DISH Cries Foul Over DIRECTV/MLB Deal
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I think there is an excellent chance that this will decrease MLB's total viewer base.
After all, D* has already been offering MLB:EI for years. This won't be anything new there, so there is no reason to expect more of D*'s subscriber base to get it now. They may pick up some new customers that come from E* and cable to get it, I'm sure they are counting on that.
However not all past EI subs on E* and cable are going to switch to D* to get it.
Therefore it seems very likely that the total number of subs to EI will be lower under this deal than how it was handled previously.
But MLB isn't going to care because they will be getting more money than before.
After all, D* has already been offering MLB:EI for years. This won't be anything new there, so there is no reason to expect more of D*'s subscriber base to get it now. They may pick up some new customers that come from E* and cable to get it, I'm sure they are counting on that.
However not all past EI subs on E* and cable are going to switch to D* to get it.
Therefore it seems very likely that the total number of subs to EI will be lower under this deal than how it was handled previously.
But MLB isn't going to care because they will be getting more money than before.
The whole reason for D* to get this exclusive contract is so they can increase their customer base. Yes, there will be some customers that switch for the EI package but that will be mostly from cable. Most people like me that have E* are in a contract and don't want to pay $250+ to get out of that contract. For the most part the only games I watch are my locals, Angels and the Dodgers. However there are some games I like to watch such as the Tigers, and White Sox. Now I don't have a problem with exclusiveness but I don't think I should have to fully switch to be able to get the EI package. Offer me just the package +$10/mo activation fee and I'll be fine. I've got 3 D* dishes sitting in my garage right now and I also have a few old RCA receivers and a Phillips DirecTV w/ TiVo. I don't see why they can't do that. That $10/mo activation is probably more than they make on their standard packages anyways.
I read through several pages of this thread and I didn't see any mention of the special anti-trust agreement that MLB has. The NFL,NBA,NHL etc. do not have these exemptions from anti-trust laws that MLB has. I won't get into the lagalities but MLB wants to have it's cake and eat it too.
MLB has certain franchise rights etc. granted by this anti-trust agreement that othersports do not enjoy and therefore the government may not look to kindly upon this exclusive deal with D.tv. Selig is a complete scumbag and has almost wrecked MLB. He may get away with peeing on the fan's shoes but messing with Uncle Sam could be another story.
MLB has certain franchise rights etc. granted by this anti-trust agreement that othersports do not enjoy and therefore the government may not look to kindly upon this exclusive deal with D.tv. Selig is a complete scumbag and has almost wrecked MLB. He may get away with peeing on the fan's shoes but messing with Uncle Sam could be another story.
Here is the latest from Washington:
http://www.tvpredictions.com/dtvmlb022707.htm
In a nutshell:
CNN/Money says one source "familiar with the negotiations" now believes that 'Extra Innings' will be available to all TV providers.
fred
http://www.tvpredictions.com/dtvmlb022707.htm
In a nutshell:
CNN/Money says one source "familiar with the negotiations" now believes that 'Extra Innings' will be available to all TV providers.
fred
I thought this last time DirecTV still has first rights to negotiate for the NFL ST package ... Dish never had the opportunity to bid. Not so?
So where's the outrage that D* has an exclusive on the NCAA Tournament out-of-market package?
What happens will be in direct proportion to how much stink baseball fans make. Also keep in mind that senators and congressmen are older and have embraced the "baseball is our national pastime" line. They also know that baseball has an anti trust exemtion, that they can threaten to pull.
Exclusivity Sucks
EXCLUSIVITY SUCKS !!!
Go here and sign the petition!!!!!!
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/mlb-extra-innings-proposal-for-direct-tv-exclusivity.html
fred
EXCLUSIVITY SUCKS !!!
Go here and sign the petition!!!!!!
http://www.gopetition.com/petitions/mlb-extra-innings-proposal-for-direct-tv-exclusivity.html
fred
Man why do these conversations always turn into Yankee bashing.
I am extremely happy when I am sitting in Yankee stadium that most of the money I spend on tickets/beer/souveneers... are going to fund fielding the best team. Steinbrenner wants to win every game/every year. All sports teams should be lucky enough to have such an owner.
- Having the highest payroll in no guarantee that you're going to win
- Yankees do not have the highest ticket prices in baseball
- The new Yankee stadium will not be paid for with taxpayer money
- The yankees are in a big market but they have to compete for the market's entertainment spending with the Mets, Giants, Jets, Rangers, Islanders, Devils, Nets, Knicks, Broadway and other performing arts...
- The cost of living is higher in NY and yankee fans have less discresionary $$$ but they still manage to pull in 40,000+ for mid season games.
- Major league attendance in 2006 was ~76Million. The Yankees attendance is ~4.2M, tops in the league at a little under 2x the league average.
So hate the Yankees for a lot of reasons... But don't hate them because their fans are willing to pay the $$$ to see the best talent on the field and an owner who wants to win.
Because the Yankees have many players a lot of people love to hate ;-) Ok, yes that goes for players on many other teams as well and everyone has their favorite player they bash. But it goes with the Yankees have the biggest exposure.
Anyways correct me if I am wrong....
The NFL does have some anti-trust exemptions that have been tested many times over the years in the courts, usually over labor disputes . Sometimes the league won. Sometimes it lost. But in the end they were usually settled. One exception that comes to mind that wasnt was brought way back by the old USFL, which won and the NFL was found to be a monopoly. The league failed anyways.
The NFL and AFL were given an antitrust exemption to merge. It does not otherwise have an antitrust exemption. Baseball does and it is unique among the major sports in having it.
That si how the USFL could sue and win---unfortunately they were only awarded $1 which in antitrust cases is tripled---to a whopping $3. Taht was hard to divide among 8 teams.
What people seem to hate is that a few large market teams have a greater ability to spend than Milwaukee, Cincy, Pittsburgh etc and that the competition is not "fair". It si not just that the fans are willing to spend more---or even that the owner is it is the economics of the market. Few of us hate the players themselves for taking the money. As for the owner we hate him for other reasons. lol
I kind of agree. Most "hate" the team out of tradition or for revenge satisfaction. As a Cardinal fan, we usually don't have much good to say about them cubbies - not that there is usually much good to say about them anyway
. And the owners take some heat, sometimes deserved. But the players usually take heat if they defect for "that other" team. Still, I think that has been a recovering process there since the baseball strike a few years ago. It left a bad taste with fans - and hurt owners and players.What bothers me with all major league sports - the cost to the fan. I can't even seriously think about taking the family to a football game. Baseball is not nearly as bad, but is heading that way it seems. Some teams have their entire opening day taken by season ticket holders. That's good for the team balance sheet, but a lot of fans feel excluded who simply cannot afford a season ticket package when all they will go individually to see is a handfull of games each year. The popularity of the game could suffer long term if the ownership/league doesn't pay attention. They may kill their cash cow by overmilking it now.
Sorry, I don't see it that way. It's a premium product with a significant subscription price. The owner of the product is free to market how he (collectively) sees fit. It sucks, but that's the way it is.
Baseball is now primarily on RSN's with a token number of games on OTA. Before there were RSN's, OTA had more many games each year. How's it different that they were allowed to move to RSN's (IN-MARKET) but can't make the OUT OF MARKET package exclusive? It's the same principle, games were made almost entirely unavailable to OTA viewers.
This really got off subject but as long as it's already derailed throw Seattle in there too. I know that it opens a can of worms to go into that whole subject. But it hurts the sport as a whole when other teams in the same league turn into what amounts to be minor league streams of talent into a select few teams. After a while you just start to not care about the young players in your own system because you know they'll be gone so soon.
I'm not bashing the Yankees. I was a huge Yankee fan as a kid (and if I still lived there my opinion might be different). Just think a more level playing field would be healthier for the sport as a whole.
