MLB Day Games

[Vanimal46]

How is there not a day game on TV every day during this 60 game schedule? Over half of the US population is either working from home or sitting at home out of work. NBA and NHL schedule games throughout the day for fans of that sport.

 

It’s like they’re actively trying not to market the sport to people who normally don’t have the time to watch it.

[BrooklynBrent]

Vanimal, that’s exactly the question I asked a week ago!
Alas, it would seem we are in the minority of fans who enjoy daytime sports? 
most of the responses I got were focused on the prime-time television money, or the regional aspect of baseball, even though I disagree with those.
(I suppose I cannot argue with whatever makes the most money, though I still think baseball is better during the day.)

[Otto von Ballpark]

NBA and NHL schedule games throughout the day for fans of that sport.

NBA and NHL are playing day games now by necessity, not by design. They can’t play all the games simultaneously in their bubbles. When MLB gets to their postseason, you will see those games spread out too.

 

There isn’t much of a national audience for regular season MLB games. The people willing to tune in to Cincinnati-Detroit or whatever random day game is on the schedule, while they work from home, is not a large audience — hence why national broadcasters are not interested in buying those rights. MLB would rather reach all the more casual fans in Detroit and Cincy, who are still far more likely to be able to watch — and be able to pay attention — to the game in prime time on their local RSN.

[biggentleben]

 

How is there not a day game on TV every day during this 60 game schedule? Over half of the US population is either working from home or sitting at home out of work. NBA and NHL schedule games throughout the day for fans of that sport.

It’s like they’re actively trying not to market the sport to people who normally don’t have the time to watch it.

 

I'd be incredibly amazed to hear the numbers that high. A LOT of work-a-day folks make up the work force and have to go in to their jobs every single day in manufacturing, healthcare, retail, and in many places, multiple other businesses are open to some level now, even if they aren't open to the public. Locally, our county courthouse just opened up limited public access, but those employed by the offices in the courthouse have been coming in to work every day since March.
 

[Vanimal46]

 

I'd be incredibly amazed to hear the numbers that high. A LOT of work-a-day folks make up the work force and have to go in to their jobs every single day in manufacturing, healthcare, retail, and in many places, multiple other businesses are open to some level now, even if they aren't open to the public. Locally, our county courthouse just opened up limited public access, but those employed by the offices in the courthouse have been coming in to work every day since March.
 

Prepare to be amazed. Here's a link to a Stanford research article from June 2020. 

"We see an incredible 42 percent of the U.S. labor force now working from home full-time. About another 33 percent are not working – a testament to the savage impact of the lockdown recession. And the remaining 26 percent – mostly essential service workers – are working on their business premises. So, by sheer numbers, the U.S. is a working-from-home economy. Almost twice as many employees are working from home as at work."
 

[Brock Beauchamp]

I’ve been asking this question since the first week of the season.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

Prepare to be amazed. Here's a link to a Stanford research article from June 2020. 

"We see an incredible 42 percent of the U.S. labor force now working from home full-time. About another 33 percent are not working – a testament to the savage impact of the lockdown recession. And the remaining 26 percent – mostly essential service workers – are working on their business premises. So, by sheer numbers, the U.S. is a working-from-home economy. Almost twice as many employees are working from home as at work."
 

I wonder when that data was collected? I know a few people who have gone back to work since June, plus stores and restaurants that have re-opened since then, and of course schools and universities have started or are preparing to start in many places now too.

 

Even so, people working from home during the day and unemployed people are not really a great audience to target. One group is, you know, distracted by work, and the other likely has little or no disposable income (and is probably much less likely to be subscribed to cable or RSNs or even MLB.TV to actually see any games).

 

And you can still reach all those people with primetime evening games -- plus you reach virtually everyone else too, all of whom have been accustomed to evening games for 20+ years.