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mlb/directv can suck my fucking nut.
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| mlb/directv can suck my fucking nut.
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| bluesoul |
| You hear of that deal that's about to breakthough? DirecTV is paying MLB 700 million for EXCLUSIVE rights to MLB extra innings. I live in Canada, and have been getting seamless broadcasting via MLB Extra Innings of every single Bosox game on our Rogers cable system. But with this new deal, thats gonna leave me and all other seam heads in Canada out in the dark (or anyone else in the US thats doesnt have dish or can't get a dish due to location). Im not getting frigging satellite, its almost like a beta max thing at this point. The worse part is, there is no DirecTV in Canada anyways, so I wouldnt even have a damn choice of getting it. I guess I might have to start rooting for the Blue Jays. God knows they are on the TV every frigging day with their incompentent sportcasters Jamie Cambell and that other guy. Those guys are a couple douches that just drone on and on during the telecasts. Im going to miss my Remdog. |
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| bluesoul |
Displaced package
By Eric Wilbur, Boston.com Staff
There has been plenty of hubbub this week over Major League Baseball's decision to exclusively award DirecTV its Extra Innings package (in exchange for $700 million), leaving baseball fans across the country in cable limbo. Some, no matter what Doc Brown says, see going with the dish the equivalent of hanging onto to that home Beta system ... just in case. Others maintain the dish offers just as much as your landline cable system, at about half the price.
Let me say that I'm thisclose to returning to the dish -- after a seven-year absence -- for a multitude of reasons, including the drastic price difference and the ability to tack on the NFL Direct Ticket package onto a litany of winter weekend excuses, as well as giving the spouse the ability to catch the Steelers (lose). (I promised I wouldn't put lose in there, but putting in parentheses makes it seem less sinister, no?)
But until NESN goes to an HD format beyond the Boston DMA and south into Foxborough, that's not going to happen. And Comcast will still get my money for its Internet broadband service, which is vastly superior to any DSL service I've utilized and well worth the extra mortgage I pay for it monthly. I just won't shell out an additional $40 for whatever those extra channels are just so I can get the NFL Network.
That being said, MLB should be taken to the woodshed for this one. Bad move.
Yes, the NFL also has exclusive rights with DirecTV, but it's a different beast. Whereas the NFL is a weekly venture, displaced fans still have the option of hitting up the local sports pub to catch their favorite team. At most, that's 16 trips to the bar during a season, and that's if you're a fan of, say, the Houston Texans and are living in Maine. You try explaining to your significant other why you've got to spend 162 nights this year down at taproom. Thanks, Bud.
So, let's not create this into a baseball gets raked over the coals while football is indestructible argument, because they're totally unrelated.
There are two real outstanding issues here with MLB's decision. First, they've instituted a stranglehold on the viewer, the baseball fan -- remember them? -- on what kind of format they must have in order to enjoy the product. If you don't want to sacrifice the quality of cable for the dish, then hey, tough luck. Unless you want to sign up for MLB.com's exclusive MLB.tv action and watch on your laptop. Great. Like you don't spend long enough on that thing. AppleTV, to the rescue? Only if MLB were to add an additional streaming format, and that has yet to happen. Don't hold your breath.
Second, what about the thousands of fans who enjoyed Extra Innings in their city dwelling apartments? Unless you want to try and convince your landlord exactly why you need to pop a satellite dish on top of their roof, you're flat out of luck.
Bottom line, the package might get fewer viewers, but the league gets more money.
"Business-wise, short-term, you can see baseball's side in this, if you forget about the fans," writes CNNSI.com's John Donovan. "A thirtieth of a $700 million deal will pay a good-sized piece of any team's over-inflated payroll. And a lot of the money that baseball sees from the DirecTV deal could go toward seeding the game's next big money-making venture, the MLB Channel, coming to a television near you around the 2009 season."
And therein is the true genesis of this all, MLB's wish to have what the NFL has. And yet, the MLB channel would exclusively be on DirecTV as well, which might or might not give it more viewers than the NFL's difficult-to-unearth diamond it has on its hands. I can only hope we can be offered such can't miss programming such as "The George Mitchell Chronicles," and "Bonds on Bonds."
Right, sorry, they actually did that one.
The pivotal question here where the Red Sox are concerned is, could this be worse-timed? Boston was poised to add to its already fervent fan base across the country with the presence of Daisuke Matsuzaka, who was inevitably going to draw in a good number of Japanese baseball fans. Now those fans outside of New England are forced to either get the dish, or miss out on the mania. On the bright side, it'll be like the old days, when the Game of the Week meant something. On the other hand, McCarver hasn't been fired. You could always go out and get XM and merely listen, but that might get old right around Patriots Day.
If they can, or are willing, fans will chuck their cable boxes for the dish. And those that don't, well, MLB won't miss you, not as long as they have their $700 million.
As Tim Lemke writes in the Washington Times blog, "Now, MLB officials know people want their baseball. A Red Sox fan in Cleveland who's been catching their team's games on Extra Innings will NOT give up watching Sox games altogether just because baseball officials are greedy jerks."
Well, most won't. I'd end here by saying it's as simple as going to Circuit City and getting yourself a dish if you want to watch so badly. But for those that simply can't have access to the dish for one reason or another, it's not an option. Then again, neither was watching the Red Sox in Des Moines a decade ago. MLB.tv remains an option, but the product simply has to be better if they expect that to be a viable alternative to the dish.
So, your options:
1. Switch to DirecTV.
2. MLB.tv
3. 162 tabs at the local sports bar
4. XM radio
If all that fails, you'll have to move for Major League Baseball. I'm sure they'll appreciate it. |
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| roadrunner |
| you can get the MLB package for you PC for 79.95, and there are blackout restrictions. |
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| cruz1785 |
| Fuck that. Pick it up Comcast. That shit isn't cool. |
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| Halcyon |
Great.... DirecTV is going to have exclusive broadcasting rights to a sport that can't even get it's act together regarding performance enhancing drugs
Great.... DirecTV is going to have exclusive broadcasting rights to a sport that is almost as unwatchable as bowling
Great.... DirecTV is going to have exclusive broadcasting rights to a sport that hasn't been
"America's Pasttime" since the 70's
Great.... DirecTV is going to have exclusive broadcasting rights to a sport whose comissioner doesn't even have the balls to stand up to player unions
Great.... DirecTV is going to have exclusive broadcasting rights to a sport that is notorious for whining cry-baby players that would rather strike because they only make $2 million a year instead of the $4 million they think they're owed.
It's ok Baseball fans, I'm sure there will be another player strike soon, so DirecTV can lose out on the billions of ad dollars they would have gotten if they were able to show the damn games... I wonder how many whining players will hold out on contract negotiations this year....
Don't you just love "America's Pasttime" sport? |
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| anal hair |
| you only got 1 nut? |
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| Artie'sDadTaint |
I hope Sopcast will work for me, cause I work for my cable company!! I did it for the NFL Network crap!!
-Taint |
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| bluesoul |
Quote: Originally posted by Halcyon
Great.... DirecTV is going to have exclusive broadcasting rights to a sport that can't even get it's act together regarding performance enhancing drugs
Great.... DirecTV is going to have exclusive broadcasting rights to a sport that is almost as unwatchable as bowling
Great.... DirecTV is going to have exclusive broadcasting rights to a sport that hasn't been
"America's Pasttime" since the 70's
Great.... DirecTV is going to have exclusive broadcasting rights to a sport whose comissioner doesn't even have the balls to stand up to player unions
Great.... DirecTV is going to have exclusive broadcasting rights to a sport that is notorious for whining cry-baby players that would rather strike because they only make $2 million a year instead of the $4 million they think they're owed.
It's ok Baseball fans, I'm sure there will be another player strike soon, so DirecTV can lose out on the billions of ad dollars they would have gotten if they were able to show the damn games... I wonder how many whining players will hold out on contract negotiations this year....
Don't you just love "America's Pasttime" sport? |
I know what your saying, but I just like watching my Sox, thats all. I try not to get too political with the Baseball (though its full of it). |
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| bluesoul |
Quote: Originally posted by anal hair
you only got 1 nut? |
Look who's talking, guy who only has ONE anal hair. |
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| Halcyon |
Quote: Originally posted by bluesoul
I know what your saying, but I just like watching my Sox, thats all. I try not to get too political with the Baseball (though its full of it). |
I guess you're right... I just have a problem with Baseball.... I stopped watching it because THEY made the politics become a deterrent to watching it. After the first strike I got pissed... and decided I wouldn't sit around and watch baseball anymore.
The players are a bunch of over paid clowns... they are playing the game to entertain me... and instead they wanted to strike because they felt they weren't getting paid enough...
Way to go... way to fuck your fan base because YOU feel you're not getting paid enough when the typical fan has to spend HIS hard-earned money to buy a ticket (which isn't cheap) or spend money on a sports package (which isn't cheap) only so YOU can shut the whole fucking season down.... and ruin EVERYONE's good time... WAAHHH
I'm just sick of the bullshit player's attitudes in baseball... their attitude's have become larger than the game itself... and the comissioner is too much of a pussy to step up and give these players a piece of his mind....
I'm sorry you won't get to watch your Sox bluesoul... I think everyone deserves to watch every game, no matter what team or sport you follow... it's a game, and all games should be viewable on ANY network... period... |
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| kingofkings |
| damn i love watching baseball. this sux |
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| jay stone |
I posted this in another thread..
Read below its not to late to be heard
I was very disappointed to find this out today...I am gonna try to call Ferrall tonight.
This is what I came up with this evening to make a change...
If you dont want it to leave your cable system..Dont wait until its too late to voice your opinion
I called around till I got the right #
MLB HQ NYC
212 931 7800 ask for PR dept ..tell them you dont want them to leave cable for exclusive on Satelite they will take your zip code and keep track of all callers..
If your team is out of market or you just love baseball and dont want to deal with swithcing or watching on the net then you must call and voice your opinions |
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| Deric |
it makes business sense for them. It doesn't matter how many people see their product, how much money they get is more important.
I have gotten MLB EI via cable for the last 2 seasons and I'm not gonna switch to D*. I have a PC input on my tv and will get it through the internet. |
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