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Blacked Out at Home
Laumann v. National Hockey League (consolidated with Garber v. Office of the Commissioner of Baseball) (2014)
Charge: Sherman Act class claims by fans over territorial TV blackouts (suit against the league, its clubs and TV distributors)Court: U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New YorkDocket: Double Play
Does baseball's antitrust exemption protect the league's territorial television broadcast arrangements?
The facts
Sports fans who bought out-of-town game packages sued the league, its clubs and two big TV distributors. Under league rules, each club's games could be televised only inside its home territory, and the out-of-market package blacked out local games and forced fans to buy every team rather than just one. The fans said this carved up the country into exclusive zones and kept prices high. The league asked the judge to end the case before trial, relying on baseball's century-old antitrust exemption.
You have the facts the court had. Guilty or not guilty? Call it in the game with your friends, then see what the court actually decided. Wrong call, you drink.
Citation: Laumann v. National Hockey League (consolidated with Garber v. Office of the Commissioner of Baseball), 2014 WL 3900566 (S.D.N.Y. Aug. 8, 2014)
Read more at mondaq.com. The source reveals the outcome.