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Fight Pass - Black Outs

  • 21-07-2014 3:29pm
    #1
    Lyaiera
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,818 ✭✭✭


    I signed up to the free trial of Fight Pass to watch the weekends fight. It was a fantastic event and I want to keep watching MMA/UFC. I looked at fight pass and they talk about events being blacked out in countries with TV rights, but they don't list Ireland as a country with black out rules.

    If I go to the UFC.tv page for "Pay-Per-View Events" it lists a price of €7.99 next to the Main Event which is what Fight Pass costs. Does this mean that the BT contract doesn't black out the fights in Ireland?

    I e-mailed customer support but their response only said that they events are blacked out in the UK and nothing about whether Ireland is considered part of the UK for business purposes.

    I'd be happy to pay €8 a month for the non-PPV events. But there's no way I'm getting Sky or another TV sub, and then paying for BT just for UFC.

    Edit: I just got an e-mail back. It's not entirely clear but they were saying there's no black out in Ireland and this weekend's entire fight will be available. (Sorry if this is old news to people, I just want to be sure I get to see the fights.)


Comments

  • #2
    Vim Fuego
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 746 ✭✭✭Vim Fuego


    UFC.tv is a bit of a messy site - you will get that card included in your fightpass subscription but people can also buy that event individually if they don't want to subscribe to fightpass. Bad user experience/design basically.


  • #3
    Lyaiera
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,818 ✭✭✭Lyaiera


    Vim Fuego wrote: »
    UFC.tv is a bit of a messy site - you will get that card included in your fightpass subscription but people can also buy that event individually if they don't want to subscribe to fightpass. Bad user experience/design basically.

    Yeah, it's really confusing and their search function is awful. They use terms interchangeably when they should really use different words for everything just to make it clear. And I didn't know if they included Ireland in the UK as some companies tend to do, especially when BT broadcasts in Ireland.

    Either way, happy days for a new fan. €8 a month for all the non-PPV UFC events, and a back catalogue of fights.


  • #4
    DrPhilG
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,455 ✭✭✭✭DrPhilG


    Lyaiera wrote: »
    If I go to the UFC.tv page for "Pay-Per-View Events" it lists a price of €7.99 next to the Main Event which is what Fight Pass costs.

    Do not buy that. The UFC.tv site is not Fight Pass. It just (on the app anyway) contains a link into Fight Pass. If you buy that PPV event for €7.99 then you are buying just that, a single main card. Nothing to do with Fight Pass.


    Basically, all that Fight Pass gets you is whatever BT Sports doesn't show. Otherwise the UFC would be shafting BT Sports by selling the same content for €8 a month when BT/Setanta is €20.

    In my experience, if an event is on BT Sports, then it will be blacked out on FP. Both UK and Ireland.

    What you will get (apart from the international TUFs, old libraries and re-runs etc) is unaired prelims. For example the average 12 fight card will have 3 on Fight Pass, 4 on a prelim show and 5 on the main card. The main card will not ever be available on FP because BT show them all. The prelim show will be available to you IF BT Sports aren't showing it (some they do, some they don't). The 2 or 3 unaired prelims at the start will always be available to you.


  • #5
    DrPhilG
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,455 ✭✭✭✭DrPhilG


    Lyaiera wrote: »
    €8 a month for all the non-PPV UFC events

    Unless I'm sorely mistaken, this is not the case.

    I'll log on in a minute and see if it lets me watch the Cerrone-Miller fight.

    The Dublin card would have been available because it was on free TV.


  • #6
    Mr. Manager
    Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 11,139 Mod ✭✭✭✭Mr. Manager


    DrPhilG wrote: »
    Unless I'm sorely mistaken, this is not the case.

    I'll log on in a minute and see if it lets me watch the Cerrone-Miller fight.

    The Dublin card would have been available because it was on free TV.
    Unless I'm mistaken also, this is right.

    I live in Malta and the event was covered in my €7.99 sub. Have watched all non-PPV events for the sub price.


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  • #7
    DrPhilG
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,455 ✭✭✭✭DrPhilG


    Cereal Rapist wrote: »
    Unless I'm mistaken also, this is right.

    I live in Malta and the event was covered in my €7.99 sub. Have watched all non-PPV events for the sub price.

    Not sure if you're agreeing with me or disagreeing!

    You live in Malta. Is there a TV deal there? In the absence of a TV deal, what you describe makes sense. There is no blackout because there is no other option.


  • #8
    Lyaiera
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,818 ✭✭✭Lyaiera


    This is the conversation I had with support.
    Hello,
    I signed up to the Free Trial to watch the McGregor fight last night. I'm interested in keeping up the subscription but I'm unsure what the blackout conditions are for Ireland. Sometimes Ireland is included in the UK Market even though it's not listed as "UK and Republic of Ireland." Could this be clarified for me?

    So Lawler vs Brown is happening on 26th July. According to Fight Pass all of the event's fights are available in countries without a Blackout in effect, I am unsure if the Republic of Ireland is counted as one of the countries without a Blackout. It does list the entire night's fights as available for €7.99 which I presume is the Fight Pass subscription.

    An easy way to clear this up would be if I could find out if the whole night's fights will be available to watch on Fight Pass in Ireland: The Fight Pass Prelims, the regular Prelims and the Main Event.

    This will decide for me whether or not I continue the Fight Pass trial into the subscription.

    Thanks for your help.

    Kind regards,
    Greetings,

    http://uk.ufc.com/schedule/event/

    Thank you for contacting UFC.TV support. Unfortunately not all UFC.TV and Fight Pass content will be available due to television broadcasting rights and restrictions. For the UK, BT Sports controls the live rights for most content and that would be blacked out on UFC.TV. Please see the blackout rules as they apply per event type. (You can use the Upcoming Fight Schedule from UFC.com to see what events fall under which event, type http://www.ufc.com/schedule/event)

    UFC Numbered PPVs (i.e., UFC 177 Dillashaw vs. Barao II)
    Fight Pass only provides access to the live Fight Pass Prelims. The Main Events and Prelims will be blacked out live. The Main Event will not be available on demand until after 46 days after the live air date after which those are available as a PPV purchase. After 90 days that Main Event would be available as part of Fight Pass. The Prelims from these events will not be available on UFC.TV

    UFC on FOX (i.e., UFC Fight Night Lawler vs. Brown Live on FOX)
    Fight Pass only provides access to the live Fight Pass Prelims. The Main Events and Prelims will be blacked out live. The Main Event will not be available on demand until 60 days after the live event airs, after which those are available as part of Fight Pass. The Prelims from these events will not be available on UFC.TV

    UFC Fight Night (i.e., UFC Fight Night Cerrone vs. Miller FOX Sports 1)
    Fight Pass only provides access to the live Fight Pass Prelims. The Main Events and Prelims will be blacked out live. Those will not be available on demand until after 30 days after the live event airs, after which those are available as part of Fight Pass. The Prelims from these events will not be available on UFC.TV

    International UFC Fight Night event in Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia and Australia (i.e., UFC Fight Night McGregor vs. Brandao UFC Fight Pass)
    Fight Pass provides full live access to all of these events without any blackouts or restrictions.

    TUF Nations Finales (i.e., TUF 19 Finale Edgar vs. Penn)
    Fight Pass only provides access to the live Fight Pass Prelims. The Main Events and Prelims will be blacked out live. The Main Event will not be available on demand until 60 days after the live event airs, after which those are available as part of Fight Pass. The Prelims from these events will not be available on UFC.TV

    Please contact us again if you are in need of further assistance. And also take advantage of our FAQs... http://www.ufc.com/ufc-tv-help

    Best regards,

    UFC.TV Support
    Hello,
    I'm afraid that does nothing to clarify the issue for me. As I said I am not in the UK, I am in the Republic of Ireland which is not a part of the UK, although it sometimes is for marketing purposes. For example I am brought to the UK UFC portal site when I go to http://www.ufc.com.

    Can you inform me whether the events, such as the Lawler vs Brown fight will be blacked out in the Republic of Ireland.

    As I said in my previous e-mail this will inform my decision of whether or not to see my Fight Pass subscription beyond the free trial.

    Regards,
    Apologies, You have access to Fight Pass and no blackout restrictions ... http://www.ufc.tv/page/fightpass ... you have access to all PPV but are sold on a standalone basis through this website... http://www.ufc.tv/events

    http://www.ufc.com/event/FOX12 will made available to you through Fight Pass.

    Best regards,

    UFC.TV Support
    Hello,
    Thank you very much. You've been most helpful.

    Regards,

    Unless "made available to you through Fight Pass" means I have to pay more from within Fight Pass then it reads to me that it's available as part of the Fight Pass subscription.


    Here is the site when I'm not logged in to Fight Pass. I clicked on Watch Event and the option below is to subscribe to Fight Pass. That to me would indicate that Fight Pass is what I need to watch it.

    dQvwpai.png

    Logged into Fight Pass, if I hover over the top option "Live Events" (underlined) and click on the black "Live Events" (arrow)...

    JolHbLr.png

    It brings me to this page. It says Fight Pass Prelims and UFC Fight Nights are exclusive to Fight Pass. It also says "Stay tuned to the live broadcasts listed below" with everything that follows. That to me means they're just not exclusive to Fight Pass, but they still are on Fight Pass. If I click "Watch Video"...


    HdytWAZ.png

    I'm brought to this page. And if I click on "Event Video."

    4yk8WRp.png

    I'm brought to this page where the videos for last weekend turned up.

    cPFD10y.png

    However if I click on "Watch Video" for UFC 177 here...

    AS0n1Rt.png

    I'm brought to this page where it gives me the option of paying for the PPV.

    UlEntHs.png


    Now, as far as I know BT shows the PPV events as part of the subscription. If BT have exclusive rights for it, why isn't the website option of purchasing it blacked out because of BT? Instead I'm given the option of purchasing the PPV event for €17.99.

    With the other events, there's no option to purchase it. So what makes them different from the PPV fights BT are showing? The only thing I can conclude, because the e-mail from the support staff says Ireland isn't blacked out "You have access to Fight Pass and no blackout restrictions" and that "
    http://www.ufc.com/event/FOX12 will made available to you through Fight Pass" is that BT didn't secure the exclusive rights to Ireland. And that's supported by this from the FAQ on Fight Pass which doesn't mention a thing about Late Prelims and Main Events being blacked out in Ireland, just in the UK and a couple of other places. http://www.ufc.com/fightpass-faq

    xkoyzce.png

    And again, if I click on the "Event Schedule" link in that section of the FAQ, I'm brought back to this page.

    HdytWAZ.png


    Whatever happens, I'm going to stay subbed past my Free Trial for next weekend. I figure I can get good value from watching older matches for at least a month. And then I'll report back either with success and no need for a BT subsciption, or failure and an e-mail to the customer support people about their unclear website and e-mails to me.


  • #9
    DrPhilG
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,455 ✭✭✭✭DrPhilG


    I wouldn't trust anything they tell you via support. They're probably bluffing.

    I'm not on a pc, but in my phone app if I go to the Fight Night for next week, the Fight Pass prelims say "coming soon", prelims says "blacked out" and the main card says "blacked out".


  • #10
    Mr. Manager
    Moderators, Computer Games Moderators Posts: 11,139 Mod ✭✭✭✭Mr. Manager


    DrPhilG wrote: »
    Not sure if you're agreeing with me or disagreeing!

    You live in Malta. Is there a TV deal there? In the absence of a TV deal, what you describe makes sense. There is no blackout because there is no other option.

    There's no TV deal here at all. No way for me to watch it other than through Fight Pass


  • #11
    DrPhilG
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 12,455 ✭✭✭✭DrPhilG


    Lyaiera wrote: »
    If BT have exclusive rights for it, why isn't the website option of purchasing it blacked out because of BT? Instead I'm given the option of purchasing the PPV event for €17.99.

    Because you might not have BT. You might not even have a telly. So your options are to buy BT and get all the events for €20, or buy individual events for a set price each.


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  • #12
    Lyaiera
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,818 ✭✭✭Lyaiera


    DrPhilG wrote: »
    Because you might not have BT. You might not even have a telly. So your options are to buy BT and get all the events for €20, or buy individual events for a set price each.

    It's not giving me the option to buy the individual events. And you can't buy individual events in blacked out countries.

    Edit: If I don't get the fights through Fight Pass it won't bother me too much. As a new MMA fan it's worth it to be able to watch classic matches. I'll probably keep it up for a month or two no matter what.


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