MLB Extra Innings

[Transmogrified Tiger]

What happened to this page.

[kujay]

Yeah, it makes perfect sense. Hopefully they will think of that and do whatever they need to do to support the extra customers.

 

Hopefully.

 

And what did happen to this page?

[BigbadB]

I'm an average consumer. I won't do either. I'll still be a baseball fan, but I'll just have to see the limited games made available in my area and just read up on box scores and watch more highlights.

 

And if it does go through, I hope somebody gets hit real hard in the wallet. Either MLB or DirecTV.

 

I'll send a follow up letter to MLB thanking them for saving me $139.00 by no longer paying for MLB EI.

 

They didn't care about the fans during the strike year and they are clearly proving they don't care about the fans by going exclusive with a dish network. Someday, they'll piss off too many of the right people....

[Burtonbell]

Joe Sheehan weighs in on this.

 

Link(subscriber content.)

 

This quote is true on many levels.

 

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.

 

 

What did you do? Damn you vince_the_cubs_fan!

[treebird]

wtg vance

[Garwilly]

wtg vance

 

This is a borderline bannable offense Vance.

[J.R.]

They didn't care about the fans during the strike year and they are clearly proving they don't care about the fans by going exclusive with a dish network. Someday, they'll piss off too many of the right people....

 

Yes, making an agreement with DirecTV is definitely on par with canceling a World Series.

 

The strike was 13 years ago. Let it go, man.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

wtg vance

 

This is a borderline bannable offense Vance.

 

I really don't know why that post ended up that way.

 

Sorry, guys.

[macuser2]

It is nice to be able to watch Cub games if you live in Syracuse all the time and not depend on WGN but it seems to me since they have received money for the dish/cable they have decreased Cub games big time on WGN and that bugs me. I don't blame them (MLB) for trying to get the most money for their business but I think this is going to bite them in the long run.

 

Agreed, although i think the decrease in WGN Games has a lot more to do with WGN going to a "network" affiliation and choosing not to broadcast all the Cubs games...someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think that's a MLB call.

 

The days of kids across the country becoming Cubs fans because it was the only thing on in the afternoons are long gone. The only way this would bite them is if they lost current fans (doubtful), or lost enough potential fans to offset the financial gain. I don't think that will happen. Unless their father's are already Cubs fans, kids in other states aren't hanging out watching the Cubs on summer afternoons and falling in love.

 

i wonder if the braves have a big nationwide following given their superstation and recent success? they didnt have a harry caray to listen too, though.

 

I know some people around here (Kentucky) that are Braves fans because they saw games on TBS.

 

It's a big national following, albeit not as celebrated as the Cubs'.

 

Except that WTBS is doing the same thing as WGN. More Braves games will be shown on either Comcast South or Turner South. So the trend is clear.

[J.R.]

Yeah, the Braves on TBS thing is pretty much over.

[Soul]

I realize how selfish this is, but if the DirecTV EI package starts offering a bunch more HD games, I'm probably going to buy it and be very, very happy.

 

Since going HD regular resolution looks terrible to me. I find myself watching games I wouldn't have cared about before, even to the point of only "checking in" on Bulls games, Hawk games, etc.

 

DirecTV has recently added a bunch more HD capacity, so I'm thinking this might very well happen.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

If DirectTV is able to end the Saturday blackouts, I will be very happy. Right now, that is most frustrating to me.

[kujay]

If DirectTV is able to end the Saturday blackouts, I will be very happy. Right now, that is most frustrating to me.

 

I'm sure the Saturday blackout deal is in FOX's contract, so it's not likely to end. Same with Sunday night and ESPN, when there is more than one game.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

If DirectTV is able to end the Saturday blackouts, I will be very happy. Right now, that is most frustrating to me.

 

I'm sure the Saturday blackout deal is in FOX's contract, so it's not likely to end. Same with Sunday night and ESPN, when there is more than one game.

 

When does the FOX contract expire?

[kujay]

If DirectTV is able to end the Saturday blackouts, I will be very happy. Right now, that is most frustrating to me.

 

I'm sure the Saturday blackout deal is in FOX's contract, so it's not likely to end. Same with Sunday night and ESPN, when there is more than one game.

 

When does the FOX contract expire?

 

According to Wiki, 2013.

[BigbadB]

They didn't care about the fans during the strike year and they are clearly proving they don't care about the fans by going exclusive with a dish network. Someday, they'll piss off too many of the right people....

 

Yes, making an agreement with DirecTV is definitely on par with canceling a World Series.

 

The strike was 13 years ago. Let it go, man.

 

No, I'm not going to let it go. This agreement with DirecTV is on par with cancelling the entire viewable baseball season for everyone who doesn't have or want DirecTV.

 

Corporate greed wins again. The fans? Not so much.

[J.R.]

If DirectTV is able to end the Saturday blackouts, I will be very happy. Right now, that is most frustrating to me.

 

I'm sure the Saturday blackout deal is in FOX's contract, so it's not likely to end. Same with Sunday night and ESPN, when there is more than one game.

 

When does the FOX contract expire?

 

According to Wiki, 2013.

 

The contract was just renegotiated, so it's possible that they took possible MLBEI changes into consideration.

[J.R.]

I realize how selfish this is, but if the DirecTV EI package starts offering a bunch more HD games, I'm probably going to buy it and be very, very happy.

 

Since going HD regular resolution looks terrible to me. I find myself watching games I wouldn't have cared about before, even to the point of only "checking in" on Bulls games, Hawk games, etc.

 

DirecTV has recently added a bunch more HD capacity, so I'm thinking this might very well happen.

 

This is the crux of my stance. DirecTV's MLBEI will be much better than what's available now.

[J.R.]

No, I'm not going to let it go. This agreement with DirecTV is on par with cancelling the entire viewable baseball season for everyone who doesn't have or want DirecTV.

 

Corporate greed wins again. The fans? Not so much.

 

Suit yourself. Never mind that there's going to be some damn good baseball played over the next few centuries or so.

 

I'm sure there were some stragglers who boycotted the Cubs' 2003 season because of ill will borne of the strike. Those are some sad, pathetic people.

[moorecg]

I realize how selfish this is, but if the DirecTV EI package starts offering a bunch more HD games, I'm probably going to buy it and be very, very happy.

 

Since going HD regular resolution looks terrible to me. I find myself watching games I wouldn't have cared about before, even to the point of only "checking in" on Bulls games, Hawk games, etc.

 

DirecTV has recently added a bunch more HD capacity, so I'm thinking this might very well happen.

 

This is the crux of my stance. DirecTV's MLBEI will be much better than what's available now.

 

The problem with this stance is that it doesn't have to be mutually exclusive. You can have DirecTV access and cable access...that's the way its always been. Now it may be better for DirecTV subscribers who have High Def cabablity...but that # is sooo much smaller than the people who were able to get it before that its a net loss.

 

I think of it as turning an entire stadium into luxury suites...no regluar seating available for anyone. You can't argue that the suites are "nicer" to sit in...they are, and they get better service and have more features...but you can argue quite effectively that the arrangement is NOT better for the guy who always had season tickets in the upper deck and doesn't have any way to upgrade to the suite.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

While I understand the angst of those who have gotten the package before and now will not. But, I think Sheehan hit the nail on the head when he said that MLB isn't likely to lose fans over it, and that's why taking the money is the smart move for them.

 

With the introduction of regional sports networks, most areas of the country have baseball for viewing. It is the preference of the teams, that the local teams become the team of choice for those living in that area. This increases the advertising on those local networks and therefore increases rights fees for the broadcasts.

 

The people buying EI in most cases are "super fans." These may be superfans for one team or baseball junkies in general. The one-team superfan may or may not switch to DirectTV, but they still aren't likely to quit baseball. They'll find other means of following their team or just watch more of the team in whose market they exist. Either way, there's no loss for MLB. The baseball junkie is likely to make the switch, and this is what DirectTV is hoping. Furthermore, if you were the type of person wanting to watch 6-10 hours of baseball a night, it's not likely that this move will cause you to stop watching baseball.

 

This isn't a move that affects the casual fan because the casual fans weren't the ones buying the package.

[BigbadB]

I didn't say I would give up watching baseball. I just won't be watching games on MLB EI or MLB.com.

 

I'll still see highlights of games on ESPN. I'll still be able to watch all the Padres games since Cox shows them all on their cable network. I'll still be able to see the ESPN games, the WGN games, the TBS games, a few Fox games that show the Dodgers/Angels, and the game of the week.

 

When Cox, Comcast, Time Warner all find out that they will be shut out of MLB for the next 7 some odd years, maybe they can strike up a deal with some network to show more college and minor league games. I'd be fine with that.

 

When DirecTV starts losing money on this deal (750,000 total subscribers of MLB EI last year and many of those will not go to the trouble of switching providers to continue service), DirecTV will have to raise the package price. How much will you be willing to pay for it? They will not raise it right away. But, eventually they will. Why? Because they can. Once they got a firm grip of your privates, they won't let go. You won't be able to switch to someone else for the service. Part of the reason it only costed $149-$179 was because there were other providers competing to keep the cost down.

 

Through Cox Communications (my provider), I would have been willing to pay even double the price to have MLB EI in my living room. But, I'm not going to switch providers. Why should I have to? It's the 21st Century. I should be able to order up baseball games no matter who my cable provider is. I'm disappointed that you don't agree with this, but to each their own.

 

As a consumer, I would think you would want competitive pricing to be in place to keep costs down, but we aren't all built the same I suppose.

[vance_the_cubs_fan]

I'm not saying I agree with the move, but I can understand why MLB is making it. They see a huge windfall of cash with very little fallout except from some vocal fans who aren't likely to stop watching.

 

Personally, I'd hope they'd think more of their fans, but I realize we're used to that by now.

[BigbadB]

They see a huge windfall of cash with very little fallout except from some vocal fans who aren't likely to stop watching.

 

My only benefit to this is their huge windfall of cash won't be coming from me. And I hope that many more take my stance on this.

[moorecg]

I'm not saying I agree with the move, but I can understand why MLB is making it. They see a huge windfall of cash with very little fallout except from some vocal fans who aren't likely to stop watching.

 

Personally, I'd hope they'd think more of their fans, but I realize we're used to that by now.

 

That's the thing...I'm not sure its a huge windfall of cash. The numbers I've heard quoted work it out to only about 1 million more per team per year. While a million is nothing to sneeze at for you and me, in baseball terms it gets you about 1/2 of a Henry Blanco...I'd think avoiding the bad publicity on this and keeping the "super fans" happy would easily be worth a mill to most baseball clubs.