The Cleveland Cavaliers games can be blocked or blacked out due to regional broadcasting restrictions and local broadcast rights. The NBA has blackout rules that prevent live streaming of local team games via NBA League Pass in certain local markets to protect the exclusive rights held by regional sports networks and national broadcasters. Essentially, if a game is being shown on a local or national TV channel in a given area, it might be blacked out on streaming services in that region to encourage cable or local channel subscriptions. These blackout restrictions are based on the viewer's location, determined by their IP address or zip code. For example, Cavaliers games broadcasted on regional Fox Sports Ohio are blacked out in nearby markets such as Pittsburgh, where the local sports network does not carry Cavs games. This means fans in some areas might not have cable access to channels showing Cavaliers games and simultaneously cannot stream the games live via League Pass due to blackout rules. The only way to watch the Cavaliers in such cases may be through a local channel in the Cleveland area or a national broadcaster that carries the game.
Thus, if a Cavaliers game is blocked or blacked out, it is typically because of these regional sports network exclusivity and blackout policies enforced to protect broadcast rights within designated local markets.
