ESPN Signs New Deal With MLB Through '21 Worth An Average Of $700M Annually

[stationless listener]

http://m.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2012/08/28/Media/MLB-ESPN.aspx

As part of the deal, which runs through '21, ESPN retains the rights to "Sunday Night Baseball," its Monday and Wednesday night games and highlights for "Baseball Tonight." ESPN also will carry one Wild Card playoff game, sources said. In its current deal, ESPN does not have rights to any MLB playoffs. ESPN will pick up hundreds of new hours of MLB programming as part of the deal and gets a 13% increase in the number of live games the network is allowed to show. ESPN gains added rights to show games in progress. ESPN also picked up rights to carry games featuring more popular teams, such as the Yankees and Red Sox, more frequently. The new deal virtually eliminates blackouts around ESPN's Monday and Wednesday night games. Historically, those games have been blacked out in the teams' home markets. As part of the deal, ESPN's telecasts will co-exist with local telecasts.

Yes, because they can't show those teams often enough. :

Next up are the packages currently held by Fox and TBS.

 

[AKA]

I wouldn't mind at all if Fox lost the MLB. I've never liked their coverage. It'd be wonderful if NBC was the high bidder on broadcast rights. We'd be able to hear Bob Costas call games on a regular basis again.

 

[stationless listener]

You gotta "love" this quote: http://www.latimes.com/entertainmen...-espndetailsbaseball-20120828,0,4510354.story

ESPN President John Skipper said the cable network's new eight-year, $5.6-billion deal to keep Major League Baseball won't mean it will ask pay-TV operators to pay more to carry the channel.

"We're not going to our distributors to ask for an increase for our content," Skipper said on a conference call with reporters to discuss the new contract.

Yeah, because ESPN already got their pounds of flesh when they renegotiated those carriage deals with the MSO's. So they make their PR move to give the perception that they're doing some favor to the providers.

Put it in other words, companies like Comcast simply paid ESPN to buy up a sports package they would have liked for themselves.

 

[TheBigA]

I wouldn't mind at all if Fox lost the MLB. I've never liked their coverage. It'd be wonderful if NBC was the high bidder on broadcast rights. We'd be able to hear Bob Costas call games on a regular basis again.

Actually you can hear Bob Costas call baseball games right now on the MLB channel. I watch every week.

 

[oldvnewschool]

I'll agree while the deal looks good on paper, the high cost of it means that it will more than likely come out of the consumer that watches ESPN in order to pay

off most of the deal.

However the idea that they only get 1 postseason game out of it seems like a big rip-off. I would've like to see them get half of the LDS or possibly and LCS to

make the huge numbers mean something.

But if it can elimnate blackouts on Monday and Wednesdays that's great.

 

[mgsports]

They get an Afternoon Show and can show in Progress Highlights and Games back on Holiday's but no Afternoon Gmaes or Wednesday Doubleheaders back.
MLB Network needs to do Fan Night Game on Tuesday' with it's own Crew and have it's own Crew call an Afternoon Game andd also use Joe Bukc and Tim McCarver to call a Game on MLB Network.

NBC should get Baseball back.

 

[KML0224]

Please FOX...PLEASE lose your coverage rights of MLB! PLEASE!

As for ESPN, enjoy the $4.70 a month per subscriber that they're getting now. It'll seem like a bargain soon! (I'm so glad I no longer get ESPN!)

 

[DToTheJ]

It'd be wonderful if NBC was the high bidder on broadcast rights. We'd be able to hear Bob Costas call games on a regular basis again.

I thought he called some games for MLB Network.

 

[Nate Wesley]

You gotta "love" this quote: http://www.latimes.com/entertainmen...-espndetailsbaseball-20120828,0,4510354.story

ESPN President John Skipper said the cable network's new eight-year, $5.6-billion deal to keep Major League Baseball won't mean it will ask pay-TV operators to pay more to carry the channel.

"We're not going to our distributors to ask for an increase for our content," Skipper said on a conference call with reporters to discuss the new contract.

Yeah, because ESPN already got their pounds of flesh when they renegotiated those carriage deals with the MSO's. So they make their PR move to give the perception that they're doing some favor to the providers.

Put it in other words, companies like Comcast simply paid ESPN to buy up a sports package they would have liked for themselves.

I am still reading Those Guys Have All The Fun; plenty worth it in case anyone hasn't read it.

More lucky than explicitly superior, this company.

 

[AKA]

I wouldn't mind at all if Fox lost the MLB. I've never liked their coverage. It'd be wonderful if NBC was the high bidder on broadcast rights. We'd be able to hear Bob Costas call games on a regular basis again.

Actually you can hear Bob Costas call baseball games right now on the MLB channel. I watch every week.

I knew that; I just didn't know it was every week (hence my use of the phrase "on a regular basis"). For some reason, I thought he only called games once or twice a season. Learn something new every day.

 

[mgsports]

Tonight Matt D. and John Smoltz are calling the Game.
MLB Network only calls one Game a week and they should also call Friday's and have Tuesday's Game be Fan Night Choice with Greg Amsinger/Harold Reynolds and Dan Pleasc calling the Game.

Also ESPN needs to do MLB32 and Baseball Coast to Coast on Tuesday's.