# When will we be able to order a-la-carte options for sports broadcasts?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-we-be-able-to-order-a-la-carte-options-for-sports-broadcasts/496790>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Created:** [May 17, 2009, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-we-be-able-to-order-a-la-carte-options-for-sports-broadcasts/496790 "2009-05-17T23:26:56Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![John\_DiFool](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_difool/32/19543_2.png) [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)\
**Post date:** [May 17, 2009, 11:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-will-we-be-able-to-order-a-la-carte-options-for-sports-broadcasts/496790/1 "2009-05-17T23:26:56Z")

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Today, during the Wings/Blackhawks hockey game, the broadcast feed went silent, but I could still hear the on-ice and crowd sounds (perhaps due to a thunderstorm on my end affecting my local cable company). While Mike Emrick is a good announcer, I rather enjoyed the silence, esp. during a breakaway (which came up empty) by the Wings which energized the crowd. If I could hear Emrick he would have drowned out the crowd noise with his excited chatter.

Anyway, my question deals with the eventual ability of the viewer to choose both the video and audio feeds he receives from the broadcast, including but not limited to the above situation, but also choosing the camera you want to see. In football I’ve always preferred the wide angle shot which lets me see the recievers and the secondary interacting; in current broadcasts it’s all a complete mystery until the ball is thrown.