Sports Media

andyb 2022-06-14 21:14:17 UTC #421

Jason Benetti, Ahmed Fareed, Analysts TBA

Looks like there is a pregame show at 11:30.

zambonir 2022-06-16 15:48:51 UTC #422

Doesn't bode well (less because of the specific policy as the general trend towards becoming less unique, and also the suggestion of budget cuts, though that's also not surprising).

andyb 2022-06-16 16:37:53 UTC #423

Yeah. I think the criticism of the new policy is a little overblown given that any publication should adhere to media rules on objectivity. It does not look like they are silencing critics, especially in pieces that are more opinion columns. I do admit they don't really make a distinction between news and opinion, probably because they are heavy on analysis and most analysis columns do have non-political opinion in it.

David Aldridge wrote a pretty tough column about the Commanders' defensive coordinator last week that was clearly political, so they do allow opinions still.

Budget cuts will be more concerning. It really feels like they lose money on local coverage and make money on national coverage. I liked the mix of the beat writer and the national pieces as we saw the weakness in coverage when Gelb was out.

zambonir 2022-06-16 18:02:31 UTC #424

I don't know that I agree, especially when it comes to social media, but that is more or less O/T.

We've obviously seen the budget cuts already, including the unwillingness to pick up a stringer for Gelb, and before that, going from 2 writers to 1 (I remember when it was 3!). Some unfilled positions there right now too.

I'm assuming (hoping, even) that it will be bundled with NYT which will keep me but if it's not may have to rethink next time around. Though their national college football writers are more than half the value for me.

andyb 2022-06-18 13:11:14 UTC #425

Shaky start for direct RSNs. No surprise. Minor tech issues on supporting devices is the least of their worries. It is the $30 a month that is a problem. There just are not enough people willing to pay it I assume. And even if they did get enough subscriber revenue, there is the simple problem of fewer people watching the games.

MLB needs a national in-market streaming plan badly. It also needs to be close to the price of the current MLB.TV package. Maybe $20-$30 more but that is it. They still can give the in-market teams a larger share of the in-market revenue, but the downside of fewer people watching baseball if everyone is forced into a $30 a month plan is very real.

Baseball needs to think long term and not short term in solving this problem.

zambonir 2022-06-18 16:45:35 UTC #426

Manfred did and didn't address this recently. His comments don't seem to be accurate really? Like, if MLB has all the digital rights they should be able to just do it, without blackouts or RSN involvement. Unable, or unwilling?

“Local media was a big topic of conversation, it’s not a revenue issue for us right now,” Manfred said. “Our local media revenue continues to be strong. We are concerned about our reach. We think that we have fans who want to watch baseball who don’t feel they have an adequate opportunity to do that. There’s a strong sense among ownership that an undertaking we’re referring to as ‘MLB Media’ should step into the digital space in particular to provide fans with greater and more flexible opportunities to watch games. We believe that Major League Baseball is uniquely situated to be successful in that undertaking.

“Unlike any other entity, we have access to all of the digital rights, and let’s not forget we do have the technology chops to stream 2,430 games, given that we’ve been doing it since 2000. … It’s about giving fans that may be outside the traditional cable bundle adequate opportunity to see our games.”

andyb 2022-06-18 17:01:44 UTC #427

That is why I would suggest that at least for 10-20 years a portion of the fees (50%) from subscribers in a media market that included in-market rights would go to that team. So the Phillies would get 50% of the fees for people that subscribe in their own market. Since franchise values and the cost of existing contracts are dependent on market size, the big market teams would not allow a national plan unless they got a big cut of it in their market.

zambonir 2022-06-18 17:24:04 UTC #428

But I don't think it's the teams that are the issue - it's the RSNs that have already paid them (though in the Phillies' case they also own part of the RSN). And the national broadcasters as well. Plus the way things are going a lot of the national inventory will probably end up being on streamers you have to pay for separately, as has already begun.

So my question is still Manfred's assertion that they have access to the digital rights. Seems to me they don't really, that they are still owned by each local rights-holder. If MLB really controlled them and had a short-term plan for this they wouldn't even let Bally and NESN do what they are doing. And the blackout policies have always been all about protecting those local rights-holders too.

Obviously it's all still driven by carriage fees (and in Comcast's case, subscribers) and it's all going away, but not fast enough.

zambonir 2022-06-29 06:43:04 UTC #429

I just got a "reminder" email (though as far as I know it's first) that The Athletic is now included in all-access NY Times subscriptions. Not sure if that means I'm supposed to cancel and then activate or if it will just be credited back (which is how Hulu works for me in the Disney Bundle).

Heck, I'm not even sure if I have all-access!

andyb 2022-06-29 12:26:08 UTC #430

All access is $25 a month (with lots of half off specials) while basic digital is $17 (again with specials). All access gets you things like crossword puzzles (when they start to charge for Wordle!) and various databases and searches. No difference on the basic news though it does look like you get a second login with the all access.

I just pay for the Washington Post so trying to read both of them would be too much for me. Though I have grabbed a black Friday special for the Times a couple of times and cancelled. I suppose I am already paying $5 for the Athletic, so $10 for some All Access special per month is probably worth it.

zambonir 2022-06-29 16:45:46 UTC #431

I am always messing with my subscriptions. Promotions, negotiating lower rates when they expire, switching back and forth with my wife. But the Times is my stalwart, and I also pay for Cooking so I might have upgraded to All-Access last time. It also includes Wirecutter. Don't care about Worldle alas so that won't be a perk.

In any case it does look like you can merge accounts. I was actually going to cancel my Athletic subscription this time and ask for a better rate, especially given how much less you get for the money these days. But I still value it. If I didn't care about college football I wouldn't.

andyb 2022-06-30 18:04:44 UTC #432

Going to put this here because it is all driven by TV and money. Anyone excited for that Rutgers-USC field hockey game?

zambonir 2022-06-30 18:16:22 UTC #433

Wow. Probably still heading for three super-conferences. Or even one. In the former scenario Arizona and Utah/Colorado to Big 12, the more Northern schools will be desperate to follow USC and UCLA (and the Big 10 would probably love to have Stanford and Cal academically). And then the ACC scatters wherever ESPN wants them to.

The impact on the non-revenue sports is indeed odious: even Texas having to play Vanderbilt instead of TCU in baseball is ridiculous (if a very attractive rivalry). But there will probably be a lot of divisional play.

We stopped talking about college football completely here, largely because of Penn State's moral and, more recently, competitive collapse IMO, but happy to start a thread.

bkox 2022-06-30 18:31:43 UTC #434

This is from an article i posted in non-Phillies news and notes

MLB could end streaming blackouts
Manfred also hinted that MLB's often-criticized blackouts, in which streaming fans are forbidden from watching games involving teams from their local markets. The commissioner claimed MLB is keen to phase the practice out:

"Our No. 1 business priority right now is reach," Manfred says. The topic was a main discussion at an owners meeting in June. "Believe me," he says, "we hate blackouts as much as fans do." Manfred notes that the blackout clauses are written into broadcast deals — which he has overseen — but he says it's now a "top priority" for MLB to phase them out.

andyb 2022-06-30 18:36:03 UTC #435

So it took them about 20 years to realize that their blackout policies and local monopolies were causing fewer people to watch baseball?

I'll believe that statement when I see action. Their number one business priority is and has always been short term dollars and not increased reach or viewership or whatever they want to call it.

schillingfan 2022-06-30 18:51:25 UTC #436

Definitely upsetting for someone from the Pacific Northwest. It’s absurd that USC and UCLA have been so weak lately when they can recruit from the most populous state in the country.

OT: College Football Discussion (Realignment, Penn State, Other)

bkox 2022-07-02 18:36:59 UTC #437

BostonRoss 2022-07-02 18:44:58 UTC #438

That seems like an interesting and worthwhile experiment. I wonder, though, about how many viewers don't pay a lot of attention when they have the game on, and the announcers' comments prompt them to look up from their [devices, reading, whatever] to the broadcast. I admit to doing that though I listen to more games via radio broadcasts than watch the TV. (Sometimes I have the video on silently while listening to the radio broadcast, and I watch the replays when something piques my curiosity about what happened.)

Lucky_Beagle 2022-07-02 19:19:20 UTC #439

I would find this game unwatchable. I am with you that typically other things are being done and you look up when you hear something is happening for at least parts of the game.

andyb 2022-07-14 18:58:22 UTC #440

Lots of Phillies Apple TV coming up. We were already on the schedule for July 22 against the Cubs. Now we are on the first 2 weeks of August as well against the Nationals (7th) and then the Mets (14th). 3 times in 4 weeks. At least they are still free (i.e. no Apple subscription required).