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Using "Unlocator"

two fingers

two fingers

Opinionated blowhard. But not mad about it.
Inactive
Feb 7, 2005
33,959
116,684
55
Eastern NC USA
#1
So, here in Eastern NC, the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals are considered "in market" teams.... even though I have to drive 5 to 6 hours to get to either place.

What that means is that my MLB package blocks their games. The Orioles are playing the Red Sox tonight and I wanna watch.

I am reading that you can use "Unlocator" and other VPN apps to trick MLB into thinking you are not "in market". You see, everybody else in the country can watch the games just fine. Using my IP address, MLB is able to determine where I am and blocks me from watching.

The Unlocator app simply fools the MLB site into thinking I'm somewhere else.

(By the way, I'm paying for the MLB package so it's not like I'm trying to steal anything.)

Do any of you have any experience with this kind of thing? Are they full of garbage ads and pop ups? Have you had any problems using them?
 
#5
Can you tell how the money flow works? I can understand they don't want to sell broadcast rights to people that might pay to go to the game. Is it up to each team to decide how far to cast the net for those who might pay extra to sit at home and watch?

5 or 6 hrs out indicates to me they think they own you to some degree and the broadcaster has to pay extra to include you so you have to pay more to get it. Effectively you want to steal back their ownership of you. Weird!
 
#6
Downunderwonder said:
Can you tell how the money flow works? I can understand they don't want to sell broadcast rights to people that might pay to go to the game. Is it up to each team to decide how far to cast the net for those who might pay extra to sit at home and watch?

5 or 6 hrs out indicates to me they think they own you to some degree and the broadcaster has to pay extra to include you so you have to pay more to get it. Effectively you want to steal back their ownership of you. Weird!
Click to expand...


It's not about attending the game. It's about drawing fans to MASN (Mid Atlantic Sports Network), which is mainly available through Dish Network around here.
 
#7
two fingers said:
It's not about attending the game. It's about drawing fans to MASN (Mid Atlantic Sports Network), which is mainly available through Dish Network around here.
Click to expand...
Now I am really not following. Too many emtities. Too many acronyms.
Your teams.
Major League Baseball?
Broadcaster? MASN
Dish TV.
Subscribers to DishTV.

How am I doing?
 
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#8
If you use a VPN, it is routed through an IP address somewhere else. But lots of other folks are also using that VPN, routing it the same address. It isn't hard for your streaming media service to to know that you're using a VPN. If they want, they can easily block all traffic routed through that address. All you can do is try it and see if it works. I have about 80% success rate using a VPN to watch international content.
 
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#9
I think I am right about this but you don't want to admit it.

Ball players sell broadcast rights to network show producers. Network sells watching rights via distribution channels who package up various network products to subscribers.

Casa 2F is regarded as prime meat territory whose occupants will pay more to watch ''their teams'' than someone in the next state. So the price is gouged.

They figure a price that gains them the most revenue that gets them the best bid to buy the rights off the network or their middleman.

Still stealing if you don't want to pay their price for the local package and hack it instead.
 
#11
Downunderwonder said:
I think I am right about this but you don't want to admit it.

Ball players sell broadcast rights to network show producers. Network sells watching rights via distribution channels who package up various network products to subscribers.

Casa 2F is regarded as prime meat territory whose occupants will pay more to watch ''their teams'' than someone in the next state. So the price is gouged.

They figure a price that gains them the most revenue that gets them the best bid to buy the rights off the network or their middleman.

Still stealing if you don't want to pay their price for the local package and hack it instead.
Click to expand...
I don't believe that's quite correct. My understanding of blackouts is that there is no broadcast at all of the game. The intent is to get people to go to the game and pay for tickets. There is rarely a "local package" that a person can pay for. At best you may get the game OTA instead of through the subscription, but that's fairly rare.
 
#12
Selta said:
I don't believe that's quite correct. My understanding of blackouts is that there is no broadcast at all of the game. The intent is to get people to go to the game and pay for tickets. There is rarely a "local package" that a person can pay for. At best you may get the game OTA instead of through the subscription, but that's fairly rare.
Click to expand...
I didn't mention blackouts because 2F indeed can buy the local games.
 
#13
In Columbus we’re in both Reds and Indians markets, but they each have their own Fox Sports channel that shows each of their games. Do you not get the Orioles cable channel? That sucks.

BTW, we’re in the market for Browns, Bengals and Steelers (surprisingly, the Browns have the bigger fan base) and since they’re all in the AFC, the CBS affiliate broadcasts whichever team is doing better in the standings when there is a conflict, which is a drag if you’re a Browns fan.
 
#15
Weird. I’m pretty sure we had the birds and sox on earlier on MASN, and games are never blocked.

We only watch because my wife’s grandfather was a big O’s fan, and the announcers and stadium are very familiar and comforting. Really, baseball is boring as hell. I hate watching other people stand around.
 
#17
Downunderwonder said:
Ask for a free upgrade?

A 5 or 6 hour drive surely can't be fairly considered local to the events when they are negotiating with MLB for broadcast rights?
Click to expand...

It's not a matter of distance, MLB carves up the map for television markets. In the Northeast there are more team, so the areas are smaller. I get triple boned. In Connecticut, you are considered in the Mets, Yankees and Red Sox markets. Fortunately, Hulu carried both the Mets' and Yankees' stations, so I can watch.
 
#18
Diamond_Dave said:
Weird. I’m pretty sure we had the birds and sox on earlier on MASN, and games are never blocked.

We only watch because my wife’s grandfather was a big O’s fan, and the announcers and stadium are very familiar and comforting. Really, baseball is boring as hell. I hate watching other people stand around.
Click to expand...
That's my point. You can get them on MASN. MASN is on dish, but not my cable network. If I had dish I could watch them.

I figured it out. Turns out Microsoft has its own VPN app. I was able to watch the back half of the game after I got it installed. They think I watched from Canada. ;)
 
#19
So all I did was install the VPN app and log into my MLB account like I always do.

The VPN app issued me an IP address from Canada and off I went.

Interestingly enough, a VPN app on my phone did not trick MLB while I was in a bar having some Mexican food and a few beers earlier.

But the app on my PC worked like a champ.
 
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