MLB has been negotiating exclusive broadcast deals with streaming services, arrangements that will leave fans who do not spend additional money for the particular services (in addition to the annual MLBTV charge or month cable costs) with no option to watch.
It's impossible to argue that these decisions are anything but a money-by MLB grab with zero benefit to fans.
AppleTV+ ($4.99 per month) will broadcast two games each week as part of a "Friday Night Baseball" double-header. The five-year deal will reportedly pay MLB $425 million ($85 million per year).
If the proposed deal with NBCUniversal goes through, Peacock would show 18 games, on Monday and Wednesday nights. Another report states Peacock is finalizing a deal for exclusive rights to stream Sunday games.
While Peacock Premium is free for Comcast subscribers everyone else will pay $4.99 per month or $9.99 per month for Peacock Premium Plus "without most ads". Cool. Paying $10 per month won't get rid of commercials and Peacock's definition of "most" is likely extremely elastic.
Oh Good Lord.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind paying for the MLB package. It beats the old days trying to get score updates every 20 minutes on a Buffalo sports channel. But I hate:
i) The insane blackout rules. So a cable channel that I don't have shows like 3 Indian games a year and I can get zero Indian games, even when they're playing the Sox. Same for the Pirates. And if the Sox are playing the Evil Empire I'm stuck with the Yankee broadcast.
ii) Every time I switch to the radio version I have to wade through 30 seconds of commercials. Even if its in the middle of an at bat and even though I pay for this.
Now I'll miss more games for this idiotic reason. Bah