INDEMAND will carry MLB EI? No so fast says MLB... How about E*?

[russlay]

Going to D*

I've lurked in this thread for a long time, decided to jump in. Let me state that from a fan point of view, I think MLB is the bad guy--not D*, E* or cable. MLB made a similar move last year when they moved MLB game audio to XM and Sirius was shut out. Why MLB thinks losing a huge segment of their future fan base by cutting them off from the sport is a good business move, I'll never know. Just as the players overstepped their bounds with their strike, management now makes the same mistake.

That said, I'll probably end up switching to D*. I changed over to leased equipment last year with E*, so no problems there (other than the expected issues with returning the receivers). I've been irritated with e* for a long time. Their refusal to carry YES or MASN1 or MASN2 has been a major point of contention. The Orioles and Nats are "local" here in the Outer Banks, and I can't watch them at all. The Yanks are despised by me as a fan of the Red Sox, but I love to watch them just because of the awesome lineup they throw out each year. Like many baseball fans, I want to see all the games, not just my local RSN teams. But, thanks to E* seemingly endless reasons for not carrying channels, or getting into fights with channel operators, I can't watch my regional teams nor the best team in baseball on a package that should carry everything. I like to think Ergen is out there fighting for the consumer and is a shrewd businessman, but I think more than anything, he's just likes to posture.

The only reason I have avoided canceling E* might be surprising to some--its the Superstation package, which D* doesn't have. My family loves to tune into sitcom re-runs, and viewing tastes aside, the Superstation's have endless hours of Seinfeld, Fraser, et al. I don't know why D* doesn't have the same package, but its the only thing keeping me with Dish.

I'll give Dish a week to see if negotiations drag, but if it goes, it goes. I do think Congress can use anti-trust to force a different solution, I doubt they will, however.

 

[stuckingoo]

You won't need to wait a week.....this has to be wrapped up by tomorrow midnite.

 

[ehren]

Well I am mad at Dupuy, but if he holds cable hostage so we can get CSN-Philadelphia and COX Channel 4 padres on satellite I support him, if not MLB can screw themselves with this mess.

 

[FlyingJ]

I agree, Philly and SD need to be part of an agreement. Of course I am a Phillies fan but you all won't hold that against me.

 

[Lucky]

Well, it looks like In Demand has struck with trying to get a deal with MLB for EI. Here is the post that Comcast has made on their website :

Due to a decision by Major League Baseball, Comcast, as well as many other cable operators will not be able to distribute the 2007 MLB Extra Innings out-of-market package.

If you are a current Comcast customer and subscribed to Comcast 2006 MLB Extra Innings, you should receive correspondence from Comcast no later than April 11, 2007 with an offer to help make up for the loss of MLB Extra Innings, with an opportunity to subscribe to MLB.TV. With MLB.TV you can use your computer to view all the same games you would see on TV with MLB Extra Innings.

If you do not receive notification by April 11, 2007, please call: 1-800-631-0258, and have your Comcast account number available for 2006 MLB Extra Innings subscription verification.

If you are a current Comcast customer and have subscribed to the 2007 MLB Extra Innings package, we will refund your payment in the form of a credit to your monthly bill.

In 2007, Comcast will be providing a great selection of up to 400 national, regional and local live televised baseball games, many in high-definition. We hope the combination of the MLB.TV offer and the large live televised schedule make up for the loss of MLB Extra Innings.

Again, should you need any assistance in signing up for MLB.TV after receiving your special offer in the mail, please contact: 1-800-631-0258.

http://www.comcast.com/baseball/

I am sure Dish Network will strike out, too. MLB wants an exclusive deal with DirecTV and never had any intention of doing a deal with Dish or cable.

 

[fredfa]

...I am sure Dish Network will strike out, too. MLB wants an exclusive deal with DirecTV and never had any intention of doing a deal with Dish or cable.

It is interesting how you are so sure of that, Lucky.

IiNDemand never offered to pay up front for the package, it always offered a per sub arrangement. And it only offrered to match the DirecTV number of subs for the new Baseball Channel, even though collectively Comcast, TWC and Cox have three times the number of subscribers.

Frankly, I'd say the cable companies never planned to sign on with MLB, because if they agreed to carry The Baseball Channel, NFL fans would be all over them for generally not carrying the NFL Network.

And as the TV ratings clearly show, there are a whole lot more fans of the NFL than of MLB.

 

[Lucky]

Absolutely sure of it. MLB offered DirecTV ownership and refused to give this to Dish or cable. They want an exclusive with DirecTV and think that is their best business plan. They never had any plan to make a deal with anyone other than DirecTV. They have shown that over and over again. No matter what offer the other make or made they will turn it down.

 

[pdxsam]

The silence from Dish .. does it signal still working toward a deal? or does it just mean they're trying to save off losing a few subscribers.

The tension is palpable

 

[uhlesses]

Folks I have a feeling this is a done deal. I signed up to MLB on the internet but am not satisfied and will cancel after 1 month. Will listen to the games on my XM radio. The midget is getting ready to sing.

 

[Lucky]

Folks I have a feeling this is a done deal. I signed up to MLB on the internet but am not satisfied and will cancel after 1 month. Will listen to the games on my XM radio. The midget is getting ready to sing.

You're out of your mind. If a deal was done they would want to be shouting it out, because they would want to sign up people. The season starts tommorrow. It is not like they have time to get it done. I bet we will hear absolutely nothing from Dish until they are forced to announce they are not carrying it. It is in their best interests to keep it quiet as long as possible to try and prevent customers from switching to DirectTV.

I don't think baseball for a second had any inclination to do a deal with Dish or cable at any time. Unless they met a ridiculous king's ransom. And that will never happen.

I am going to try mlb.tv for the season, and unless it is the greatest thing I have seen I will switch to DirecTV for next season. Next year DirecTV is promising to do the whole MBLEI in HD and they are promising 100 HD channels. If they deliver on those it will be no choice, but to switch to DirecTV. For this season, I will ride it out with Dish.

 

[Robert NTSC Archivist]

I Agree if Dish Network had made a deal they would be trumpeting there horns about it and billing me for a 2006 renewal.

Sooner or later they have to say something or with a click of my remote I will order EI on my DirecTV receiver.

I am giving Charlie every chance to save it for Dish Network.

No word form DirecTV saying that there the exclusive carrier yet. . . .


So ill bet this will be a game time decision tomorrow or there going to be burning the midnight oil in New York tonight.

 

[FlyingJ]

Folks I have a feeling this is a done deal. I signed up to MLB on the internet but am not satisfied and will cancel after 1 month. Will listen to the games on my XM radio. The midget is getting ready to sing.

Boys, I think you misunderstood his words. I think he meant it was a done deal as in no, E* was not getting it!

 

[stuckingoo]

Some more late word from the Biz of Baseball:

http://www.bizofbaseball.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=954&Itemid=52

Update #4 - Confirmation of Sat. Meetings on Extra Innings
Written by Maury Brown Saturday, 31 March 2007

I had the good fortune to work closely with Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer for a column he ran yesterday on the Extra Innings deal. Within in it I mention how The Baseball Channel is a large part of MLB's long-term strategy, but beyond that, Narducci wrote:

Negotiations among MLB, Dish Network and iN Demand are continuing.
"We are trying to get everybody in," said Tim Brosnan, executive vice president of business for Major League Baseball. "That is our goal."
​

Mutichannel News also is backing Narducci's article by reporting:

Down to their last out, Major League Baseball and In Demand Friday were still trying to hammer out a last-minute deal for cable to distribute the league’s “MLB Extra Innings” out-of-market game package.
​

As further reported by Multichannel:

Meanwhile, DirecTV last week began a national marketing campaign surrounding its Extra Innings package despite uncertainty over the package’s exclusivity. The satellite company ran a full page ad in USA Today touting the package as well as a 20% discount if purchased before April 7. It was unclear at press time what other national publications the ad was scheduled to run.
​

As I've reported before, the deal was setup with a poison pill provision for iN Demand. The fact that iN Demand members Time Warner and Cox refused to put The NFL Network on the basic tier sets up a no-win situation for the cable consortium. How can iN Demand work a deal for Extra Innings without raising the hair on the neck of the 800-pound gorilla in the corner, the NFL?
Would it make good business sense for cable and DISH to be on-board? Absolutely.
LATE UPDATE: Word is coming via a source close to the situation that the midnight deadline seems flexible and that the sides are still talking. Stay tuned.

 

[Lucky]

From The NY Times, it looks like the deadline has been extended to Sunday :

Deadline Nears for TV Negotiations
By RICHARD SANDOMIR
Published: April 1, 2007

Major League Baseball continued to negotiate yesterday with cable operators and the Dish Network in an effort to persuade them to carry the Extra Innings package of out-of-market games and the fledgling MLB Channel.

M.L.B. made a seven-year, $700-million deal with DirecTV last month and told InDemand, a cable consortium consisting of Comcast, Time Warner and Cox, and Dish, DirecTV’s satellite rival, that it had until last night to match DirecTV’s contract.

Tim Brosnan, M.L.B.’s executive vice president for business, said that the deadline would expire at the end of today.

“We continue to talk,” he said, “and we wouldn’t have extended the deadline if we didn’t think we could bring everybody in.”

If a deal cannot be reached, DirecTV will carry Extra Innings exclusively. DirecTV has agreed to make the MLB Channel available to 15 million subscribers in 2009; the league and InDemand have differed over the terms of making the network available to its digital cable subscribers.

InDemand and Dish would like a stake in the channel; for being the first to agree to carry it, DirecTV owns 20 percent.

 

[Robert NTSC Archivist]

Like I said They are going to give Dish Network up till game time tomorrow to carry the package. If they do that's great. If they dont Ill be pissed and order it from my DirecTV and run a coaxial cable down stairs. . . .

MLB is giving them until 1st pitch no doubt so they cant be blamed for slamming the door 13 hours before the season actually begins. . .

 

[Slamminc11]

Like I said They are going to give Dish Network up till game time tomorrow to carry the package. If they do that's great. If they dont Ill be pissed and order it from my DirecTV and run a coaxial cable down stairs. . . .

MLB is giving them until 1st pitch no doubt so they cant be blamed for slamming the door 13 hours before the season actually begins. . .

From what has been reported, Dish is asking for the same deal as Direct is getting and MLB isn't willing to offer that. So your "pissedness" needs to be directed at MLB, not at Dish!

 

[stuckingoo]

From what has been reported, Dish is asking for the same deal as Direct is getting and MLB isn't willing to offer that. So your "pissedness" needs to be directed at MLB, not at Dish!

They might be asking for the same deal but it is possible they'll accept less. Kind of like an agent negotiating on behalf of a player and trying to get every last red cent. Of course, we have no idea what the Dish people consider acceptable.

 

[cforrest]

Amusing that they initially refused to carry the channel on the basic tier, now they will but want a stake in it. They should of just carried the damn thing from the get go and haggled over the price instead. For those E* & Cable MLBEI subs, I hope a deal is signed within the next 24 hrs.

 

[Lucky]

According to Swanni, Dish Network no longer involved in MLB Extra Innings talks :

Baseball Extends 'Extra Innings' Talks
The league continues discussing possible deal with cable TV operators.
By Phillip Swann

Washington, D.C. (April 1, 2007) -- Major League Baseball says it's still talking with cable TV operators about carrying its 'Extra Innings' package of out of market games.

That's according to a report in today's New York Times.

The deadline for reaching an agreement was scheduled to expire yesterday. But the newspaper reports that the league decided to extend it by one day based on the progress of the negotiations.

“We continue to talk,” MLB's Tim Brosnan told The Times. "And we wouldn’t have extended the deadline if we didn’t think we could bring everybody in.”

However, Sports Business Daily quotes sources as saying that a cable deal is only 50-50 at best.

MLB and DIRECTV signed an agreement this month that said the satcaster could have Extra Innings exclusively if other TV providers did not match the offer. The satcaster plans to show most of the games in High-Definition by 2008.

The major sticking point in the cable talks is believed to be MLB's insistence that operators offer its Baseball Channel in basic programming packages when it launches in 2009.

There is no evidence that satcaster EchoStar is involved in the continued negotiations.

http://www.tvpredictions.com/mlb040107.htm

 

[Robert NTSC Archivist]

Oh I am not pissed at Dish. I am just giving them the benefit of the doubt before I order it from DirecTV.

I get home from Church about 12:15. If I dont see no baseball on Dish Network by 1:00.m. eastern time I am picking up the DirecTV remote. As I dont want to miss opening day Dodgers and Angels games.