MLB TV deal

[Jon]

AP[/url]"]PITTSBURGH -- First-round playoff games will be shown only on cable starting next season as part of baseball's new seven-year television deal with Fox and TBS, a total package worth almost $3 billion.

 

Turner Broadcasting System also will televise 26 regular-season Sunday games in 2008 while eventually cutting back on its nationwide Atlanta Braves coverage.

 

The World Series, All-Star games and Saturday afternoon telecasts remain on Fox through 2013, as does one of the league championship series. The other LCS -- alternating between AL and NL each year -- is still up for bidding.

Fox and TBS...eww.

[Outshined_One]

You mean playoff viewers might be stuck with Chippy? Hoo boy.

[Brian]

You mean playoff viewers might be stuck with Chippy? Hoo boy.

 

I think the Caray's are on the outs with Turner. I believe I read that they are getting less and less games or something to that effect.

[Mark Priors Calves]

C'mon NBC.

[StMarksCubs]

AP[/url]"]PITTSBURGH -- First-round playoff games will be shown only on cable starting next season as part of baseball's new seven-year television deal with Fox and TBS, a total package worth almost $3 billion.

 

Turner Broadcasting System also will televise 26 regular-season Sunday games in 2008 while eventually cutting back on its nationwide Atlanta Braves coverage.

 

The World Series, All-Star games and Saturday afternoon telecasts remain on Fox through 2013, as does one of the league championship series. The other LCS -- alternating between AL and NL each year -- is still up for bidding.

Fox and TBS...eww.

 

What do people have against FOX? I happen to enjoy their coverage, and the less Baseball I have to endure on ESPN, the happier I am.

[goonys evil twin]

AP[/url]"]PITTSBURGH -- First-round playoff games will be shown only on cable starting next season as part of baseball's new seven-year television deal with Fox and TBS, a total package worth almost $3 billion.

 

Turner Broadcasting System also will televise 26 regular-season Sunday games in 2008 while eventually cutting back on its nationwide Atlanta Braves coverage.

 

The World Series, All-Star games and Saturday afternoon telecasts remain on Fox through 2013, as does one of the league championship series. The other LCS -- alternating between AL and NL each year -- is still up for bidding.

Fox and TBS...eww.

 

What do people have against FOX? I happen to enjoy their coverage, and the less Baseball I have to endure on ESPN, the happier I am.

 

Very bad announcers. Silly graphics and sound effects. Waste lots of times showing things other than the game. They blackout saturday afternoon games. I have the extra innings package and couldn't watch the Cubs clinch in 2003, that's justification enough for hating Fox.

[StMarksCubs]

AP[/url]"]PITTSBURGH -- First-round playoff games will be shown only on cable starting next season as part of baseball's new seven-year television deal with Fox and TBS, a total package worth almost $3 billion.

 

Turner Broadcasting System also will televise 26 regular-season Sunday games in 2008 while eventually cutting back on its nationwide Atlanta Braves coverage.

 

The World Series, All-Star games and Saturday afternoon telecasts remain on Fox through 2013, as does one of the league championship series. The other LCS -- alternating between AL and NL each year -- is still up for bidding.

Fox and TBS...eww.

 

What do people have against FOX? I happen to enjoy their coverage, and the less Baseball I have to endure on ESPN, the happier I am.

 

Very bad announcers. Silly graphics and sound effects. Waste lots of times showing things other than the game. They blackout saturday afternoon games. I have the extra innings package and couldn't watch the Cubs clinch in 2003, that's justification enough for hating Fox.

 

I actually just saw an article on Yahoo Sports where Selig addresses the blackouts, and says he is going to do something about it.

 

http://sports.yahoo.com/mlb/news?slug=jp-blackouts071106&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

 

As for the announcers, I suppose it's a matter of preference: I enjoy Joe Buck a great deal, don't much mind the other guys (Albert, Rosen...), and enjoy what FOX brings to a broadcast with their innovative graphics. They always keep it fresh, whereas other broadcasters, like NBC, haven't changed their graphics in a decade. And they actually use music made after 1983 in their in-game highlight packages. As for the part about showing things other than the game, I guess this is just the changing landscape of TV... I definitely did not need to see a meaningless replay of a mid-game double play for the "Pepcid Double Play of the Game" last night, but that's just the way things go these days... And odd as it may sound, I'm less put off by that than I am the Toyota logo being on the screen during replays on CSN games.

[dalgreen]

No Divisional Series games on network tv? Doesn't make sense to me. Nice to see MLB is still trying to get fans back.... way to go. :roll: I bet Chris Berman wet his pants with the announcement. I can't stand listening to him do baseball games.

 

I hope Selig is serious regarding the Saturday afternoon blackouts for Extra Innings. ABC allows it for their college football broadcasts and NBC allows other games to be shown on their NHL broadcasts. Get with the times, Bud.

[goonys evil twin]

No Divisional Series games on network tv? Doesn't make sense to me. Nice to see MLB is still trying to get fans back.... way to go. :roll: I bet Chris Berman wet his pants with the announcement. I can't stand listening to him do baseball games.

 

I hope Selig is serious regarding the Saturday afternoon blackouts for Extra Innings. ABC allows it for their college football broadcasts and NBC allows other games to be shown on their NHL broadcasts. Get with the times, Bud.

 

I don't think he was talking about Saturday blackouts. He was talking about the everyday blackouts in certain markets that are between MLB cities.

 

 

When I think division series games, I think ESPN anyway. It seems like 3 of every 4 series is shown on ESPN to begin with. And how many baseball fans don't have cable now anyway?

[NCCubFan]

I don't think he was talking about Saturday blackouts. He was talking about the everyday blackouts in certain markets that are between MLB cities.

Correct. The article said that the national blackout for Saturday games will remain.

 

That's indefensible as far as I'm concerned. I pay for Extra Innings, which should give me the right to watch the games I want to, not the games Fox chooses for me to see. I missed the 2003 division clincher because of the stupid national blackout (the Cubs game was one of the Fox games, but not where I live).

[daske17]

No Divisional Series games on network tv? Doesn't make sense to me. Nice to see MLB is still trying to get fans back.... way to go. :roll: I bet Chris Berman wet his pants with the announcement. I can't stand listening to him do baseball games.

 

I hope Selig is serious regarding the Saturday afternoon blackouts for Extra Innings. ABC allows it for their college football broadcasts and NBC allows other games to be shown on their NHL broadcasts. Get with the times, Bud.

 

The NBA seems to be doing well having their playoff series on TNT (of course, they haven't been the same since Jordan left. . . )

 

Any opportunity for less Tim McCarver and Lou Piniella is fine by me.

[dalgreen]

No Divisional Series games on network tv? Doesn't make sense to me. Nice to see MLB is still trying to get fans back.... way to go. :roll: I bet Chris Berman wet his pants with the announcement. I can't stand listening to him do baseball games.

 

I hope Selig is serious regarding the Saturday afternoon blackouts for Extra Innings. ABC allows it for their college football broadcasts and NBC allows other games to be shown on their NHL broadcasts. Get with the times, Bud.

 

The NBA seems to be doing well having their playoff series on TNT (of course, they haven't been the same since Jordan left. . . )

 

Any opportunity for less Tim McCarver and Lou Piniella is fine by me.

 

NBA playoffs were never a staple on network tv. 25 years ago they didn't even show the NBA Finals (weeknight games) live, it was on tape delay.

 

Anyway, yes, it's hard to believe but there are still quite a few people who don't get cable. I guess it's too high, but there are still quite a few people who don't get cable. I still think it's ludicrous for those with Extra Innings not to be able to receive other afternoon games. All of the money is going to MLB anyway so I don't get why those with EI can't get the other games offered by FOX on Saturdays, in addition to the other games going on on Saturday prior to the 7 pm ET blackout.

[thedaymen]

All I can say is: where the heck was the talking ball last night? Thats my favorite part of FOX broadcasts because I don't have to hear the announcers.

 

Does whoever wrote those Joe Buck commercials realize that everyone hates him and that having him act like a put out jerk on a commercial only makes that worse?

[daske17]

NBA playoffs were never a staple on network tv. 25 years ago they didn't even show the NBA Finals (weeknight games) live, it was on tape delay.

 

Anyway, yes, it's hard to believe but there are still quite a few people who don't get cable. I guess it's too high, but there are still quite a few people who don't get cable. I still think it's ludicrous for those with Extra Innings not to be able to receive other afternoon games. All of the money is going to MLB anyway so I don't get why those with EI can't get the other games offered by FOX on Saturdays, in addition to the other games going on on Saturday prior to the 7 pm ET blackout.

 

I certainly understand that there are a sizeable number of people without cable. But there are still ample opportunities to find the game outside of their own home. Go to the local sports bar or watch the game with at a buddy's house.

 

I think a bigger problem that hasn't been addressed, nor will it be if TV stations continue to dictate terms to MLB is the start times for playoff and World Series games. There is no justifiable reason why those games need to start at 8 p.m. EST. The only rationale is network prime time and ad sales. I mean the games start at 5 pm on the West Coast and you don't hear complaints about the early start times.

 

Move the games up, let kids be able to watch an entire World Series game, and watch a new generation want to be baseball players instead of automatically picking basketball and football.

[StMarksCubs]

NBA playoffs were never a staple on network tv. 25 years ago they didn't even show the NBA Finals (weeknight games) live, it was on tape delay.

 

Anyway, yes, it's hard to believe but there are still quite a few people who don't get cable. I guess it's too high, but there are still quite a few people who don't get cable. I still think it's ludicrous for those with Extra Innings not to be able to receive other afternoon games. All of the money is going to MLB anyway so I don't get why those with EI can't get the other games offered by FOX on Saturdays, in addition to the other games going on on Saturday prior to the 7 pm ET blackout.

 

I certainly understand that there are a sizeable number of people without cable. But there are still ample opportunities to find the game outside of their own home. Go to the local sports bar or watch the game with at a buddy's house.

 

I think a bigger problem that hasn't been addressed, nor will it be if TV stations continue to dictate terms to MLB is the start times for playoff and World Series games. There is no justifiable reason why those games need to start at 8 p.m. EST. The only rationale is network prime time and ad sales. I mean the games start at 5 pm on the West Coast and you don't hear complaints about the early start times.

 

Move the games up, let kids be able to watch an entire World Series game, and watch a new generation want to be baseball players instead of automatically picking basketball and football.

 

I don't know how many young fans those 10pm ET NBA Finals start times are winning over. But let's not get crazy here-- I'm pretty sure baseball plays 162 games that are all locally timed to accomodate the widest possible audience. And hey, I might be alone in this, but I remember my dad letting me stay up late to watch a few playoff games too-- it made things seem a bit more special.

 

Selig was asked about this on the Dan Patrick show, and his claim is that he'd love to do a World Series game in the daytime, but all their day playoff baseball does horrible ratings, and the later the night games stretch on into the night, the better the rating does.

[Texas Goat Farmer]

I certainly understand that there are a sizeable number of people without cable. But there are still ample opportunities to find the game outside of their own home. Go to the local sports bar or watch the game with at a buddy's house.

 

 

Hey, I live fifty miles from the nearest town, and the closest buddy that would watch the game lives in town.