Poll: Extra Innings Consumers

[Bo Hart]

I'm starting to believe that something will get done and I will get my EI on my comcast.

Well, the deadline is tomorrow I believe. That's why I'm so pessimistic...

[Bo Hart]

<i>2007-03-31 (06:56:26 PDT): Today is the final day for iN Demand and DISH Networks to try and reach an agreement to keep MLB Extra Innings as part of their content, keep thousands of fans from having to make the choice of possibly having to jump to DirecTV, watch out-of-market games on their computer via MLB.TV, or swear off watching out-of-market games all together, grab a book—or, if you can't break your MLB jones—opt for the radio.

The Biz of Baseball is going to track as many resources as possible during the day to try and break any news (if there is news) on the Extra Innings deal. As a note, Maury Brown is scheduled to interview Curt Schilling later this evening for Baseball Prospectus, and may not catch news at that time.

Stay tuned.</i>

[haltz]

Update: iN Demand Appears to Be Out on Extra Innings
Saturday, 31 March 2007

The following seems to point to iN Demand being out of the picture for MLB Extra Innings, thus setting the stage for the possible deal to be exclusive on DirecTV barring EchoStar stepping forward.

The notification also shows that MLB and cable will still be locked in a confrontational position due to bulk-buying of MLB.TV. As we reported earlier, Cox Communications is offering rebates to any subscribers of Extra Innings last season. MLB has said that this practice is not acceptable.

The following notification is being run on Comcast's website :

Due to a decision by Major League Baseball, Comcast, as well as many other cable operators will not be able to distribute the 2007 MLB Extra Innings out-of-market package.

If you are a current Comcast customer and subscribed to Comcast 2006 MLB Extra Innings, you should receive correspondence from Comcast no later than April 11, 2007 with an offer to help make up for the loss of MLB Extra Innings, with an opportunity to subscribe to MLB.TV. With MLB.TV you can use your computer to view all the same games you would see on TV with MLB Extra Innings.

If you do not receive notification by April 11, 2007, please call: 1-800-631-0258, and have your Comcast account number available for 2006 MLB Extra Innings subscription verification.

If you are a current Comcast customer and have subscribed to the 2007 MLB Extra Innings package, we will refund your payment in the form of a credit to your monthly bill.

In 2007, Comcast will be providing a great selection of up to 400 national, regional and local live televised baseball games, many in high-definition. We hope the combination of the MLB.TV offer and the large live televised schedule make up for the loss of MLB Extra Innings.
Again, should you need any assistance in signing up for MLB.TV after receiving your special offer in the mail, please contact: 1-800-631-0258.

[haltz]

Just saw this, kinda interesting.

Apple to Provide MLB Content Via iTunes
Friday, 30 March 2007

Apple ComputersApple Computers announced today that it will be providing Major League Baseball video highlights for the 2007 season on the iTunes® Store (http://www.itunes.com), allowing access to games on the go.

MLB video on iTunes will include a daily 25 minute “MLB.com Daily Rewind” highlight show and two weekly “Games of the Week,” featuring full versions of the best games from the National and American Leagues. Customers will be able to download individual episodes of “MLB.com Daily Rewind” and each “Game of the Week” for $1.99, or purchase a Multi-Pass for a month of Daily Rewind shows for $7.99 or a Season Pass for every “Game of the Week” at just $19.99.

“We’re thrilled to be teaming with iTunes to give baseball fans access to MLB highlights via the world’s most popular online TV store,” said Kenny Gersh, senior vice president, business development of MLB Advanced Media. “We’re excited that baseball fans now have the opportunity to enjoy America’s favorite pastime in a unique way by taking MLB with them on their computers and iPods wherever they go.”

“iTunes has become the ultimate destination for accessing top sports video content and now our customers will be able to enjoy America’s favorite pastime whenever and wherever,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes. “By offering a 25 minute daily highlight show we’re giving millions of fans a great way to enjoy action from their favorite team and catch up on all the top plays from around the league.”

To kick off the deal, iTunes is offering the “MLB.com 2007 Season Preview Show” as a free download for iTunes customers. In addition to daily and weekly highlights, baseball fans will also be able to download episodes of the “MLB.com Baseball’s Best” series showcasing classic baseball games from the past. Individual episodes of “MLB.com Baseball’s Best” will be available for $1.99.

The deal comes nearly six months after MLB asked Apple to pull their MLB related content from iTunes due to content control concerns by MLB Advanced Media.

[GatewaySnayke]

I'm having a hard time understanding everything that's going on. iN Demand picked up Extra Innings, then dropped it? Now it's going to be on DirecTV only?

Thank gosh I live in the St. Louis market.

[jim]

The deal started with DirectTV only, then some people griped, then InDemand said they had it last week, then MLB said no you don't, then the politicians got heavily involved, then MLB said 50/50 shot, then InDemand said not that good, then they said talks were getting serious, then they said probably not, then ....

I don't understand where you are getting confused. Simple as pie.

[ghostrunner]

MLB is not helping themselves here, and I don't get it:

The notification also shows that MLB and cable will still be locked in a confrontational position due to bulk-buying of MLB.TV. As we reported earlier, Cox Communications is offering rebates to any subscribers of Extra Innings last season. MLB has said that this practice is not acceptable.

1.) How is there bulk-buying going on? It's a rebate system. The customer pays MLB the full fee and is then partly reimbursed by Comcast or Cox.

2.) MLB is making money either way, so what do they care? Cable companies have a right to try and keep their customers. If MLB doesn't like it, they shouldn't have made the DirecTV deal.

[Bo Hart]

Have faith:

I had the good fortune to work closely with Marc Narducci of the Philadelphia Inquirer for a column he ran yesterday on the Extra Innings deal. Within in it I mention how The Baseball Channel is a large part of MLB's long-term strategy, but beyond that, Narducci wrote:

Negotiations among MLB, Dish Network and iN Demand are continuing.

"We are trying to get everybody in," said Tim Brosnan, executive vice president of business for Major League Baseball. "That is our goal."

Mutichannel News also is backing Narducci's article by reporting:

Down to their last out, Major League Baseball and In Demand Friday were still trying to hammer out a last-minute deal for cable to distribute the league’s “MLB Extra Innings” out-of-market game package.

As further reported by Multichannel:

Meanwhile, DirecTV last week began a national marketing campaign surrounding its Extra Innings package despite uncertainty over the package’s exclusivity. The satellite company ran a full page ad in USA Today touting the package as well as a 20% discount if purchased before April 7. It was unclear at press time what other national publications the ad was scheduled to run.

As I've reported before, the deal was setup with a poison pill provision for iN Demand. The fact that iN Demand members Time Warner and Cox refused to put The NFL Network on the basic tier sets up a no-win situation for the cable consortium. How can iN Demand work a deal for Extra Innings without raising the hair on the neck of the 800-pound gorilla in the corner, the NFL?

Would it make good business sense for cable and DISH to be on-board? Absolutely.

LATE UPDATE: Word is coming via a source close to the situation that the midnight deadline seems flexible and that the sides are still talking. Stay tuned.

Maury Brown is the founder and president of The Biz of Baseball and an author for Baseball Prospectus. He can be contacted here.

[haltz]

MLB is making money either way, so what do they care?

Because with rights to exclusivity DirecTV also paid for a stake. So I would guess that it's really them getting upset about the cable companies circumventing the consequences, which would be losing customers to DirecTV.

[Schlich]

this is really coming down-to-the-hour, isn't it?