Why is ESPN Blacked Out in My Area? Unable to Watch ESPN

Unable to watch a game on ESPN? If you are receiving this message saying “This event has been blacked out in your area”, like the picture shown below, then you are going through a blackout.

Picture by r/caps from Reddit

Blackouts usually happen because of broadcasting rights and contracts. ESPN does not have broadcasting rights everywhere, which leads to game blackouts. Some ESPN+ users also wonder, "Why is ESPN plus blackout". Well, this is also common, check the reason below.

The reason why ESPN say blackout:

• Broadcast rights: The local network has broadcast priority because some local teams sell the game's broadcast rights to local TV stations or regional sports channels.

• ESPN+ subscriptions: The game is only shown on other channels on ESPN+, e.g., ESPN2, AC, but you didn’t subscribe to it.

• Ticket sales: Blackouts are carried out to encourage ticket sales, e.g., the NFL. But this is not that common now.

How to Bypass ESPN Blackouts?

How to watch blacked-out ESPN games? Check it out.

• Watch the game on your local channel.

• Subscribe to the regional sports network or the channel that holds it.

• Use a VPN to change your IP to another region where the game is available.

If you don't want to bother and spend extra money on subscribing to the channels, try iTop VPN, a free and safe VPN that masks your real IP and assigns you a new IP wherever you want, for example, the states where your target game is on air. Given that, ESPN blacked-out games will be visible, and just enjoy!