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'MLB.com At Bat' Now Offering In-App Game Purchasing
- Thread starter Michael CM1
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+1
I really do hope by next year that MLB or whomever can work out a deal with cable service providers to provide in-market games. It's still a rather new technology but I think there's a large enough demand and current customer-base to take this next step. I already have a MLB.tv subscription b/c I'm a baseball nut and overall service quality has improved greatly on a year-to-year basis.
I wouldn't mind having to sit through streaming commercials on my iPhone in between innings if I can watch whichever games I want.
Ditto. The point of blackout restrictions was so that you'd be forced to watch the local affiliate and their commercials so they can get the advertising revenue. Okay, I can understand that point I suppose...The local NBC affiliate in St. Louis has all rights to Sunday Cardinals games, and ESPN has rights to night Sunday games, so when the Cardinals play Sunday night, in STL, it's broadcast on both NBC and ESPN, and blacked out on ESPN. The NBC affiliate probably paid good money for the exclusive rights to that game and I can understand that they want the advertising revenue from St. Louis based viewers while ESPN gets it from the rest of the country. And I don't complain because I prefer the Cardinals' play by play commentators to ESPN's.
But, with all the new media such as computers and phones, it's a moot point. If I'm watching a game on my tiny iPhone screen, it's not because I want to give a big FU to the local affiliate and screw them out of ratings and ad revenue, it's because it's my last resort. I'd much rather be at home, watching it on my big HDTV with surround sound...I don't want to watch it on the iPhone by choice. I'm not going to be able to watch the local affiliate broadcast anyways, so what's the harm in letting me watch it on my iPhone?
If MLB isn't going to do away with blackout restrictions completely, I'd settle for blackouts only applying to actual TV (broadcast, cable, satellite, etc) and no blackouts on internet viewing.
Maybe for baseball, but I always thought for the NFL the point was to make people buy tickets for the games, which is why games are blacked out if they aren't sold out.
^I'm sorry, but that's just an absolutely ridiculous rule (it's true though).
How can that even be any sort of legal?
How can that even be any sort of legal?
blackouts
I live in New Orleans, where I have blackout restrictions that don't allow me to watch Texas Rangers games, and yet these games are not carried on Cox Cable in New Orleans.
I live in New Orleans, where I have blackout restrictions that don't allow me to watch Texas Rangers games, and yet these games are not carried on Cox Cable in New Orleans.
Yes, those are for baseball, the NFL's reasoning for blackouts is even dumber.
NHL's blackout rules and reasoning is almost identical to MLB, I'm not sure what NBA is.
Which one, MLB or NFL?
NFL. Heck, might as well consider all 4 of them.
I get the purpose of blackout, but in the internet era/age they have become practically obsolete. Stream it and show the damn commercials. Everyone wins.
Yeah, all of them are bad, but NFL is the worst.
I agree. Like I said, if they want to black out on cable and satellite, fine. Most people prefer the local broadcast anyways. But for internet streaming, just show the damn game. No one is watching the game on their small phone or computer screen by choice.
The blackout rules blow. Here in Japan, ALL live broadcasts are blacked out on mlb.tv. We can't watch the games until the day after they are played!
Bud $elig and his crew are all about greed. They only care about the fans' wallets.
You'd think if that were the case they would open things up so that MORE fans could buy things they are willing to buy.
MLB lifted the blackout rules on Japan in July. There are no longer any blackouts on MLB.TV in Japan for the first time since MLB.TV started in 2003. Blackout of all live games does still exist in South Korea, however.
I think there's light at the end of the tunnel when it comes to blackout restrictions. Here in NY, the Yankees have made deals with *some* local TV providers to let us *local* games online, streaming. It some $40 a year EXTRA and you need to prove that you are subscribed to receive Yankee games through your cable provider. So it's basically an additional charge from your cable company to also view them online. Not worth it at the moment and I can't imagine someone actually opting for it, but I think it's interesting in the discussion of blackout restrictions and how they may be slowly, but surely, going away.
Here are some links:
http://wwwyankees-on-yes-in-market-...mlb/subscriptions/inmarket/index.jsp?c_id=nyy
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/07/sports/baseball/07mlbtv.html
Here are some links:
http://wwwyankees-on-yes-in-market-...mlb/subscriptions/inmarket/index.jsp?c_id=nyy
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/07/sports/baseball/07mlbtv.html