DirecTV May Move For Major League Baseball

[rayburn45]

Little noticed story at year's end says DirecTV (NYSE: DTV - News) wants to do for baseball what it's done for the NFL: wrap up exclusive rights.
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Sports Business Journal reported MLB is "in advanced negotiations" for DTV to carry "Extra Innings," MLB's package of out-of-market games. The deal would be "a huge blow to the cable industry," Sports Business Journal said, not to mention that it would also hurt Echostar's (NASDAQ: DISH - News) subscription business. SBJ said Extra Innings growth has stalled at about 750,000 subs via cable.

One reason to believe this story is that Sports Business Journal's latest cover story. It's a profile of Bud Selig, MLB's commissioner. You'd expect that this DirecTV came out of research on the story, either from the Commish himself, or people talking about Selig's management.

An exclusive deal for MLB games not on ESPN or other broadcast/cable networks would be a good move for DirecTV. New subscribers are hard to find. One good way to bolster the rolls is to grab market share, and baseball would be likely to lure some Dish customers.


http://biz.yahoo.com/seekingalpha/070103/23393_id.html?.v=1

 

[JeremyL]

That would really suck! I bought MLB Extra Innings for the first time last year, and I loved it.

It's just one more way MLB is showing open hostility towards it's fans.

 

[Tom Bombadil]

I don't think that limiting availability of baseball games is a good move for MLB. Although perhaps they've decided the monetary gains are worth it.

 

[Clancy]

MLB should look long term and not short term before they give exclusive broadcast rights to anyone.
The NFL in my opinion have overlooked some potential 13 million subscribers times how many people per household that may have watched NFL football if it was available just from Dish Network alone.
I know that not every Dish sub. would purchase NFL if available but the goal of the NFL should be to sell your product to as many people as possible today and also to the young people who will be tomorrows ticket and subscription buyers.
Going for the big bucks and fewest viewers as the NFL is doing today, will most surely hurt them in the long term. History has shown this many times.

I think MLB have some smart owners who can see the writing on the wall.
If they make the same mistake as the NFL, then consider paying around $100. Canadian for either football or baseball packages on a Canadian satellite system.
Then when you are visiting your Canadian cabin you have sports coming out your ---.

 

[dishcomm]

Little noticed story at year's end says DirecTV (NYSE: DTV - News) wants to do for baseball what it's done for the NFL: wrap up exclusive rights.
ADVERTISEMENT


Sports Business Journal reported MLB is "in advanced negotiations" for DTV to carry "Extra Innings," MLB's package of out-of-market games. The deal would be "a huge blow to the cable industry," Sports Business Journal said, not to mention that it would also hurt Echostar's (NASDAQ: DISH - News) subscription business. SBJ said Extra Innings growth has stalled at about 750,000 subs via cable.

One reason to believe this story is that Sports Business Journal's latest cover story. It's a profile of Bud Selig, MLB's commissioner. You'd expect that this DirecTV came out of research on the story, either from the Commish himself, or people talking about Selig's management.

An exclusive deal for MLB games not on ESPN or other broadcast/cable networks would be a good move for DirecTV. New subscribers are hard to find. One good way to bolster the rolls is to grab market share, and baseball would be likely to lure some Dish customers.


http://biz.yahoo.com/seekingalpha/070103/23393_id.html?.v=1

The problem MLB has with buys of EI isn't a lack of interest..The problem is all the blackouts. MLB team territories are geogrphically enormous...For Example...I live near Charlotte ,NC..The closest team in driving time is 4 hrs..Atlanta....However I am in three other team's markets..Orioles, Nationals and Reds...DC is a 7 hr drive from here yet their games are blacked out on EI. Cincy and Balt are at least 400 miles from here... Virtually none of the above mentioned team's games are available locally. Ridiculous....That is the sole reason why I do not buy EI.. If the territories were more reasonable and limited to say a two hr drive form the team's stadium I could deal with that. And far more people would sub to EI .MLB has their head parked right on the old Hershey Highway on this territorial blackout thing..
My contention is this, If the games are blacked out on a Out of Market package , the local braodcaster in the effected area should be required per the team's local contract of course, to televise the game..Such is not the case.
If they want to go to DTV for exclusive carriage, let them..I just saved $199...

 

[BobMurdoch]

Hopefully, this may get Congress to step up and ban exclusives.....

 

[Kaydigi]

The problem MLB has with buys of EI isn't a lack of interest..The problem is all the blackouts. MLB team territories are geogrphically enormous...For Example...I live near Charlotte ,NC..The closest team in driving time is 4 hrs..Atlanta....However I am in three other team's markets..Orioles, Nationals and Reds...DC is a 7 hr drive from here yet their games are blacked out on EI. Cincy and Balt are at least 400 miles from here... Virtually none of the above mentioned team's games are available locally. Ridiculous....That is the sole reason why I do not buy EI.. If the territories were more reasonable and limited to say a two hr drive form the team's stadium I could deal with that. And far more people would sub to EI .MLB has their head parked right on the old Hershey Highway on this territorial blackout thing..
My contention is this, If the games are blacked out on a Out of Market package , the local braodcaster in the effected area should be required per the team's local contract of course, to televise the game..Such is not the case.
If they want to go to DTV for exclusive carriage, let them..I just saved $199...

Same here, can't watch any Nationals games here in Richmond, VA. It's hard to justify the $200 price tag to watch the METS also when 15-19 games against the Nats are blacked out.

Dish doesn't carry MASN so I am SOL.

 

[PowerMax]

Professional baseball still exists?

 

[Slamminc11]

Professional baseball still exists?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

 

[bruin95]

The problem MLB has with buys of EI isn't a lack of interest..The problem is all the blackouts. MLB team territories are geogrphically enormous...For Example...I live near Charlotte ,NC..The closest team in driving time is 4 hrs..Atlanta....However I am in three other team's markets..Orioles, Nationals and Reds...DC is a 7 hr drive from here yet their games are blacked out on EI. Cincy and Balt are at least 400 miles from here... Virtually none of the above mentioned team's games are available locally. Ridiculous....That is the sole reason why I do not buy EI.. If the territories were more reasonable and limited to say a two hr drive form the team's stadium I could deal with that. And far more people would sub to EI .MLB has their head parked right on the old Hershey Highway on this territorial blackout thing..
My contention is this, If the games are blacked out on a Out of Market package , the local braodcaster in the effected area should be required per the team's local contract of course, to televise the game..Such is not the case.
If they want to go to DTV for exclusive carriage, let them..I just saved $199...

I live in Las Vegas. No MLB team within 300 miles, yet we get blacked out of 6, yes 6 team's games!! On most nights, we have less than half the games on the EI package available to us. Just pathetic.

 

[JeremyL]

I live in Springfield, IL. I'm a Braves fan and my wife is a Cardinals fan. MLB EI works great for me, but it's crap for my wife. We're about 90 miles from St. Louis and 200 from Chicago. We're caught in the middle of both city's territory. Dish carries Comcast Sports from Chicago (I believe - never watch the thing), but all the Cubs and White Sox games are blacked out because MLB says we're in the Cardinals territory. The funny thing is, all the Cardinal games on MLB EI are blacked out, too.

 

[jrbdmb]

Go ahead MLB, go back to exclusive. You'll find out that you're not the NFL, and only a few subs will switch to DirecTV for your product (I certainly won't).

If I'm feeling *really* charitable I'll consider mlb.tv this year if MLB EI goes exclusive again.

 

[BobMurdoch]

I still don't understand why they can't treat this like Satellite Radio. If you're paying $180 for a subscription, give them ALL the channels and pitch the whole blackout provision entirely.

Hell, charge an extra $50 for it and call it Gold Season Pass. I want to watch my Mets from my office and I can't, since there is no cable TV hookup here and mlb.tv blacks it out. Occasionally the blackout checker messes up and I can see a game, but it is rare...

I don't mind ponying up a little extra to see the games I want but they keep making it so difficult.

 

[IceRunner]

This could make it easier for me. I got Extra Innings last season and was debating whether to get it next season.