If this is truly a case of each service provider giving MLB a fixed amount of money regardless of the number of subscribers, it looks like a losing proposition for dish based on the number of subs (reported last year). Direct and cable have much higher numbers so I don't blame Dish for passing, I would really like to have the Baseball package but for those who don't subscribe you will pay for it one way or another!!
Dish Network Statement on MLB
- Thread starter Scott Greczkowski
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MLB channel for 30 cent? That is very cheap compared with ESPN($2.96) and Disney Ch($1). I know it gonna show rerun games during all year but Dish can affor that price plus 35-40Million/ year for 7 years.
I don't know if this spat will keep the Baseball Channel off the air on E*. I'm a big baseball fan and would love the channel. 30 cents isn't bad, if that is the true price....
Devils advocate and lets see if my math is right... $100 million a year spread out over 13 million customers is $7.69 for the season. Then lets say all 13 million pays their share but also gets full access. Thats an excellent price for baseball watchers that want more than EPSN, FSN, locals and the networks already provide. E* could then decide based on precedent to spread the cost of the other sports packages as well. It all adds up rather quickly and while I would probably get EI I have no interest at all in the others.
The best compromise in my 'Joe Schmoe' opinion is the usual... E* pays a certain amount for every subscriber that buys the package that season, MLB gets their money, E* gets EI and baseball watchers get a cheap price. A good deal all around except for people that dont want it.
The best compromise in my 'Joe Schmoe' opinion is the usual... E* pays a certain amount for every subscriber that buys the package that season, MLB gets their money, E* gets EI and baseball watchers get a cheap price. A good deal all around except for people that dont want it.
I must say that this has been a brilliant ploy by a dying sport to get priceless media publicity.
I say that as someone who attended one of the most famous World Series games of all time, who has worked as an employee of an MLB club, and who has spent thousands of hours watching or listening to MLB games.
But notice how this uproar occurred precisely at the beginning of the season, helping to keep the "record books are all tainted" stories off the sports front pages...
PS
I say that as someone who attended one of the most famous World Series games of all time, who has worked as an employee of an MLB club, and who has spent thousands of hours watching or listening to MLB games.
But notice how this uproar occurred precisely at the beginning of the season, helping to keep the "record books are all tainted" stories off the sports front pages...
PS
You can bet that Charlie would love to do that, and you can bet that the MLB EI contract requires that $159 be charged to every subscriber. BTW, note that D* is charging $40 extra for some of the EI matches in HD.
On that note... and this is not a good thing... America wants more violent sports. People prefer to watch big guys try to bash each other to death to move a ball down 100 yards than watching guys hit a ball over a fence or try to catch it.
Reminds me of George Carlins skit 'Baseball vs Football" ;-)
"[SIZE=-1]Baseball has no time limit: we don't know when it's gonna end - might have extra innings.
Football is rigidly timed, and it will end even if we've got to go to sudden death."[/SIZE]
I'm not so sure. NHL (the sport most known for violence) has struggled to survive, while soccer (the sport with the least on-the-field violence - the players don't even wear any protection beyond skin guards) is growing in popularity in the US.
Okay not everything is in ala carte, But if you want just locals and nothing else, YES. IF you want Encore or any other premium movie pack and nothing else .YES. If you just OUtdoor channel ,YES. The superstations by themselves, YES.
Not everything is in true ala carte, but my point is DISH is willing to sell you somethings without requring a basic programming pack. DIrectv is not willing to do so and you would have to buy the family pack for 29.99 just to have access to the premium sports packs like MLB or NFL Sunday ticket. They used to allow you to have just the sports packs by themselves and nothing else. But no more. IF they wanted to make extra money and not just gain more subs initially, they could still offer a deal for access to these sports packs without requiring a basic programming pack or a 2 year commitment . They could even reach out to DISH Subs and say we will offer you a free installation deal for a basic hd receiver just so you could get access to the MLB or NFL etc.
This way most DISH subs could easily get access to the sports and not have to choose between both Dish or Directv to get them. Most people would probably like this deal and it would allow people to have their cake and eat it too. I imagine a lot of Dish subs might want to just go ahead and switch over to Directv if DIrectv offered a good deal to upgrade after the sports pack is over for the season.
Think of it as a way to get people to eventually switch to Directv if they allowed DISH subs to have access to their Directv hd receiver and Dish and they might actually offer them their hd locals for free for as long as they have the sports packs, as a way to get subs to want to switch. THis could be a great chance to really market to new potential subs and get them to switch to Directv. Just think how many people don't have hd locals through DISH and would jump at the chance to get them from Directv.
I would think that then they could call up Directv after the sports pack ends and say I want to upgrade to a better hd dvr receiver and a programming pack. And then if they do , they would then commit to a 18 months contract . Any new customer deals at the time would apply and they could take advantage of them at the time their commitment is made.
Seems like a WIN /WIN situation for sat subs of both companies and for Directv to gain more revenue and the potential to gain more subs who might switch eventually for hd locals and for one sat service instead of two.
THINK ABOUT THIS DIRECTV.
Maybe Dish is trying to add all the RSNs it can so that way it has access to the most games possible on top of trying to get as sweet a deal for themselves as possible?
Now that they have added MASN, they have access to every feed except the Yankees/YES, Phillies/CSN, Padres/4SD, and Blue Jays/RSN/TSN.
Now that they have added MASN, they have access to every feed except the Yankees/YES, Phillies/CSN, Padres/4SD, and Blue Jays/RSN/TSN.
Funny thing is as I was watching the California Angels and the Oakland A's on DirecTV last night one thing that actually surprised me was that on every commercial break between innings there was a DirecTV plug for MLB EI, NHL CI and NBA LP. When the clock struck 1:00 a.m. eastern I switched over to Dish for the end of the game in teh Angels Live post game slot and all I see are promos for movie channels and PPV movies
Dish needs to advertise to get more sports subs
Dish needs to advertise to get more sports subs
i just called Dish and the CSR stated as far as he knew Direct didn't have the service on either! Jeezy peezy how can they be giving out such disimformation!
I don't have a contract (reason i called)-so i guess i'll call direct and see what i can do as far as getting their service.
I don't have a contract (reason i called)-so i guess i'll call direct and see what i can do as far as getting their service.
I dont have a contract with Dish or Directv but if I am a receiver with DirecTV it will tie me into a contract that I dont want. If I could buy a receiver I would.
I have no plans to cut Dish at the moment though just possible reduce there programing to send a message. Over all the past 89 years I have been very satisfied with Dish until now and I want to give them a chance to make it right before I bail on them for grass that may not be greener in the long run
I have no plans to cut Dish at the moment though just possible reduce there programing to send a message. Over all the past 89 years I have been very satisfied with Dish until now and I want to give them a chance to make it right before I bail on them for grass that may not be greener in the long run
Added 'em all to my favorites yesterday.....and there's a whole lotta nothing going on. Right now there is one basketball game on....of course that is blacked out.
You're forgetting something. Sunday Ticket has always been a "loss leader" for DirecTV. They don't make any money off Sunday Ticket. At most in the later years of a contract they might break even. They make their money on the *monthly subscriptions*. Having Sunday Ticket and so forth is to get people to sub to a monthly package. If they had MLB EI alacarte it would do them no good to their long term bottom line.
At least that is their plan and it's obviously been working for many years as they keep growing their subs.
The whole point of EI is to get out of market games. The RSN's don't do anyone that wants out of market games any good.
I hesitated and hesitated to signup for Premium MLB.TV after hearing so many complaints from those that had subscribed, but when opening day arrived, and Dish left all it's loyal MLB Extra Inning subs without any hope, I toook the plunge and signed up for the monthly subscription at $19.95/month (and a 5 day free trial to boot in case it was really as bad as some users said). Well, any of you who are still hesitating, don't wait any longer. It's very watchable, with an occassional rebuffer maybe once an hour for a second or two, the PQ at 700 kbps is much better than I had expected, and the Mosaic feature showing 6 games at once, is an added feauture of interest, although it wasn't working to well until today, when it worked perfectly for me. And to make it even better, I'm saving approximately $40 over the cost of the MLB Extra Innings package when it was on Dish,----so, all in all, I couldn't be happier.
Talking about "beauty in the eye of the beholder" , yikes I thought it was god awful! Yes better than the non premium model, but no, not goona sit in front of the pc or laptop and watch that, even for free.
Just ordered MLB EI from DirecTV
Well I waited thew the free preview and I gave Dish Network every chance but with 5 minutes to go till opening day at Dodger Stadium I have ordered MLB EI from DirecTV.
Well its a pain but I will run the coaxial cable from a DirecTV receiver down to my big TV until I break down and decide whether to add a third DirecTV receiver.
Thanks for nothing Dish Network if your reading this you have blown it with me.
Well I waited thew the free preview and I gave Dish Network every chance but with 5 minutes to go till opening day at Dodger Stadium I have ordered MLB EI from DirecTV.
Well its a pain but I will run the coaxial cable from a DirecTV receiver down to my big TV until I break down and decide whether to add a third DirecTV receiver.
Thanks for nothing Dish Network if your reading this you have blown it with me.
