can do but watch it on that channel.
I just got an email from gamecenter saying they lost a class action suit against them and that anyone who bought the service between 09-15 may get next season for free.
inserted from my email
The lawsuit alleges that the territorial allocation of broadcast rights within the NHL assigned to each of its member clubs and thereafter sold to regional sporting networks violated federal antitrust laws, provides out of market consumers with fewer choices, and inflates prices charged to view broadcasts of live professional hockey games. Defendants dispute Plaintiffs' factual and legal claims and deny any wrongdoing and liability, as well as any adverse effect on consumer choices and that prices charged have been inflated. The parties have concluded that it is in their best interests to settle the litigation to avoid the expense, inconvenience, and uncertainty of litigation.
looks like we are not the only ones who were pissed.
A VPN might help, if you can find one with a server in Wisconsin. For a static IP without the extra cost, checkout No-IP.
Link: https://www.noip.com/support/knowledgebase/getting-started-with-no-ip-com/