Broadcasting Issues for Ottawa Senators Fans
Ottawa Senators supporters have long faced a recurring issue: the inability to tune in to certain games, even when they have the appropriate TSN subscription in the Ottawa area. Fans often find themselves excited for a game only to be greeted by an unfortunate notice stating, “The scheduled program is not available in your region.” This frustrating trend is particularly egregious when local viewers are denied access to the very content they pay for.
Recent Incidents and Technical Challenges
The issue has resurfaced this season, with the most recent incident occurring during a preseason matchup in Toronto on Tuesday night. Ian Mendes, who serves as the vice president of communications for the Senators, highlighted this problem in his blog post earlier this week, pinpointing the core of the matter to the way internet service providers manage IP addresses. According to Mendes, many residents in Ottawa are incorrectly flagged as being from outside of the local viewing area.
“Your internet cable provider thinks you’re trying to watch a TSN 5 game from out-of-market, even though you live within a stone’s throw of Canadian Tire Centre.”
Fans may find success accessing the game through mobile data on a phone, which identifies their location accurately. However, when they attempt to stream the game over Wi-Fi, they may be misidentified as being in Kitchener, resulting in the same viewing denial.
Workarounds and Solutions
To alleviate this dilemma, some fans have managed to contact their internet service providers to have their IP addresses ‘whitelisted’ for local viewing. Another potential workaround involves using the cable provider’s app with mobile data and streaming to a larger screen, although this option is limited to those with unlimited data plans.
Impact on Coverage and Future Games
The situation worsened on Sunday when fans in Quebec City had no access to English coverage of a Senators preseason game due to overloaded programming on TSN, which prioritized major events like the Ryder Cup and NFL games. This left the Senators’ game against a split squad of the New Jersey Devils without any English TV or radio broadcast presence. The Ottawa Senators radio team, who no longer travel for road games, found themselves unable to secure a reliable video feed, hampering their ability to broadcast the game back in Ottawa.
Mendes commented on this matter, noting technical difficulties plagued their attempt to establish a suitable feed for the Ottawa radio team, leading to prolonged troubleshooting efforts.
Looking ahead to Thursday’s game against the St. Louis Blues, concerns about continued broadcast issues loom as TSN may again not cover the game, leaving Ottawa fans without both television and radio options. Mendes assured fans that the team is actively seeking solutions and remains hopeful that the broadcasting environment at the Enterprise Center, a well-equipped NHL arena, will foster a smoother experience. If they can establish a dependable video feed, there’s a possibility for an English radio broadcast on TSN 1200, which would give fans what they are looking for.
As the Senators head into the regular season, it’s clear that these technical challenges need resolution to provide their loyal fanbase with the viewing experience they deserve.
