someone....PLEASE tape the Houston Final tomorrow!!!!

[Matt H.]

someone hook a brotha up!

I will pay all expenses.

redwi4531@aol.com

[Matt H.]

on a side note, i'd like to give a wholehearted F YOU! to the Tennis Channel, and Comcast Cable, for obvious reasons.

[Max G.]

Word.

[Fee]

Please stop blaming the Tennis Channel for your lack of coverage. Did it ever occur to you that the only reason TTC can even afford the rights to this tournament is because ESPN and Fox did not want it? TTC is not exactly rolling in cash these days.

As for the match, tennistapes.com can help you.

[Matt H.]

i didn't solely blame TTC, i also included Comcast.


However, if you're gonna launch a new channel, why do you jump the gun and release it with such poor listing/availability?

[Matt H.]

i looked up on tennistapes.com a few months ago, and they were charging something like 30 bucks total to my door.

I don't know if they've changed their prices since then, but
I can't see myself paying THAT kind of money for someone popping a $1.50 tape in the recorder and pressing the record button....that's a rediculous amount of profit for an illegal operation.

[iradical18]

I agree, DirecTV has a freakin channel dedicated to Outdoor chainsaw and logging sports but not to tennis!!!!!

[James Brown]

matt, i agree with you about tennistapes.com 30$ for a freakin tape...? Not even dvd...just a tape...thats poor business right there.

[Matt H.]

well, not only is it poor business, it's just illegal business.

With presedence from the US Supreme Court case of Sony vs. Universal City studios, 464 U.S. 417, from 1984.

Video recording copywrited material is legal ONLY if used for the purpose of "timeshifting." This means that you're not able to watch when a program is on, so you video record it so that you can watch it later, at a time when you ARE able to.

It's ok for another party to record for you, as long as it's NOT for distribution purposes and making profit.
The price of the tape, and shipping, does not come anywhere NEAR 30 dollars. The labor involved in making the tape (damn near none) still doesn't justify the price.


Anyways, no more ranting. Bottom line, it's illegal, and both tennistapes.com AND the buyer can be prosecuted heavily....i'll pass.

Matt H., you whiny ignorant person. TTC does not deserve an "F U" for covering a tournament that no one else would have. Do you also curse gourmet foods you can't afford for making you eat Ramen noodles?

[Matt H.]

Gugafan,

excellent post! i really loved the supporting info and facts to back up your claim.


Great, they picked up a tournament...now tell me how many people even have the capabilities of viewing that tournament on that channel? THAT, is my point.

[Aonex]

From what I understand about The Tennis Channel, they do not block out events that would have been broadcast elsewhere. They seem to pick up whatever tournaments are left off by ESPN, or they purchase the rights from European TV. Don't worry, you're not missing much by not having TTC... every now and then, they'll have a live tournament on, but usually it's a bunch of repeats. As for the poor availability, I think that has to do with the general apathy for tennis these days, and TTC is having trouble getting cable companies to pick them up. So, I guess if there's anyone to blame it's the cable companies.

[Ariel]

Matt H., you whiny ignorant person.

Good addition to the post Gugafant, thanks for elevate the level of the discussion.
Now, if you take a few minutes to inform yourself before writing your post, you'll notice that last year Fox sports did cover sf and finals of Houston.

I've been whining to Cablevision for months about getting the Tennis Channel. TTC is available only in NYC. I'm not in NYC. Most people in the US aren't located in NYC. >

And ESPN may not have shown a lot of tennis coverage in the past but they DID show the US Clay Court finals last year.

Those of us without TTC now get to watch .... nothing.

[Fee]

Actually, the Houston finals were on Fox Sports last year, not ESPN.

[Aonex]

Actually, I take back what I said about TTC always showing reruns. I've been as happy as a clam this week since TTC has been showing, I guess it's the BBC's, footage of Monte Carlo. Eight hours of live tennis everyday! Good work, TTC.