It's Official : Extra Innings Package and 24-Hour Channel Headed Exclusively to Direc

[JohnH]

Of course this is NOT officail yet.

Yeah, but it will cost the consumer either way.

If MLB was willing to talk about an exclusive, why would they not think $700 million was a fair price?

 

[Lucky]

Of course this is NOT officail yet.

The NY Times is not wrong very often. I think it is unofficial "official" if you know what I mean.

With DirecTV about to pass Dish in HD come September and my cherished MLB Extra Innings now only on DirecTV it will probably be time for me to move to DirecTV in time for the baseball season. I really like Dish, but the MLB package plus extra HD will just be too much to pass up.

 

[IceRunner]

I don't suppose something like this would allow you to get out of a one-year commitment?

 

[lakebum431]

Nope

 

[Slamminc11]

The NY Times is not wrong very often. I think it is unofficial "official" if you know what I mean.

With DirecTV about to pass Dish in HD come September and my cherished MLB Extra Innings now only on DirecTV it will probably be time for me to move to DirecTV in time for the baseball season. I really like Dish, but the MLB package plus extra HD will just be too much to pass up.

Let's see, EI moving is just a rumor (at this point) and didn't Direct say the same thing last year about HD? And let's face it, there aren't that many channels out there with HD programming. We are talking about a company that can't get the DVR's to work properly!
I say you hurry and get signed up with them today!

 

[Slamminc11]

I don't suppose something like this would allow you to get out of a one-year commitment?

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

 

[GadgetGirl]

Somehow this isn't right. MLB has to realize that many who are watching this on cable can't get satellite TV so they are hurting those fans. I subscribe to E* and hate to make any switches to D*, but I am a big baseball fan and this may force me to D*. I hope someone can find a way to block this agreement.

 

[Cyclone]

I have never paid for MLB:EI on Dish in my 7years. Good move by Dish for not being blackmailed into paying more than they would take in. More Transponders for me.

 

[Juan]

I wonder what happens when d* subs realize the new price will be 200 or more!!

 

[IceRunner]

The frustrating part is that my one-year commitment ends EXACTLY when the MLB regular season ends. Argh.

 

[JohnH]

I have never paid for MLB:EI on Dish in my 7years. Good move by Dish for not being blackmailed into paying more than they would take in. More Transponders for me.

Since MLB Extra Innings has not used any additional Transponders you don't get any more.

 

[leegart]

What About RSN's in HD?

More DISH subscribers will benefit from RSN's in HD than from MLB EI. When are we getting our LOCAL sports in HD without shelling out the big bucks for an additional subscription for out of town games?

 

[mikew]

Dish didn't have MLB EI for several years. Many die-hard satellite/MLB/YES fans went with D* long ago. There may be some churn from Dish, but I think the bigger hit will be on the cable subs.

I just hope with the price they paid, they'll be able to offer far more OTA and HD games this year. If they do, a Sunday Ticket price for MLB will be worthwhile. If it's the same package as last year, the price had better remain the same.

 

[IceRunner]

Has anybody tried the broadband version of Extra Innings?

 

[PeggyD]

Has anybody tried the broadband version of Extra Innings?

If you mean the MLB TV on your computer, yes. And I won't be renewing this year even if Dish doesn't carry EI anymore.

MLB changes the requirements every year. This last year it was only Windows Media. I rarely could get it & never get it to play full screen as I could with Real. They never did update what browsers & players, etc. you needed on their help pages.

 

[fz5j2r]

The NY Times is not wrong very often. I think it is unofficial "official" if you know what I mean.

With DirecTV about to pass Dish in HD come September and my cherished MLB Extra Innings now only on DirecTV it will probably be time for me to move to DirecTV in time for the baseball season. I really like Dish, but the MLB package plus extra HD will just be too much to pass up.

I ordered another 622 just to tape all the MLB games from the Extra Innings package for my wife who has become a rabid baseball fan. What a waste.

I intend to dump half of my Dish equipment and reduce Dish programming significantly.

In order to get Extra Innings, Fox Sports in HD, my locals in HD, and Courtv, I will get a barebones package from Directv.

Kind of a complicated way to get the programming we want but looks to be the only alternative.

It should only add another 4 remotes, bringing my total to 18!!!

 

[leo250]

Has anybody tried the broadband version of Extra Innings?

I have for the last three years. The price was 79.95 and yes the picture quality is not that of satellite. However, I have really enjoyed watching games on the computer (the mosaic added last year was great).
As far as D* getting the MLB EI package...what would happen with this package if E*and D* would merge, besides creating ED* TV? Would E* then be able to get the MLB EI package and even the Sunday ticket? I am perplexed and bewildered that D* thinks they can make money on this situation.

 

[dishcomm]

January 20, 2007
Baseball Roundup
Extra Innings Package and 24-Hour Channel Headed Exclusively to DirecTV
By RICHARD SANDOMIR
Major League Baseball is close to announcing a deal that will place its Extra Innings package of out-of-market games exclusively on DirecTV, which will also become the only carrier of a long-planned 24-hour baseball channel.

Extra Innings has been available to 75 million cable households and the two satellite services, DirecTV and the Dish Network. But the new agreement will take it off cable and Dish because DirecTV has agreed to pay $700 million over seven years, according to three executives briefed on the details of the contract but not authorized to speak about them publicly.

InDemand, which has distributed Extra Innings to the cable television industry since 2002, made an estimated $70 million bid to renew its rights, more than triple what it has been paying. Part of its offer included the right to carry the new baseball channel, but not exclusively.

The baseball channel is scheduled to start in 2009.

M.L.B., DirecTV and InDemand officials declined to comment.

DirecTV is also the exclusive outlet for the N.F.L.’s Sunday Ticket package, for which it pays $700 million annually. Sunday Ticket has about 2 million subscribers; Extra Innings about 750,000, according to The Sports Business Journal.

Extra Innings lets subscribers, for a fee, watch about 60 games a week from other local markets except their own.

The only other way that fans without DirecTV will be able to see Extra Innings will be on MLB.com’s mlb.tv service, but they must have high-speed broadband service. About 28 million homes have high-speed service, less than half the number of cable homes in the country. The picture quality of streamed games is not as good as what is available on cable or satellite.

DirecTV is available to about 15 million subscribers.

Last month, Senator Arlen Specter, Republican of Pennsylvania, who was then the head of the Senate Judiciary Committee, cited DirecTV’s exclusivity with Sunday Ticket as a reason to strip the N.F.L. of an antitrust exemption to negotiate all TV contracts for its teams. Comcast, which has complained that it cannot carry Sunday Ticket, is a Philadelphia-based company.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/20/sports/baseball/20base.html?_r=1&ref=baseball&oref=slogin

EI is useless to me as I reside within the territories of 4 MLB teams..BTW none of which is less than a 4 hr drive away..So DTV can take the EI pack and wipe their ass with it..
MLB is thinking that exclusivirty is goigjn to solve the problem of the low buy rate....They are off base....The reason why the buy rate sucks is because of all the blackouts...So be it...Who cares....

 

[dishcomm]

The stupidity of MLB contiues to rear its ugly head. First they give up on day playoff baseball because they make more $$$ during the higher demos at night which in turn has deprived a whole generation from growing up from it. They also get rid of Twi-night doubleheaders and doubleheaders in general which has the same affect. They refuse to implement a real salary cap where my Milwaukee Brewers can compete in the same sense as the Green Bay Packers compete in the NFl financially. They drag their feet on drug enforcement policies of consequence. And now they want to limit their market of EI to just D*? How dumb are they?

MLB is getting ready to implode..I love baseball... I hate the way teh MAjor leagues are running the game...I know people that are ten to 15 years younger than me that could nt vare less about baseball..They all come from major league cities..They have no interest in the game becuase they were the first generation of youth that baseball said F-YOU and put all the playoff and World Series games at 8:30 pm start times...My kid is 15 and he knows how much I like baseball..He is disintersted....Shame...

 

[dishcomm]

Yes I realize that it isn't a court decision. I just wanted to know if Dish Network and the cable companies had any chance in fighting this? The customer is getting screwed in the end.

How is the customer getting screwed?...If you want EI, you know where to go get it..Where's the problem?