Bally Sports+ to Launch September 26, Without Twins For Now

[Otto von Ballpark]

2 hours ago, Tiantwindup said:

It seems to me the meaningful alternative is for mlb to do offer in-market viewing option as an add-on to the current plan; for example, for $10 more per month allow MN residents to watch the Twins. 

A single team out-of-market package in MLBTV is currently $20/month. Seems like a reasonable starting point for pricing a single team in-market streaming package.

Also, the full out-of-market MLBTV package retails for $25/month, which suggests that most folks are primarily subscribing to watch a single team. Games beyond that team are probably not a motivating factor for most consumers right now.

[MMMordabito]

I'm waiting for something that is below the $71.94 per season that I currently pay.

[Vanimal46]

1 hour ago, TwinsAce said:

FYI - Netflix standard (Full HD 1080p) is $9.99/month.  The basic, which you are referring to, is $7.99/month.  

You’re getting a steal. And please let me know how you got that. The 4K package is currently $19.99 a month 

[TwinsAce]

33 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

You’re getting a steal. And please let me know how you got that. The 4K package is currently $19.99 a month 

lol - forgot about the recent price increase for new customers.  Hasn't hit us yet...but probably will.

[bustedstuff88]

14 hours ago, PatPfund said:

I was very interested last spring with the promises to be up by around the beginning of July. Even checked in. But no baseball means no dice for me. If the Twins are on it next spring, I can see going month to month for a bit.

Though maybe not. Radio works, doesn't lock me down to locations/devices, and I can watch archive games if I do MLB.tv

This isnt always true.....PLENTY of times this season alone I have tried to listen to the twins games on the Audacy app for WCCO 830 AM and im greeted with a repeating female voice saying that "Becasue im out of the broadcast area I need to tune into my local outlets to enjoy the game".....Mind you, I live just south of Mankato, MN..........

 

The hoops MLB fans need to jump through just to consume the product is mind numbing...It really is no suprise plenty have already declared FCK IT IM OUT and jsut stopped paying attention.

 

Is that what you wanted, MLB? Cuz thats what your getting. 

[howeda7]

If Bally is going to play hardball and not be on any regular TV/streaming platform, there's no reason for the Twins/MLB to negotiate with them. They can just as easily just launch/use their own app and collect $10/month directly.

[howeda7]

2 hours ago, bustedstuff88 said:

This isnt always true.....PLENTY of times this season alone I have tried to listen to the twins games on the Audacy app for WCCO 830 AM and im greeted with a repeating female voice saying that "Becasue im out of the broadcast area I need to tune into my local outlets to enjoy the game".....Mind you, I live just south of Mankato, MN..........

 

The hoops MLB fans need to jump through just to consume the product is mind numbing...It really is no suprise plenty have already declared FCK IT IM OUT and jsut stopped paying attention.

 

Is that what you wanted, MLB? Cuz thats what your getting. 

Annoying. But FYI, the audio package via the MLB app is like $20 for the full season.

[howeda7]

2 hours ago, TwinsAce said:

lol - forgot about the recent price increase for new customers.  Hasn't hit us yet...but probably will.

Netflix will eventually go the route of Hulu and have a package with ads that's like $10-15 and a no-ads version that's double. I'm actually OK with that. I'll watch a few ads to save $10.

[Otto von Ballpark]

48 minutes ago, howeda7 said:

If Bally is going to play hardball and not be on any regular TV/streaming platform, there's no reason for the Twins/MLB to negotiate with them. They can just as easily just launch/use their own app and collect $10/month directly.

From my understanding, it's a bit of a two-way street -- neither the Twins/MLB nor Bally can launch an in-market streaming service without revising their current broadcast deal.

[wsnydes]

50 minutes ago, Otto von Ballpark said:

From my understanding, it's a bit of a two-way street -- neither the Twins/MLB nor Bally can launch an in-market streaming service without revising their current broadcast deal.

I believe that is correct.  Which only shows how little sense this all makes.  Wouldn't it be mutually beneficial to include local broadcast rights?

Blackouts are a separate issue, but I keep going back to the fact that MLB keeps making it harder to consume their product in a time when the fan base is eroding.

[adorduan]

20 hours ago, Otto von Ballpark said:

I wish they were still on Hulu or YouTube TV for the benefit of you and others who prefer it, but I wouldn't describe that $65+/month package as particularly cheap or accessible.

And the games are a lot of content. Even if you only watch 1/3 of Twins game action (or 1/3 of Wolves/Wild), you'd probably be around 20 hours a month. That's about the same as binge-watching two whole seasons in a month on Netflix.

well, you get a lot more than 1 channel for the $65. A couple of years ago I got the Twins and 100+ channels for $65.

[Vanimal46]

13 minutes ago, adorduan said:

well, you get a lot more than 1 channel for the $65. A couple of years ago I got the Twins and 100+ channels for $65.

Idk about you but 85% of the YouTube TV channels are crap I’d never watch. 

[nicksaviking]

17 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

Idk about you but 85% of the YouTube TV channels are crap I’d never watch. 

But if there's that one program you want to watch, you can pay the fee for a month and watch the whole season of that series than cancel.

You have to pay what, $140 to watch the whole season of the Twins?

[Major League Ready]

8 hours ago, Otto von Ballpark said:

A single team out-of-market package in MLBTV is currently $20/month. Seems like a reasonable starting point for pricing a single team in-market streaming package.

Also, the full out-of-market MLBTV package retails for $25/month, which suggests that most folks are primarily subscribing to watch a single team. Games beyond that team are probably not a motivating factor for most consumers right now.

Do I have this right.  MLB cost $20 month for out of market games and Bally is offering all the games for $20/month?

[Otto von Ballpark]

41 minutes ago, Major League Ready said:

Do I have this right.  MLB cost $20 month for out of market games and Bally is offering all the games for $20/month?

Not quite? Here's what you'd get with each plan in Minnesota:

MLBTV: every non-Twins, non-national TV game for $25/month

MLBTV Single Team Package: just the non-national games for a single non-Twins team (for example, just the Brewers games): $20/month

Bally Sports Plus: every non-national Twins game (if the Twins get on board), plus every non-national Wolves and Wild game, for $20/month

[tonderk]

Until the Twins are added I won’t even think about it. If they are added they will probably find some way to blackout those of us in Iowa so I’m not getting my hopes up. 

[Bigfork Twins Guy]

This is frustrating.  I used to have cable until I moved out to the sticks.  Then I went with Sling until they dropped FSN.  Then I switched to YouTube TV until they also dropped FSN/Bally.  I then tried to follow games on the TD game day thread but the score is never listed only the comments.  I then bit the bullet and got AT&T streaming which now is Direct TV Steaming.  It is $89/month but I follow the Twins and Wild and my wife watches a few other channels so it's worth it to me.

If TD would show the score in the upper corner of the game thread or commenters would include the score when it changes I would probably drop Direct TV and just follow the Twins that way.  I could do without the Wild.

Bottom line is that if this app picks up the Twins and we cannot justify Direct TV Streaming for mostly my baseball watching, then I may consider the app and drop Direct TV Streaming.

Misc: I believe that the Twins deal with Bally ends after this season which is why they are not included in the app.  They need to negotiate a new deal or the Twins need to build their own app.

[Otto von Ballpark]

1 hour ago, Bigfork Twins Guy said:

Misc: I believe that the Twins deal with Bally ends after this season which is why they are not included in the app.  They need to negotiate a new deal or the Twins need to build their own app.

The Twins contract with Bally runs through the 2023 season, according to this article: https://m.startribune.com/twins-tv-ratings-bally-sports-north-dave-st-peter-streaming-cable/600087575/

[Bigfork Twins Guy]

3 hours ago, Otto von Ballpark said:

The Twins contract with Bally runs through the 2023 season, according to this article: https://m.startribune.com/twins-tv-ratings-bally-sports-north-dave-st-peter-streaming-cable/600087575/

Thanks for the correction Otto.

[howeda7]

On 8/18/2022 at 1:54 PM, Otto von Ballpark said:

From my understanding, it's a bit of a two-way street -- neither the Twins/MLB nor Bally can launch an in-market streaming service without revising their current broadcast deal.

Right. But how much longer does the current deal go? Zero chance I'd extend if I'm the Twins. 

[PatPfund]

On 8/18/2022 at 10:50 AM, bustedstuff88 said:

This isnt always true.....PLENTY of times this season alone I have tried to listen to the twins games on the Audacy app for WCCO 830 AM and im greeted with a repeating female voice saying that "Becasue im out of the broadcast area I need to tune into my local outlets to enjoy the game".....Mind you, I live just south of Mankato, MN..........

 

The hoops MLB fans need to jump through just to consume the product is mind numbing...It really is no suprise plenty have already declared FCK IT IM OUT and jsut stopped paying attention.

 

Is that what you wanted, MLB? Cuz thats what your getting. 

Well... I'm old. I actually listen to the radio on the radio (in my car, or on my old transistor in the garage or yard, in bed on my clock radio, or in the kitchen on my antique vacuum tube radio). In Mankato that would be AM 1420 or FM 102.7. Ditch the apps and listen to the game for free. And free of software and its glitches. (Or don't. It's a free country!)

[USAFChief]

On 8/18/2022 at 10:50 AM, bustedstuff88 said:

This isnt always true.....PLENTY of times this season alone I have tried to listen to the twins games on the Audacy app for WCCO 830 AM and im greeted with a repeating female voice saying that "Becasue im out of the broadcast area I need to tune into my local outlets to enjoy the game".....Mind you, I live just south of Mankato, MN..........

 

The hoops MLB fans need to jump through just to consume the product is mind numbing...It really is no suprise plenty have already declared FCK IT IM OUT and jsut stopped paying attention.

 

Is that what you wanted, MLB? Cuz thats what your getting. 

You could try it the old fashioned way... listening to one of the 2 Mankato stations on the Twins radio network (AM 1420 or FM 102.7). 

You can purchase a portable AM/FM radio on Amazon for as little as $10.

I doubt there is anyone in MN, or much of ND or SD, who can't listen to the Twins free.

If there are, MLB radio is $20/yr, and you can stream Corey and Dan anywhere in the world where you have an internet connection. 

 

Edit: ninja'd