Many leagues with major television contracts establish elaborate rules regarding which games are broadcast in different regions (with local teams usually getting preference). For viewers who prefer to see a game other than the one being locally broadcast in their designated market area, the out-of-market package provides additional options.
While such a thing was not necessary to the average sports fan who lives in the market of their team, many circumstances may be in place that generate the desire to view teams out of the market. Some include:
Fans moving from the market of their favorite team – while that team could be viewed nationally on broadcast or cable television, or when the team plays the local sports franchise, those opportunities are few and far between;
Better competition – such as in the case of college football and basketball. For example, the option to watch a few of the most competitive or most interesting national games each week, in addition to one's home team's games. Except for the Southeastern Conference, for example, no conference is assured of a national game of the week at the same time slot every week;
Additional opportunities to watch one sport – such as when a home team may not have a game to play, or creating one's own doubleheader; watching an early game, then a late-game;
Rivalries – having the desire to watch a rival team's games, or games of teams in the same athletic conference or division as one's favorite teams, which may not be regularly available in one's market;
Living in an area without an in-market team at the highest level in a sport – this usually means availability only of nationally televised games. Though these will often show a regional game, it may be the "most interesting" regional game, resulting in many missed games even when following the geographically closest team. Leagues will often designate "secondary markets" to prevent this from happening;
Involvement in a fantasy sports league – a sports fan who is "managing" a fantasy team may have the desire to watch the performance of players in several games that are being played simultaneously and thus has the ability to switch back and forth between games.
Sports betting – a fan who wishes to watch events affecting wagers as they occur, as with a fantasy sports fan.
Blackouts – most major sports leagues had a blackout policy that prevents viewers of a particular television channel (usually a regional sports network) from seeing games on that channel outside of a certain geographic area (specifically to direct out of town viewers to the package).[2]
MLS Season Pass - Exclusive to Apple TV for residential and mobile accounts, exclusive to DirecTV for business accounts. No in market blackouts.
NBA League Pass - Available to DirecTV, Dish Network and most digital cable providers.
NFL Sunday Ticket - Exclusive to YouTube for residential and mobile accounts*, available to DirecTV for business accounts.
NHL Center Ice - Available to DirecTV, Dish Network and most digital cable providers
ESPN College Extra - Available to DirecTV and most digital cable providers.
* NFL Sunday Ticket is exclusive to YouTube in the United States, but in other countries (most notably Canada) it is available more broadly, on several cable providers.
Internet
Internet sports packages are primarily marketed directly to consumers and not through cable or satellite providers. Current Internet television and radio subscription or pay-per-view services include:
ESPN+ (also exclusive to DirecTV for business accounts)
WWE Network; in the United States, is part of Peacock
Major League Baseball and the National Football League are the only professional sports leagues to black out local affiliates' internet radio feeds. Ironically, while the NFL charges money for radio feeds, it sells the Internet television rights to other networks that make those games available online for free, the opposite model of the other U.S cities major sports leagues.