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MLB NEW TV DEAL: CBS TO PICK UP MLB?

R

radiojomo

In a recent article in the Sports Business Journal, it has been revealed that Major League Baseball is trying to combine the current Fox and TBS packages into one mega-bundled package.

Fox is trying to bid for the package to place games on Fox and Fox's new planned national sports cable channel, Fox Sports One. Turner also wants to bid for the mega package, with CBS acting as their broadcast partner. CBS would air the World Series, All Star Game and some playoff games, with TBS taking up the rest of the package. NBC is considered the underdog in the bidding, but they would also like to place games on NBC and NBC Sports Net.

How would this change the media landscape and would adding MLB be beneficial to CBS?

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Journal/Issues/2012/09/03/Media/MLB-ESPN.aspx
 
I'd rather see the NBC deal go through, mainly to see Bob Costas back doing the sport he loves and because NBC is a mess that needs every sport it can get to survive, but CBS does have its merits (Jim Nantz calling the World Series? Something I'd love to see). The problem with CBS though is how back-loaded they are with golf coverage on weekend afternoons, which makes the TBS deal a needed part for sure. Plus I would think Les Moonves and the entertainment division is wary about inheriting the problems of the mixed fall schedule launch Fox as right now, as they've continued to reap considerably from being the only network with ABC to maintain the mid-September traditional launch. At least this time unlike 1994 they're not in a struggling position where the MLB deal put them under water and the allusions of it made the NFL on Fox deal a reality.

Fox is a last resort. Their coverage at this point is solely OK (though the Saturday primetime games have been a good aspect), and I don't need another $3 hit on my cable bill by relaunching Fuel (a network nobody literally watches outside of UFC event preliminaries) into a national sports network which will only multiply Fox's problems from its RSNs, which can't schedule outside of live events to save their lives.
 
mrschimpf said:
Fox is a last resort. Their coverage at this point is solely OK (though the Saturday primetime games have been a good aspect), and I don't need another $3 hit on my cable bill by relaunching Fuel (a network nobody literally watches outside of UFC event preliminaries) into a national sports network which will only multiply Fox's problems from its RSNs, which can't schedule outside of live events to save their lives.
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True. It would be very risky for MLB to put their playoff games on a network that hasn't been launched yet. If anything, I would pitch to put the All Star Game, playoff games and weekly marquee games on FX. FX has wider carriage than Speed and NBC Sports Network.
 
I heard tonight that FOX is walking away from the MLB package.

MLB wants to allow Extra Innings and MLBTV to offer the regional Saturday games that are currently blacked out under the FOX system. FOX says the blackout is needed to protect local ad buys on the O&O's.

CBS has to convince MLB that they will not botch it like they did in 1990-3. A partnership with TBS/TNT would work. I would not rule out NBC at this point.
 
Keep inmind, when TBS got the current playoff deal, they didn't have a TBS HD yet. The HD version launched with the playoffs, and many cable systems didn't add it right away.

I'm really surprised NBC is an underdog in all of this. I figured with Comcast already havning a large piece of the pie in baseball...on the RSN side of the sport, that they would want to expand that and add another big 4 sport to NBC sports net. Was really expecting NBC to come out of this like fox did way back when they owned most of the RSN's.
 
Fenway1912 said:
CBS has to convince MLB that they will not botch it like they did in 1990-3.
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It shouldn't take much convincing. Neil Pilson is no longer running CBS Sports. They've improved ever since.
 
mrschimpf said:
Fox is a last resort. Their coverage at this point is solely OK (though the Saturday primetime games have been a good aspect), and I don't need another $3 hit on my cable bill by relaunching Fuel (a network nobody literally watches outside of UFC event preliminaries) into a national sports network which will only multiply Fox's problems from its RSNs, which can't schedule outside of live events to save their lives.
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I thought the idea was to rebrand Speed, precisely for its wider availability in cable carriage.
 
bostonmediaguy said:
Is the Fox package still regional games? How would TBS handle that aspect?
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It can be done using multiple transponders. ESPN and MLB Network are currently running split feeds. Obviously it is easier for a broadcast network to do it but it can be done.
 
Don't forget ABC might want to get in deal because could give ESPN more games and maybe MLB Network would want to call more Live Games then just one a week.
Right know Chris Rose works for FOX/MLB Network and NFL Network.
 
mgsports said:
Don't forget ABC might want to get in deal because could give ESPN more games and maybe MLB Network would want to call more Live Games then just one a week.
Right know Chris Rose works for FOX/MLB Network and NFL Network.
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Chris Rose is gone altogether from Fox; he's strictly working between the MLB and NFL Networks. Also, since ESPN's new deal with MLB is already a done deal, unless there's something in the contracual language that would allow ESPN to farm-out games to ABC, the Alphabet won't have anything to do with baseball unless it's Little League action.
 
On March 21, 2012 it was announced Matt Vasgersian would become the new pre game host for Fox Baseball.
Also ABC can still get package even with ESPN'S MLB new deal if they want to
TNT/TBS also has Dick Stockton but he has no contract with CBS on TBS/FOX for Baseball and Fox for NFL. Marv Albert,Kevin Harlan,Greg Gumbel fro Baseball.
NBC know has NBC Sports Radio so that's another plus for it. CBS also has CBS Sports Network.
 
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