Merged: MLB Extra Innings only on DirecTV this year?

[PMand JM]

According to the NYT Baseball roundup, MLB is close to announcing an exclusive agreement with DirecTV for baseball games. Nothing like Bud and company to make games available to fewer and fewer people. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/20/sports/baseball/20base.html?em&ex=1169442000&en=0a62344328e8c9bd&ei=5087%0A

[Heath]

Good. Dish Network will stay the same price and the Directv deal will skyrocket, plus I STILL get 145 Reds games next year.

Sounds like a good plan to me.

[kaldaniels]

Good. Dish Network will stay the same price and the Directv deal will skyrocket, plus I STILL get 145 Reds games next year.

Sounds like a good plan to me.

Just be careful what you wish for...Directv has now invested the capital to make it a better product. They have NFL, MLB, and upcoming a ton more HD channels (something Dish has held an advantage on thru today). Dish is definetly the bargain product out there now, but if Directv's aggressive moves pay off, Dish could go belly up or have to raise prices of their own to increase revenue. On the other hand, it could all blow up in Directv's face...you never know.

[Brian]

There shouldn't be much of a cost impact for regular subscribers. I also wouldn't expect the EI package to go up much in price. I haven't been on DTV long, but it seems the Sunday Ticket and College Football packages have stayed about the same. I will say it's a crime though to charge $99 for HD NFL games. This does put DTV in a favorable market position though, especially for sports fans. Cable is in more and more trouble...

[Gainesville Red]

Anyone have any experience with MLB.TV? How's the quality? Is it all grainy?

[nmculbreth]

Anyone have any experience with MLB.TV? How's the quality? Is it all grainy?

If you're only watching one game the picture isn't bad at all, it isn't as clear as TV but for a webcast it's pretty good. I did have some problems with the mosaic view but otherwise it was a great deal.

[HumnHilghtFreel]

I guess I can take that off my birthday wishlist. I might have to check out MLB TV this year.

[TOBTTReds]

Anyone have any experience with MLB.TV? How's the quality? Is it all grainy?

Here's another thread on it: http://www.redszone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=53829&highlight=avesice51+mlb.tv

[reds44]

I guess I can take that off my birthday wishlist. I might have to check out MLB TV this year.
MLB.TV is great as long as you have a fast internect connection. EVERY Reds game is on, and the quality is good.

[Wheelhouse]

MLB and Selig are dirtbags. I live in New York and my apartment building does not allow satellite antennas, and I have a Mac computer which MLB's media player is VERY tempermental with, so now I can't watch the Reds. They can kiss my butt in Macy's window. I wouldn't be surprised to see Selig with gold teeth like a rapper the next time he makes a public appearance.

[Sea Ray]

Is this year in play with this proposed deal? Anyone heard when this will become effective?

[Gainesville Red]

Is this year in play with this proposed deal? Anyone heard when this will become effective?

Next year'd give me enough time to graduate and get an honest to god job, thus being able to afford DirecTV.

Here's to hoping. :beerme:

(Gotta figure it's this year though.)


I actually got a nice Samsung 42" plasma screen for Christmas from a rich relative.

I was thinking maybe if Bud hogs EI all for himself this year maybe I'd get mlb.tv and hook up the laptop to the TV and see how good the picture is.

Any thoughts on that?

I figured it'd be all distorted and blurry, which sucks because Extra Innings is how I follow the Reds on a regular basis.

They don't play a whole hell of a lot down here in Gainesville, Florida.

Watching the Reds is sort of what I do at night. Thanks Bud. You're a prince.

[Sea Ray]

Next year'd give me enough time to graduate and get an honest to god job, thus being able to afford DirecTV.

Here's to hoping. :beerme:

(Gotta figure it's this year though.)



Everyone's assuming that but I haven't read anything in print to that extent so I can't jump to that conclusion.

[Unassisted]

MLB.TV is great as long as you have a fast internect connection. EVERY Reds game is on, and the quality is good.

Not quite every game. Saturday afternoon games are blacked out until 7:00PM Eastern.


The quality is not as good as satellite, but it's good enough, considering that it's about half the price of satellite.

[Reds Fanatic]

Is this year in play with this proposed deal? Anyone heard when this will become effective?
If this happens I think it will start this year. I read somewhere the contract the cable companies had with MLB for Extra Innings expired at the end of last year. So they would have to start a new contract for this year. So I would imagine you will hear this deal announced very soon and it will probably start this year.

[westofyou]

Not quite every game. Saturday afternoon games are blacked out until 7:00PM Eastern. Eastern? I'm thinking PST has the 7:00 PM time as well, maybe it's not a straight curfew but a rolling one.

[jmcclain19]

Not quite every game. Saturday afternoon games are blacked out until 7:00PM Eastern.


The quality is not as good as satellite, but it's good enough, considering that it's about half the price of satellite.

The Saturday blockade goes for the package as well.

One of the reasons I hate Fox.

[foltza]

Is there anyone out there with Directv that subscribes to the Sports pack that includes all the regional Fox Sports Net and Comcast Sports Net channels? I noticed that Fox Sports Ohio is one of the channels, and they are said to have 145 reds games this year. What I am wondering if is DirecTV blacks out MLB games on these channels? I live in SF Giants territory so would I only get their games on my Fox Sports channels? I can subscribe to that pack for $12/month which would only be $72 for the whole season as compared to $170 or whatever for EI.

[westofyou]

Is there anyone out there with Directv that subscribes to the Sports pack that includes all the regional Fox Sports Net and Comcast Sports Net channels? I noticed that Fox Sports Ohio is one of the channels, and they are said to have 145 reds games this year. What I am wondering if is DirecTV blacks out MLB games on these channels? I live in SF Giants territory so would I only get their games on my Fox Sports channels? I can subscribe to that pack for $12/month which would only be $72 for the whole season as compared to $170 or whatever for EI.

I get that package, and yes they black out the games even if you have the EI package and then they broadcast it on another channel in their EI Channel range.

[pedro]

bummer. I'll have to buy mlb tv as i have comcast.

[flyer85]

Is there anyone out there with Directv that subscribes to the Sports pack that includes all the regional Fox Sports Net and Comcast Sports Net channels? I noticed that Fox Sports Ohio is one of the channels, and they are said to have 145 reds games this year. What I am wondering if is DirecTV blacks out MLB games on these channels?.if it is your local regional sports network that you get without the sportspack then they will NOT black out the games, otherwise they will.

I have DirecTv and will likely not get EI this year. It may generate a little extra revenue in the short term but it is a really stupid marketing decision.

[Chip R]

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=dw-directv012307&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

MLB TV deal gets fuzzy reception

By Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports
January 23, 2007

So here comes Major League Baseball in a quick, shortsighted money grab (again), selling out its core fans (again) and telling everyone (again) how the sport ought to be consumed.

Here comes MLB, as arrogant and detached as ever, ready to limit its popular "MLB Extra Innings" package by giving it exclusively to DirecTV rather than a large consortium of cable and satellite providers. And for what, an average of a million bucks per year, per team?

That's the price of fan loyalty these days? That's how much baseball owners value their best costumers? A bad middle reliever?

According to the New York Times, MLB is close to handing DirecTV the exclusive rights to Extra Innings – which allows fans to watch many out-of-market games – for $100 million per year over seven years. InDemand, which distributes the package currently, has upped its offer, but, according to the Washington Times, its deal will pay about $30 million less per year.

The difference averages out to $1 million per franchise, per year – or, in these days of overheated player spending, chicken scratch. Even if it was five times that, it wouldn't seem worth it to keep the product from so many fans.

According to industry figures, 75 million of America's estimated 92 million cable/satellite households (82 percent) have access to the Extra Innings package.

DirecTV reaches just 15 million households, or 16 percent of available consumers.

How MLB, which isn't talking about the proposed deal, could consider severely limiting the availability of its product a good idea at that pathetic price is stunning.

"It always seems to be a risky proposition when you're not only reaching fewer fans but raising their ire in the process," said David Carter, executive director of the University of Southern California's Sports Business Institute. "I've already seen reports that fans are not happy."

Why would they be? The current system – aside from MLB's maddening and nonsensical blackout policy – is the best one for fans. Extra Innings was available to almost everyone. You didn't need a dish, you didn't need to switch providers. You just paid and watched. Over 750,000 people loved it.

While some fans will undoubtedly make the change, it probably never dawned on baseball owners who live in gated mansions that not everyone can get DirecTV. Many apartment complexes and condominium developments prohibit satellite installation. Some lack the required clear view of the southern sky.

Other fans, especially the coveted younger demographic, may be in a transient stage and will not want to invest in a satellite system for a temporary place. Some simply favor their current television providers – such as Comcast in Philadelphia – which offer compelling original local sports programming. Others will balk at DirecTV, whose reception can be affected by weather and struggles to provide service for multiple television sets.

The reasons hardly matter. The question is: Why make it more difficult for customers to buy the product?

MLB would certainly like fans to sign up for streaming broadcasts of games through MLB.TV, but no one can, with a straight face, claim that watching a game on a computer is the same as on television.

"One thing we know about sports fans is they want to consume content on their own terms and not be arm-twisted into a way the league wants," Carter said.

Not that the owners cared about that. Or this. Or anything that has to do with you.

Extra Innings is more than just another entertainment option. For many, it's emotional. With downsizing and a fluctuating economy, Americans have increasingly been on the move, seeking jobs and lives throughout the country, often away from their childhood franchise.

Extra Innings gave many a taste of home each summer night. It offered, for example, the Mets fan who relocated to California the opportunity to follow his team – and his town – as if he still lived back in Queens. It provided a bond with old friends and family.

Baseball can do what it wants – ours is, after all, a capitalistic society – but this deal is a slap in the face to loyal fans, who the owners clearly believe will never abandon the sport.

About the only surprising thing here is the lack of surprise. This is consistent with how MLB runs its business, an anti-trust exempted monopoly of a product that is part of the fabric of America. It is a plaything and tax write-off for the rich and ridiculous.

The only hope to ditch the dish is intervention from Congress, which could strip MLB of its anti-trust exemption, which stems from a 1922 Supreme Court case that ruled baseball games were just "local affairs" and – get this – not "interstate commerce."

But considering how much money billionaire owners can sprinkle around to politicians, you could get better odds on the Kansas City Royals winning the World Series. Similar efforts against the NFL have died quickly.

Which is why baseball knows it never needs to reciprocate fan loyalty – you have no other choice.

"The challenge is how to maximize (revenue) without turning off your core audience," Carter said.

Not for baseball owners. There is no challenge. They've long ago proven they don't care about anything but fast cash.

The thing is, just because they own the teams, they shouldn't own the game.

[Gainesville Red]

Who's choice is this? The owners?

Does the commish have any say in anything?

Can't they see how short-sighted this is?

Don't they care?

Can't the commish use his best interest of baseball clause?

I just want to be able to watch my team.

Feeling helpless.:bang:

[RFS62]

I am so pissed off over this that I can't find the words to express it.

This will be the first year since '95 that I don't buy the package.

[pedro]

I am so pissed off over this that I can't find the words to express it.

This will be the first year since '95 that I don't buy the package.

I'm pretty pissed to but I guess I'll end up buying mlbtv as I'm often at my computer from 4-7 anyway. You can bet I'm not switching to direct tv though. Can't see any reason to help them make a profit off this as it will just help them keep a monopoly on programming content in the future, screw them.

[Gainesville Red]

I am so pissed off over this that I can't find the words to express it.

This will be the first year since '95 that I don't buy the package.

This is how I follow the Reds.

Gainesville's nowhere near Cincy.

Seriously, this is what I do at night during the season.

I turn on the Reds, turn on the Chat, and do whatever homework I have.


To discover that I may have a hard time following the Reds from now on so the owners can make an extra million a year each is infuriating.

It makes me really not want to get mlb.tv.

I can pay mlb directly, for less quality than I got last year.

[Gainesville Red]

Was there like an owner vote or something to decide if they'd go through with this or something?

I wish there was a way to find out which owners voted for it if that's how this kind of deal goes down.

I'd also be pretty pissed to find out BCast voted for this. Didn't he say stuff about being pretty fan friendly when he got on board?

This seems like the opposite of fan friendly.

[Johnny Footstool]

I've been contemplating a switch to DirecTV for a while now. I get my internet via Comcast cable modem, so when you factor that in with the other costs, it ends up being a little more expensive to switch. However, if DirecTV adds as many HD channels as they are promising AND gets exclusive rights to Extra Innings, I'll pretty much have to switch.

[RFS62]

I had direct tv for five years and loved it. I switched to cable for their high def programming, which was much easier to get and you didn't have to shell out 400 bucks for a tivo in two rooms. With cable, I can rent the equipment.

Even still, I would switch back to direct tv now, but I'm locked into a lease in an apartment that faces north, so I can't get direct tv even if I wanted to.

If I had known this was coming, I'd have rented a place with a southern exposure that would allow it. That's how committed I am to watching the games.

I've got a 40 inch high def tv in my office, and I'd always watch games, work on reports, and surf RedsZone. Now, if I go for the mlb.com package, it's going to be on a computer screen?!

And now I find out that they're screwing us for a measly million bucks a team ?

Bud Selig, you pathetic wanker.... I'd love to catch you out in a dark alley.....


:angry: :angry: :angry:

[KronoRed]

That million bucks may pay for the next Royce Clayton

;)

[Gainesville Red]

Bud Selig, you pathetic wanker.... I'd love to catch you out in a dark alley.....


:angry: :angry: :angry:

That's what I've been asking, how much of this is Selig, how much is it the owners?

[Reds Fanatic]

I have had the package ever since Time Warner starting offering it. This whole thing totally pisses me off too. I know it won't make any difference but I am writing MLB to let them know what I think of the way they treat their most loyal fans. Here is their contact info if you want to let them know how you feel.

The Office of the Commissioner of Baseball
Allan H. (Bud) Selig, Commissioner
245 Park Avenue, 31st Floor
New York, NY 10167
Phone: (212) 931-7800

[Chip R]

That's what I've been asking, how much of this is Selig, how much is it the owners?


I'm sure it's both. Bud doesn't do anything without a consensus.

I have DirecTv and I don't like this decision. I haven't ever got Extra Innings but my heart goes out to the people who had it and now won't be able to. It's different than NFL Sunday Ticket because that has always been exclusive to DirecTv and EI has not. Now they are just taking it away from the people who for whatever reason were/are perfectly content with cable or Dish Network.

[remdog]

Now they are just taking it away from the people who for whatever reason were/are perfectly content with cable or Dish Network.

Yep. Reward your biggest supporters by doing something like that. I'm sure Bud learned that at Harvard Business School. It was taught under 'Used Car Salesmanship #101'. :rolleyes: What a dipstick.

Rem

[roborobor]

:mooner: This ones for you Bud! Way to ruin the game.

[Chip R]

I thought I heard yesterday that 750,000 people subscribe to EI. Perhaps Bud feels that that isn't a significant amount of people to worry about losing.

[westofyou]

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=5820&PHPSESSID=6ad1e9953110c016b2266ca3d4ff2bee

January 22, 2007
Prospectus Today
The Deal Almost No One Likes

by Joe Sheehan



Hi, Joe. Long time reader here. You may be aware that MLB just gave exclusive broadcasting rights for MLB Extra Innings to DirecTV. This completely screws thousands of displaced fans who don't have satellite TV as an option and don't want to sit at their desk watching a small, grainy picture on MLB.TV.

There may not be anything that can be done about this, but I'm worried the national media won't really say anything. I think it might be fodder for a nice op-ed piece either on BP or perhaps some other forum. There are a lot of people who are pretty angry about being deprived of watching their favorite team for what amounts to about $1,000,000 per team per year. Myself included. Just a thought.

--Michael Newman

I sent Michael a note privately to tell him that I would write about this for today, although I did warn him that this would not be the piece he was looking for.

Michael is correct about a number of things. Yes, Major League Baseball appears ready to assign exclusive rights to its Extra Innings (EI) package of out-of-market televised baseball games—as well as the exclusive rights to an MLB Channel—to News Corp.’s DirecTV satellite service. DirecTV is paying a whopping $100 million a year over seven years for these rights. Based on the information in the Sports Business Journal, that represents a five-fold increase over what inDemand was paying for the rights to EI. This is a considerable boost to MLB’s bottom line, although the marginal gain isn’t necessarily over the $20 million or so they were making under the previous deal, but over the reported $70 million a year SBJ claims inDemand offered. Even at that, $30 million a year is nothing to sneeze at.

Michael is also correct in his statements about the deal’s effect on fans. This has been the talk of the town over the weekend, both on Internet message boards and on BP’s internal mailing list. The majority of expressed opinions resemble Michael’s: frustration among those who do not have DirecTV that they will now be denied an opportunity to purchase what many of us call simply “the package.” Is it worth, as Michael puts it, alienating a segment of your fan base for a million bucks per team per year?

Here’s the problem: the answer to that question is “yes.”

Before I go any further, let me make something clear: I am a DirecTV subscriber who would normally not be affected by this decision. However, I will almost certainly be in new housing by Opening Day, and the area to which I’m moving is not always amenable to satellite dishes. Whether by rule or by circumstance, I may well be unable to have the package for this upcoming season. At the least, it’s another factor complicating the housing search. I would personally prefer to not be in this situation.

Back up a second and consider what Extra Innings is: 1200 or so baseball games a year beamed into your house. Some nights, there are 15 games to be watched, and the only nights during the season when you’re not getting something are over the All-Star break. That is, by even the standards of a lifelong fanatic, a lot of baseball. It’s a product aimed at the very top of the pyramid; 750,000 subscriptions were sold last season, a bit more than a third of the number that bought the NFL equivalent.

MLB is going to tick off a subset of that group: EI subscribers who either have Dish Network or cable. However, they’re not going to lose that group of people as fans of MLB as a whole. Some of those people will switch to DirecTV, others will make do with MLB.tv, still others will not purchase a package and live without the extra games. The number of fans that MLB will lose because of this decision, however, could fit in my living room. You simply don’t go from being such a big fan of baseball that you would purchase 1200 games a year on satellite to a non-fan based on one decision.

This also goes to the point that Maury Brown chose to emphasize today, that this decision goes against the idea of growing the game’s popularity. In fact, it is completely orthogonal to that notion. New fans of baseball aren’t created by having them consume the game from a firehose, but by having them attend games, or watch the local team on local channels, or perhaps catch highlights on the news or on “Baseball Tonight.” EI is a non-factor in that process. It is a niche product for extreme users, not a gateway drug.

I don’t mean to dismiss the concerns of the disenfranchised. Remember, the frustration that’s being expressed is largely among those people who will not even have the opportunity to purchase the package at any price. Even this, however, may work in MLB’s favor. The largest clusters of these users are likely to be in large urban areas, where renters may struggle against either rules that ban dishes or a lack of the famous “view of the southern sky.” These people, however, are likely to turn to one of two sources for their fix: the local team’s games on cable, or MLB.tv. If the former, those teams will see a rise in ratings that should eventually lead to higher rights fees and ad rates. It is this factor, actually, that I see as the biggest hidden benefit in this deal. When you consider how many teams are now either wholly or partially co-owned (or vice versa) with their broadcast outlets, the idea of pushing hardcore fans to watch the local nine seems to be a genius move.

The other landing point for the EI refugees will be MLB.tv, the online source for all televised games. For $80, you get roughly what EI offered, although on your computer screen…without the ability to rapidly flip between games…with online-video quality…. This is not a comparable product. I used MLB.tv this year as an adjunct to, not a replacement for, Extra Innings. It was helpful when I was on the road or as a marriage saver, but it is not any kind of substitute for watching games on a television. Besides, from an aesthetic standpoint, who wants to relax at the end of the day while watching their monitor?

Nevetheless, MLB.tv will likely see a nice boost this year from people who cannot purchase the package. That’s more direct revenue as a result of the new deal.

When you break it down, this decision is clearly the right one for MLB. They make more money up front. The people it affects negatively have a series of options, albeit aggravating or inferior ones, and their pursuit of those options is likely to create additional revenue. The far-left-end users who will be hurt by DirecTV’s exclusivity are going to be the most vocal about their unhappiness, but at the same time, they are the ones least likely to be completely turned off of baseball.

Make no mistake: this is a fairly fan-hostile decision. However, MLB has proven that it will alienate a segment of the population in the short term to make more money in any term. This is comparable to the way in which teams have rushed to move their telecasts to new channels that they own. By doing so, they’ve instigated public pressure on cable companies to add that channel to their lineups, even when said channel has just three hours of valuable programming a day.

DirecTV is essentially going to be calling the same play. They will not only get a boost in dish ownership and subscriptions to EI, but there should be some benefit in the resulting demand for dish penetration in areas where regulations have kept the units out, a move likely to be led by…disenfranchised baseball fanatics.

Michael, I’m sorry. This is a pretty good move for MLB across the board, with more hidden benefits than hidden costs. I sure hope I get to use channels 734-748 this year, but if I can’t, I’m not going to be able to argue against the deal with anything but self-interest.

[RFS62]

I guess it's never been a matter of whether or not MLB is willing to screw their most loyal fans.

It's just a matter of what the price is.

[Jpup]

I hate this, but I guess it really doesn't effect me. My cable company has never had Extra Innings anyway. If they have to pay for anything, you can forget it. They don't have FSN so I can't watch the Reds either. I have had MLB.TV for the past 3 or 4 years. It keeps getting better but it does stink watching games on a monitor and the picture is bad. I have to deal with it so I can watch the Reds and occasionally some other games.

My only logical answer is to finally break down and get DirecTV. The sad thing is, that is what MLB wants. The baseball owners are a bunch of ......

[sacred_donkey]

In case anybody is interested, a friend sent me a link to a petition to keep MLB from giving exclusive rights to Extra Innings to DirecTV.

http://www.petitiononline.com/MLBCABLE/petition.html

[jmcclain19]

Everyone was up in arms just a couple of years ago about MLBAM taking over the fantasy stats and almost boycotting all the other fantasy sports vendors out there out of spite. And that pursuit still continues, albeit in a much more low profile fashion. Everyone forgot about it, and people moved on. That was a huge middle finger at the sports most ardent fans - if you want to play fantasy baseball - you will do it thru us or you won't do it at all. People have seemed to forgive them.

But they learned they can screw with the hard core fan base and still not alienate them. That's what will happen here - and I'm sure it will happen again sometime down the road.

[Gainesville Red]

I just thought about this. I need my computer for homework/projects most nights. Meaning MLB.TV is out of the question. Awesome.

[919191]

Here is a petition.

http://www.petitiononline.com/MLBCABLE/petition.html

[pedro]

here's the letter I wrote Bud.

Bud Selig
Commissioner – Major League Baseball
Office of the Commissioner
Major League Baseball
245 Park Avenue, 31st Floor
New York, NY 10167


Dear Mr. Selig,

I have learned with great dismay about Major League Baseball's exclusive deal with DirectTV which will prevent the large majority of homes in this country from being able to enjoy baseball's Extra Innings package on their home television sets. My response to this is as follows:

**** YOU YOU MONEY GRUBBING BASTARD!

Please be assured that my next letters will be to Bob Castellini, principal owner of the Cincinnati Reds, and to my state senators asking that they call into question MLB's exemption status from anti-trust laws.

In closing, I would like to add that you have the haircut of an eight year old and I hope you rot in hell.

Sincerely,

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

[Jpup]

here's the letter I wrote Bud.

Bud Selig
Commissioner – Major League Baseball
Office of the Commissioner
Major League Baseball
245 Park Avenue, 31st Floor
New York, NY 10167


Dear Mr. Selig,

I have learned with great dismay about Major League Baseball's exclusive deal with DirectTV which will prevent the large majority of homes in this country from being able to enjoy baseball's Extra Innings package on their home television sets. My response to this is as follows:

**** YOU YOU MONEY GRUBBING BASTARD!

Please be assured that my next letters will be to Bob Castellini, principal owner of the Cincinnati Reds, and to my state senators asking that they call into question MLB's exemption status from anti-trust laws.

In closing, I would like to add that you have the haircut of an eight year old and I hope you rot in hell.

Sincerely,

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Bud could stop it, but he's likely not the one making this decision. The deal isn't final either. I heard on XM today that In-demand offered as much as 85 million for the package based on whether DirecTV would still pick up the package as well. So it's down to 500k per club and and exclusive MLB channel on DirecTV's basic channel lineup, something that cable companies can not promise.

[Gainesville Red]

Here's a question. See if anyone else remembers this.

On Opening Day, I was watching via EI, and hanging out in Chat. I remember numerous other posters not being able to get their mlb.tv/mlb audio feeds going due to too many people getting on the mlb site at once or something along those lines.

Am I making this up? Does anyone remember how long the problems lasted (if indeed they were not imaginary)? Do you think that the influx of people this bastard deal with Directv will bring to the mlb services, that it will be a bigger problem than last year?

[paintmered]

Isn't MLB TV limited by geographical area? i.e. the Reds will be blacked out if I'm in Cincy, yes?

[Jpup]

Isn't MLB TV limited by geographical area? i.e. the Reds will be blacked out if I'm in Cincy, yes?

yes, unless you want to watch it on a delayed basis. It works pretty much like the EI package.

[Jpup]

Here's a question. See if anyone else remembers this.

On Opening Day, I was watching via EI, and hanging out in Chat. I remember numerous other posters not being able to get their mlb.tv/mlb audio feeds going due to too many people getting on the mlb site at once or something along those lines.

Am I making this up? Does anyone remember how long the problems lasted (if indeed they were not imaginary)? Do you think that the influx of people this bastard deal with Directv will bring to the mlb services, that it will be a bigger problem than last year?

of course it will. the only time it is a huge issue is if you are wanting to watch the Yankees or Red Sox usually. Reds games are not usually a problem. Surely, MLBAM will have much larger servers this season. I would also like to see them dramatically increase the feed speed from 350. I will say that the service has improved since the first year. I've had it for 3 years and, again, it has been better each season.

[westofyou]

http://www.fishstripes.com/story/2007/1/29/7557/49232

If you would like to voice your opinion, you can contact MLB via email here: csmedia@website.mlb.com

If you do write them, be nice. Starting out the first sentence with "What are you morons thinking?" probably won't get the rest of your complaint read. Yeah, I know, they are morons but no one likes to be reminded of it.

[pedro]

http://www.fishstripes.com/story/2007/1/29/7557/49232

If you would like to voice your opinion, you can contact MLB via email here: csmedia@website.mlb.com

If you do write them, be nice. Starting out the first sentence with "What are you morons thinking?" probably won't get the rest of your complaint read. Yeah, I know, they are morons but no one likes to be reminded of it.

how's this?

Dear MLB,

I am writing to you today asking that you please reconsider your exclusive deal with Direct TV. I strongly believe that this is not in the best interest of baseball, a sport which has struggled to win back fans after the 1994 strike , and which struggles to keep fans now amid the steriod scandal which currently dominates the news regarding our fair game. Can baseball afford to alienate yet more fans at this point in time?

Furthermore, it is not clear to me how excluding fans from content they could previously receive falls within the parameters set up by baseball's anti-trust exemption. Should MLB proceed with their plans to exclude myself and millions of other American's from viewing their favorite team on their home television sets I would fully support and pursue through my congressional representatives the revocation of MLB's anti-trust exemption. As a fan of the game, I truly hope it that this matter is concluded amicably without the need for such measures.

Sincerely,

[westofyou]

http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/ny-spbest285070442jan28,0,278287.column?coll=ny-sports-headlines


Poor baseball.

Once again, it's got a "Kick Me" sign stuck to its back while the cool kids from the NFL get to swagger down the hall while everyone swoons.

This time, the problem is Major League Baseball offering its Extra Innings package of out-of-market games exclusively to DirecTV, which has unleashed a storm of criticism in print and cyberspace.

Baseball says nothing has been completed, so maybe it's not too late to back off from the public relations cliff. But the fact that things have gotten this far is interesting enough.

Our inbox reflects the mood of subscribers to Cablevision as well as Dish, a rival satellite outlet. "This Lynbrook Red Sox fan is --!" John Duncliffe wrote in an e-mail.

That sums up the consensus among those who have signed up over the past five years to expand their horizons beyond the local teams' outlets, plus national games on the likes of Fox and ESPN.

But wait: Doesn't the NFL offer its popular out-of-market package, Sunday Ticket, only to DirecTV, thus doing exactly what baseball is proposing?

That exclusivity, for which DirecTV now pays the NFL $700 million per year, long has annoyed cable companies, but it hasn't caused much of a peep from consumers.

Why? Because Sunday Ticket always has been a DirecTV exclusive, so the NFL never snatched away a product people already had.

So, like we said, baseball will bear the brunt of scrutiny, much like it has on steroids while the subject barely registers among football fans.

What is baseball's motivation? Cash surely is part of it. The New York Times reported the deal would be worth $100 million a year for seven years, $30 million more than MLB got from cable companies.

The real payback would come in 2009.

Two industry sources said a key to the deal was DirecTV's agreement to put a planned baseball channel owned by MLB on its basic service. The cable companies could well insist on putting it on dreaded, lightly subscribed sports tiers, for which viewers pay an extra fee.

Again, though, why blame baseball for that strategy when the NFL Network also has had trouble getting a slot on expanded basic from Cablevision and Time Warner?

In any case, now the cable companies have another reason to be frustrated at baseball and are unlikely to cooperate when its channel launches two years from now.

DirecTV's motivation is burnishing its image as a destination for serious sports fans; it needs whatever it can get with cable and phone companies selling phone, TV and Internet bundles.

Naturally, fans are pawns in all this. For those who can't or don't want to have satellites, the alternative is mlb.tv, for which people with high-speed Internet can pay $79.95 and see out-of-market games on their computers. (Again, the NFL does not offer such an alternative, but hears nary a peep of complaint.)

As Web-based video quality improves, mlb.tv will be an increasingly viable option, but for now, most fans (especially those over 30) prefer the comfort and quality of the big TV set in the den.

MLB deserves points for chutzpah if it goes through with the DirecTV deal, but it is risking not only the wrath of fans but also Congress, which already was making noise about the NFL's exclusive deal.

Making a federal case out of this might be a bit much. But fans have a right to make a personal case of it, whether they root for the Red Sox in Lynbrook or the Yankees in Lynn, Mass.

[Gainesville Red]

http://www.bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=672&Itemid=52

Looks like someone's looking into it. Can't believe it will do any good however.


Also................


http://www.bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=635&Itemid=52

From the article..............

In related news, MLB.TV will see an increase in the quality of the feeds this season. As reported, “Game video will be streamed at a rate of 700 Kbps instead of the 350 Kbps to 400 Kbps rate of last year.”

Can anyone tell me how, as well as how much better this makes mlb.tv?

[Jpup]

http://www.bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=672&Itemid=52

Looks like someone's looking into it. Can't believe it will do any good however.


Also................


http://www.bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=635&Itemid=52

From the article..............

In related news, MLB.TV will see an increase in the quality of the feeds this season. As reported, “Game video will be streamed at a rate of 700 Kbps instead of the 350 Kbps to 400 Kbps rate of last year.”

Can anyone tell me how, as well as how much better this makes mlb.tv?

it will make it a ton better. that is what I was wanting to hear. I guess I will buy it again if they are doing that.

[pedro]

I received this reply to my email today

Dear Customer,

Thank you for sending your email. We really appreciate your feedback
and comments and have forwarded your email to the appropriate person.

Thank you again for taking the time to write!

Regards,

DY, MLB.com Support

[RFS62]

I just sent this one.


Dear Mr. Selig,

I'm a lifelong baseball fan. I've also subscribed to your Extra Innings package every year since it's inception. I'm extremely disappointed with your decision to go exclusively with Direct TV. I'll not be able to get the package as my apartment faces North.

The Extra Innings package is a wonderful product, and it's brought happiness to hundreds of thousands of your most devoted customers.

It's a tradition in our household. I love to watch baseball with my son and often times his buddies. It's made very devoted fans out of them. It's a way for families to watch major league baseball together and to cultivate the fans you will count on in the years to come. Investing in these kids and developing in them a love for baseball is a smart investment. It will pay dividends for many years to come, and you undoubtedly know this.

So why, Mr. Selig, are you taking baseball from the children? Don't you know that you are depriving many, many thousands of children from watching baseball?

It squeezing every single nickel out of your Baseball Network deal more important than the children, Mr. Selig?

You can spin it any way you chose, but you are turning your back on your most devoted fans. The business of baseball has never been better. Don't screw your most devoted fans.


Thank you for your consideration.

[Red in Chicago]

I just sent this one.


Dear Mr. Selig,

I'm a lifelong baseball fan. I've also subscribed to your Extra Innings package every year since it's inception. I'm extremely disappointed with your decision to go exclusively with Direct TV. I'll not be able to get the package as my apartment faces North.

The Extra Innings package is a wonderful product, and it's brought happiness to hundreds of thousands of your most devoted customers.

It's a tradition in our household. I love to watch baseball with my son and often times his buddies. It's made very devoted fans out of them. It's a way for families to watch major league baseball together and to cultivate the fans you will count on in the years to come. Investing in these kids and developing in them a love for baseball is a smart investment. It will pay dividends for many years to come, and you undoubtedly know this.

So why, Mr. Selig, are you taking baseball from the children? Don't you know that you are depriving many, many thousands of children from watching baseball?

It squeezing every single nickel out of your Baseball Network deal more important than the children, Mr. Selig?

You can spin it any way you chose, but you are turning your back on your most devoted fans. The business of baseball has never been better. Don't screw your most devoted fans.


Thank you for your consideration.

Nicely put. Thanks for not mentioning the words "anti-trust". Leave that to the lawyers.

[redsman344]

Does any one here happen to know anything about whats going on with the supposed deal to make MLB Xtra innings exclusive to Directv subscribers? Im an out of town fan and have relied on Xtra innings to see the Reds games over the past few years on my Dish Network service. I know they stream games on MLB.com but the quality of the stream is terrible compared to a tv broadcast. I really hope this deal doesn't go through.

[Unassisted]

Trade newspaper Variety reported on Monday that MLB and DirecTV are very close to announcing an exclusive 7-year deal and some members of Congress are considering taking action against MLB over the deal.

http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117958571.html?categoryid=14&cs=1

[Smallball]

As another long distance Reds follower, I can tell you that the best deal out there is XM Radio. Not only does it give me every Reds game, but WLW has its own channel so I can keep up on local talk like The Two Angry Guys, etc.

[Gainesville Red]

If you want some more info/opinions, check it out:

http://www.redszone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=54069

[Handofdeath]

This may not be a very fan friendly decision but the games have to be put out there to watch somewhere. Do you think the cable companies are looking out for our best interests? The ever rising cable bill says no. Satellite is simply the better option and Directv is willing to put it on a basic package where most if not all subscribers can receive it. The only problem I have is that Dish wouldn't have it. But Dish Network subscribers don't get Bengals games either. Directv subscribers can.

[Hey Meat]

Does any one here happen to know anything about whats going on with the supposed deal to make MLB Xtra innings exclusive to Directv subscribers? Im an out of town fan and have relied on Xtra innings to see the Reds games over the past few years on my Dish Network service. I know they stream games on MLB.com but the quality of the stream is terrible compared to a tv broadcast. I really hope this deal doesn't go through.

This is just awful. I hope there is some other option, or that John Kerry or whoever claims they are going to go after MLB on this does it. MLB EI is the reason that I bought my 52 inch HDTV last summer. If you had to go with Direct TV, what are the rates?

[Gainesville Red]

What happens on MLB.TV on commercial breaks?

[Crumbley]

Would I be able to watch Reds games live on MLB.TV or is that a blackout zone?

[redram]

I get that package, and yes they black out the games even if you have the EI package and then they broadcast it on another channel in their EI Channel range.


Not for me they didn't. It works 2 ways. If you are inside the Reds area (The Reds are one of your Home Teams) then you can sub to the 12.00 per mth package and get all the games shown on 638 except for fox blackouts. You are also blacked out if the reds play only on a diff teams sports channel. If you are not a Reds Home team you have to sub to the EI package to get their games and they then show on 638 or the EI channel. You get all the games that are not blacked out due to Fox. I live in Memphis Tn and up until last year the Reds were a home team here. (only 400 plus miles away). DTV took them out as a home team for Memphis, however MLB T.V. and Time Warner did not, so if I subbed to either of their packages ALL Reds games are blacked out. Teams 400 + miles away should NOT be a Home team for that area IMO and MLB is losing money because of this. I would habe subbed to MLB TV and EI otherwise.

[Unassisted]

What happens on MLB.TV on commercial breaks?

Most of the time, MLB.TV plays background music and graphics during breaks, interspersed with snippets of video.

Last season, they played about 2 minutes of video of a Tom Petty song during about half of the breaks. I can't remember the name of the song, but I heard it sooo many times, it immediately came to mind when I was thinking about the answer to this question.

The games I like best are the games where there is no official TV coverage, so they play audio, either from the stadium PA or from one of the team's radio announce crews and mix it with the video coverage from the stadium scoreboard. It tends to be business-day specials that get that treatment. It feels more like being at the game than watching official TV coverage.

[BoydsOfSummer]

Here is a link to a petition you can sign if you would like.

http://www.petitiononline.com/MLBCABLE/petition.html

[redsfan1966]

Boyds---Off topic; I really dig your sig pic...

[Reds Fanatic]

For all of losing Extra Innings the premium version of MLB.TV is going to be $119.95 with video speeds of 700K or 1.5MB with Mosaic or you can get the regular version with speeds of 400K for $89.95. The premium version will also let you watch 6 games at once with the Mosaic feature.

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/subscriptions/premium.jsp?c_id=mlb

[Gainesville Red]

Can someone explain the difference between 700K, 1.5 MB, and 400K?

Is it worth the extra money?

Why is it different?

Is it really that much better?

I'm not opposed to paying the extra money if it's a superior product.

[flyer85]

Can someone explain the difference between 700K, 1.5 MB, and 400K?faster speed = more picture information



Is it worth the extra money?that will be up to each individual.