OT: Cable, Streaming and the Future of sports TV

[andyb]

I think most of the streaming services have cut back on their quality to handle the load. It feels a bit slower at times to me, though that is always the tradeoff when you tax infrastructure. At least they are going to waive the overage fees. I live in a neighborhood with only one broadband option in Comcast, so there are limits to what it can handle (and of course few incentives to improve without competition). No 5G yet where I live which could change things.

[Jeff05]

We've recently renewed our subscription to The Great Courses Plus. Might be time to rewatch Professor Dorsey Armstrong's excellent The Black Death: The World's Most Devastating Plague.

[el-pietro]

Disney + is finally available here tomorrow. I'm sure most people have already caught up on the Mandalorian through less than legal means but for those who haven't its finally available. Of course they are still going to make us watch it weekly. Two episodes available on launch and the rest dropping weekly.

[zambonir]

I still haven't finished watching it even after it all came out. It'll go down nice in the coming weeks.

[zambonir]

MLB.TV details now out. Apparently not as good a deal if you want to buy a new subscription: $59.99, or 49.99 for a single team. My concern/question is about national broadcasts. I assume there will be more of them, and certainly however many there are will be a much higher % of blacked out games compared to a 162-game season.

We have updated the price of your 2020 MLB.TV Yearly subscription to reflect the 2020 60-Game MLB Schedule. Your updated 2020 MLB.TV Yearly subscription price will be $45.18, a difference of $76.81 from your original price of $121.99. As a subscriber, you have the option to receive $76.81 as either a credit toward your 2021 subscription or as a 2020 partial refund. Subscribers are eligible to request a partial refund for their 2020 season subscription until August 31, 2020.

Still auto-renews on March 1 2021 regardless. I would not say I'm currently confident that we'll be watching normal spring training or Opening Day for next season either.

[Lawman]

Will they be doing radio play by play?

[zambonir]

Good question. I imagine they will be. There was talk of road announcers not actually travelling to games but given they are allowing media, filling a few extra, segregated broadcast booths doesn't seem like a huge risk.

[andyb]

Will only mean a handful of additional Phillies games, but I imagine that there will be a number of make-good national games for the networks. MLB Network always shows a game a day but I imagine ESPN, FS1, and TBS will get more national slots for the games they missed. Probably a couple a day on ESPN+ as well.

Right now we are only on the national schedule for 4 games, but I think much of this is TBD. The TV schedule so far:

How to Watch The Philadelphia Phillies Live Without Cable in 2020

[zambonir]

MLB Network broadcasts are usually still available on MLB.TV (as well as on local television in the two teams' markets), ESPN+ would be a much bigger question. Still, if there's only four now it probably won't be more than 10. ESPN also has a lot of MLS and NBA to show (and Fox has soccer too).

I mean, if I only watch 20 games I've gotten my $45 worth. If I didn't already have it I probably wouldn't buy it for 60 up front, especially since I do have ESPN +. Would just wait to see how the TV schedule plays out. And once the season is underway there will inevitably be a partial-season offer.

[andyb]

I'll probably skip the MLB package and watch my 2 national games a week. Then decide whether I want to add it for $20 for the homestretch if the Phillies are in contention. I get the Nats and O's games too, at least in bars or at various friends' houses since MASN refuses to allow streaming.

[zambonir]

Bars? Friend's houses?

I'm not sure I even have a local baseball team to watch (the Mariners' RSN is not in my cord-cutting package, even though it has the same owner). Since I already paid, I'm keeping it. Also still assuming there is a chance the season isn't completed and they'll end up having to refund or roll over this year's $ (or part of it) too.

[andyb]

Bars?

I have some outdoor options. And one can dream of normalcy.

[el-pietro]

Effectively Wild interviewed a radio announcer for the Diamondbacks recently. He said that for road games if they decide to travel they have to organise their travel and accommodation themselves and can't stay with or near the team and if I recall correctly that they would likely do all radio broadcast from home as a result.

Effectively Wild Episode 1557: No Appearing in the Press Box

[zambonir]

Oh yeah, didn't think of that. They'd basically be media.

I assume very few writers will be travelling to road games either, seems like neither the risk nor the expense will be worth it when you can't really do any reporting before or after the game. Plus press box space will be limited because of distancing.

[andyb]

I imagine clubs will set up a few Zoom interview booths in every locker room or hotel. Not quite the same but it is the reality we are in.

[zambonir]

For sure. I mean, I think they are already doing that, though it could also just be phoners. There has certainly not been any lack of daily press coverage or player availability. But if you're just sitting there watching the game from the press box, with no clubhouse access and no atmophere, and then just "attending" a postgame press conference on your laptop, the travel is not really worth the time and money and risk, especially as media organizations deal with their own financial struggles. Will be interesting to see what outlets do for the NHL and NBA.

[tom81]

Any ideas how I can watch this weekend games vs the Marlins? MLB gameday says the games are on NBCSP.

Marlins vs. Phillies | 07/24/20

My Xfinity site doesn't have the games listed. https://www.xfinity.com/stream/listings

I called Comcast and they said that the Marlins own the broadcast rights and are not providing it to my local Comcast station, Lambertville. MLB blacks out the Phillies for me because they are the local team.

Help!!!

[andyb]

If the game is blacked out you are probably out of luck. Does not matter who is broadcasting if it is a local telecast only.

Now MLB.com will have the game as part of the MLB package. Comcast is also wrong about the broadcast rights. Both the Marlins and Phillies have rights to the game. The one difference this year is that they will share camera crews and tech. The home team will provide the video and audio to both sets of broadcasters with the away broadcasting team likely sitting in their home studio to broadcast the game.

Nothing has changed regarding rights to games and blackouts though. If you were blacked out of Philly last year on the MLB package you will be this year. But if you have access to NBC Sports Philly on your cable and streaming package you should see the game.

[tom81]

I have access to NBC Sports Philly on my cable but my listing shows other programming scheduled for those time slots.

[andyb]

That guide is probably wrong. The game (and entire series) is definitely on NBC Sports Philly.