Baseball on Cable

[Paul Pleiss]

This is shaping up to be one of the most watched post-seasons in a long time, despite all of the games being hidden behind the paywalls of cable networks.

 

I know that stations like TBS and ESPN are available on most low-end cable subscriptions, and MLB network just a tick or two up from there, but I feel like putting the games on cable isn't good for growing the game here in the US.

 

I know there is a big push in MLB to get baseball back in the inner city, to get more african-americans playing baseball, and to grow it with the youth of today so that the best athletes don't all leave baseball for other sports. I feel like it's hard to do that when the games are accessible to so many people, especially low-income people who may not be able to afford even basic cable.

 

I know that baseball is a business, and that MLB is out to make money for the owners, but I just can't understand keeping the playoffs away from the masses.

[Mike Sixel]

It killed boxing.....IMO. 

 

IF I was a congressman.....if games played in publicly subsidized stadiums were not on free tv, I'd tax the subsidy as income.

[biggentleben]

I think what you do have is a major disconnect between the paychecks sports leagues are getting and the people trying to view their product.  An NFL official making remarks about their blackout policies being overturned stated that every NFL game is available on "over the air, accessible television".  I'm not sure what market he is part of, but I've never picked up ESPN over the air, and that's where their flagship game is located now.  Also, NFL Network has a few exclusive Thursday night games this season where they aren't also carried on CBS, and NFL Network isn't even on most first- or second-tier cable packages.  You have to get a fairly large cable bill monthly just to have access to NFL Network.

 

Baseball has had a similar disconnect, and worst of all, they have less control over their television deals on a national level.  No way would a playoff football game be able to be shown exclusively on a startup cable network not available yet on many cable and satellite providers.  The problem is that sports in this country have been given so many free passes on violating laws by our federal (and often state and local) government that they simply don't even concern themselves with the ability of people to afford their product.

[Seth Stohs]

I don't have MLB Network or Fox Sports 1. I haven't been able to watch the National League games. I've watched bits and parts of the AL games on mute, but to not have the NL games even available at all for such a large portion of the population is ridiculous... in my opinion.

[brvama]

I could not agree more with 'all ya all.'  I chose not to subscribe to cable, but it sure would be nice to have access to Twins or ML games, even at a cost without all the other 'stuff'.'  It's either radio or gamecast (whoopie!) for me.   

 

Seems like I have gone Back to the Future of my childhood in the 50's of running out to the mailbox to get the game logs and box scores.  If I wasn't such a diehard fan I'd forget it.  My boy was raised with baseball but hardly ever follows it.  It is a shame.

 

 

I agree that the anti-trust exemption has shifted the balance to pro sports and away from the viewing public and fans.

[Bill]

No cable... so no playoff baseball games for me or my kids.  We listen on the radio a little, but I must say that I find it hard to listen to announcers I am not used to.

 

It is shortsighted by MLB that none of these games are available on free TV. 

[Steven Buhr]

Agree with everyone here. It does bring to mind something I recall reading, though.

 

I seem to recall that, while the Twins' TV market is in the middle of the pack among all MLB teams, but because so many Minnesotans (including many of you, apparently) do not subscribe to cable and still rely on broadcast TV, the Twins can't command the money from FSN for their TV rights that regional sports networks pay other MLB teams.

 

I get FS1 (probably because they carry Big 12 football so Mediacom was forced to carry it), but Mediacom does not even offer MLB Network nor Fox North.

 

Agree that baseball is being VERY shortsighted. I know several people who have dropped cable and/or satellite and now just have broadcast TV and internet-based pay services such as Netflix. As more families take that route, baseball will lose fan interest.

 

Eventually, cable networks could start to fail. I'm not sure what MLB will do at that point for revenues.

[Seth Stohs]

I guess I hadn't even thought about not having basic cable and not having TBS and ESPN... I guess I was just referring to MLB Network and FS1 (which is new) and aren't in as large a percentage of homes. 

[drjim]

It is an interesting bubble we are seeing right now. I don't fault baseball for taking the most money, but the cost of rights is being passed onto premium TV providers which is in turn driving people away from premium TV. Something will have to give, but sports is also one of the few extremely valuable entertainment properties because it is one of the few things that has to be consumed live.

 

I wish I could watch the playoffs, but it certainly doesn't impact how much I care about the sport. I doubt it has much impact of fandom across the country either.

[Kirby_waved_at_me]

I have never paid for cable, never had it growing up, it was "free" in my college dorm and came as part of my rent in my old apartment.

At my current home, we just got a deal from our internet provider to add HBO and a basic cable package for just a few dollars more than we were paying per month.  

I was briefly excited at the prospect, but the "basic" package doesn't include ESPN, FSN, comedy central, along with a host of channels that I just kind of assumed would be included in even the most basic of basic packages.  

It did come with TBS, so I was able to watch the Tigers get swept (so satisfying!).

 

I have to agree with most of the comments so far, it's too bad that a good percentage of the population is unable to access Playoff games.

 

The regular season I understand to an extent, but playoff games is the chance for baseball to really sell those regular season games and cable access and the MLB network, etc etc etc to people that don't already have it...

[James]

So, I do have cable, so I've been able to watch the games, which is great for me.

 

Even though I do have cable, I 100% agree with the sentiment here.  Especially due to the fact that all the sports "talking heads" keep trying to explain that baseball is dying.  It seems to me that the chose short-term revenue over the overall health of the sport.  

 

I'm sure that network stations would love to be showing baseball games, especially in the post-season.  

 

I guess this is another thing that we can blame on the Yankees (I'm pretty sure YES network was the first cable station partially owned by a team).  I could be wrong, but it's fun to blame the Yankees anyway. 

[biggentleben]

Seth, where I'm at the "basic" cable package does include TBS, but it doesn't include ESPN, so the cheapest cable to get cable would be $60/month package.

 

I will put in a big plug for everyone to consider mlb.tv.  They've done tremendous work on the system.  The issue would be not being able to see the Twins in the Minneapolis market, which is something that needs to be worked on, but you can enjoy a lot of the league.  I would also put in a big plug for milb.tv for minor league sports.  Then using something like an Apple TV or Roku box allows you to put that on any TV anywhere if you'd like.  I currently use MLB.tv and my AppleTV.

[Brock Beauchamp]

I don't have cable. I have no plans to get cable.

 

That means I watch no playoff baseball until the WS unless I go somewhere to watch it.

 

That means I watch very little playoff baseball.

 

Cable companies and content providers are hanging on to a dying business model. The longer they hold on to cable packages, the more they willingly marginalize themselves. Kids growing up now don't want or need cable and will find other ways to occupy their time.

[Old Twins Cap]

The trend away from televisions and cable subscriptions is large and unmistakeable.  Like a lot of broadcasters and content providers, MLB is skirting the issue, while at the same time, trying to make as much money as possible from the existing system.

 

I have no TV.  I will never have one again.  I suspect that in the very near future, that will be the norm.

 

I am happy to pay for content, like baseball, and subscribe to MLB.com.  But, the kicker is that the one team I would like to watch, I can't.  In places like Iowa, subscribers cannot access the Twins, the Brewers and both Chicago teams.

 

The fact is, there is revenue out there to be made if someone can figure out how to allow local subscribers, who will never consume content on broadcast or cable television, to pay to watch play their favorite baseball team.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

 

Cable companies and content providers are hanging on to a dying business model. The longer they hold on to cable packages, the more they willingly marginalize themselves. Kids growing up now don't want or need cable and will find other ways to occupy their time.

[Willihammer]

The trend away from televisions and cable subscriptions is large and unmistakeable.  Like a lot of broadcasters and content providers, MLB is skirting the issue, while at the same time, trying to make as much money as possible from the existing system.

 

I have no TV.  I will never have one again.  I suspect that in the very near future, that will be the norm.

 

I am happy to pay for content, like baseball, and subscribe to MLB.com.  But, the kicker is that the one team I would like to watch, I can't.  In places like Iowa, subscribers cannot access the Twins, the Brewers and both Chicago teams.

 

The fact is, there is revenue out there to be made if someone can figure out how to allow local subscribers, who will never consume content on broadcast or cable television, to pay to watch play their favorite baseball team.

unblock-us.com. Best $5/month you'll ever spend

[USAFChief]

Going from memory, I think the issue is that over the air broadcasters dont want playoff baseball...the ratings aren't there.

[TheLeviathan]

Going from memory, I think the issue is that over the air broadcasters dont want playoff baseball...the ratings aren't there.

 

Exactly, other than the Super Bowl the other major sports aren't major draws anymore except to diehards who are willing to pay the cable price.

 

I disagree with the notion that this is a dying business model - the recent contract with DirectTV and the NFL is proof that this is not only working for all involved, but is likely to only become more entrenched as the new way to view sports.

 

The money talks - this is working and is a sustainable business model.  In fact, it may be the part of your average cable company's bottom line that allows them to float the rest of it that isn't working.

[Brock Beauchamp]

It's not a dying business model in the short-term but as an entire generation eschews the television for mobile offerings, the model is going to break in the long-term. Cable companies are trying to patchwork app solutions but it still requires a cable connection and television purchase to use. At some point, companies are going to have to offer an entirely app-based solution because people are going to use cable boxes less as we become acclimated to watching things on tablets, phones, and set-top streaming devices.

 

The cable box may not be dead or even dying... Yet.

 

But it will die. The internet of things will see to that.

[drjim]

I don't think, publicly subsidized stadiums or not, that we have a right or deserve to have baseball games over broadcast television. What I do think is that there has to be some sort of way to get content than through either cable or direct tv. I am willing to pay a decent amount of money for the ability to watch baseball, but I really don't have much interest in paying for cable, especially in the months when there is no baseball. I know that is all part of the price, but also why I think there might be some sort of bubble developing, I'm not sure the cable model remains viable as increasing numbers of people opt out.

[Brock Beauchamp]

At some point in the near future, a large content provider is going to offer direct app-based streaming to circumvent cable companies. My guess is that it will be HBO.

 

And all hell will break loose at that point.

[diehardtwinsfan]

I think this is shortsighted on baseball's part.  Yes, the check is a bit bigger, but the long term health of the game would be improved if it was on over the air. 

[TheLeviathan]

It's not a dying business model in the short-term but as an entire generation eschews the television for mobile offerings, the model is going to break in the long-term. 

 

I'm not sure that's true, at least not for a very long time.  No contract any major sports league currently has is in any danger of being a poor investment in that sense.

 

Now as for engendering a larger fan base?  That I can see the argument.

[Steven Buhr]

unblock-us.com. Best $5/month you'll ever spend

Hadn't heard of this one. I've tried various "work arounds" over the last couple of years, with pretty much no success.

 

I see it has a 1 week free trial, so since I'm already a mlb.tv subscriber, it seems this might be a good time to give it a shot.

 

Of course, even if it works, I'm going to blame you for not telling me about this a long time ago!

[Brock Beauchamp]

I'm not sure that's true, at least not for a very long time.  No contract any major sports league currently has is in any danger of being a poor investment in that sense.

 

Now as for engendering a larger fan base?  That I can see the argument.

Sports leagues will do an about face once they realize they're losing the 18-34 demographic. That day is coming. I don't know if it's two years from now or five years from now but it's coming. My nieces no longer watch cable television despite having it in their house since they were born. They watch Netflix and Hulu on their tablets and phones.

 

Cable subscriptions are already in decline. When I was growing up, I had cable and so did all my friends. Now? About half of them have cable. The rest have cut the cord... and we're talking about people in their mid-30s. The trend is more dramatic the younger you skew.

 

Why do you think content providers are paying such outlandish contracts to teams and leagues right now? It's because they realize this is happening and that sports will be the last holdout of the cable tv world due to their time-sensitivity. But, ultimately, just like the RIAA and MPAA discovered in the early 2000s, you can't stop a consumer trend no matter how hard you try and how much money you throw at it.

 

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10000872396390443792604577574901875760374

[Steven Buhr]

I believe Brock is right. My son & his wife, both in low 30s, went from cable to Direct TV to cutting the cord altogether and simply watch Netflix, Hulu, etc. 

 

I have no doubt that my 1 year old grandson will grow up in a home that never has cable TV.

 

Yeah, my son misses the sports, but if there's a game he really wants to see, he goes to a bar to watch it. He is not alone among his friends.

 

MLB has led the professional sports leagues in utilizing technology to provide programming over the internet, but they are not capitalizing on that advantage like they will need to at some point.

[Han Joelo]

"As American as Baseball and Apple Pie."

 

Only if you can afford it, which I can't.  I have two athletic little boys (5 and 3) and I struggle to get them to go in the backyard and play baseball.  We don't have cable, but we have Netflix, so they want to pretend to be Iron Man or Obi-Wan or Optimus Prime.  But not Matt Carpenter.

 

I get all my baseball from MLB.com with the radio app and sites like this.  It annoys the boys when I have to preempt their show to watch 3 minutes of highlights from a game the night before.  They have nIo interest in baseball, and I am kind of shielding them from football.

 

Close to $2 billion worth of payroll just got kicked out of the playoffs.  At some point a fan has to say to themselves, I love this game, but why do I have to pay so much to watch it?  Player salaries are crazy--as are owner revenues.  I read an article about how significant the playoff series wins (and playoff money) mean to the little guys.  Like a lifelong coach for the Red Sox who earned $300,000 for winning the world series, gave his house to his son, and built his own house.  That I can relate to.  Andre Ethier making $16 million to sit on the bench---I don't get it, and I doubt he does either, but the pressure he feels every at bat must be a little different from what rookies on minimum contracts feel.

 

I was just at the park with the boys, and they were enthralled with this super fun youth soccer coach teaching a class.  I was watching baseball on game day.  Give it thirty years.

[TheLeviathan]

I believe Brock is right. My son & his wife, both in low 30s, went from cable to Direct TV to cutting the cord altogether and simply watch Netflix, Hulu, etc. 

 

I have no doubt that my 1 year old grandson will grow up in a home that never has cable TV.

 

Yeah, my son misses the sports, but if there's a game he really wants to see, he goes to a bar to watch it. He is not alone among his friends.

 

MLB has led the professional sports leagues in utilizing technology to provide programming over the internet, but they are not capitalizing on that advantage like they will need to at some point.

 

But these are not the norms, if they were the norms the cable companies wouldn't be profiting at ridiculous rates.  In fact, many people do both, it's not as if having Netflix entails not having cable.  Many young people have a variety of media outlets they subscribe to for a variety of reasons.  One of the biggest factors is cost, but even as people have had shrinking incomes in a bad economy with much cheaper options available to them, the decline has still bee relatively minimal.  

 

Cable isn't going to go away for a long, long time and sports are a major reason for that.   I do agree, however, that smart leagues are going to start doing more to provide programming online at much lower rates.  It's just much further off than people seem to think barring some major technology change.

[Brock Beauchamp]

One of the biggest factors is cost, but even as people have had shrinking incomes in a bad economy with much cheaper options available to them, the decline has still bee relatively minimal.

Cable has been around for what, 40 years now? Previous to 2010, the industry never had a zero growth quarter. Not even in 2008 or 2009 when everything fell to pieces.

 

Since 2010, they've had five negative quarters... Roughly one in three. I don't think anyone here is claiming that cable is going to die next week or even next year. It'll be around for a long time... But ultimately, it will die, just as all outdated technology does in time.

[TheLeviathan]

Cable has been around for what, 40 years now? Previous to 2010, the industry never had a zero growth quarter. Not even in 2008 or 2009 when everything fell to pieces.

 

Since 2010, they've had five negative quarters... Roughly one in three. I don't think anyone here is claiming that cable is going to die next week or even next year. It'll be around for a long time... But ultimately, it will die, just as all outdated technology does in time.

 

Sure, but unless a league signs a 50 year deal with a cable network they're probably going to be fine.