MLB 'S TV Contracts up next year so how should next TV contracts look

[mgsports]

ESPN Sunday/Monday/Friday Evenings and Wednesday Evenings Doubleheader.
TBS or better yet TNT Saturday and Sunday Afternoon's
Tuesday's/Thursday's Nights on MLB Network Fan Night Game with MLB Network crew calling Game and Baseball Coast to Coast on ESPN
Monday's/Thursday's Afternoon's Fox Sports Network
Tuesday's/Friday's Afternoon's CBS Sports Network
Wednesday's Afternoon's and Saturday Nights NBCSP.
World Series on ABC.

 

[FreddyE1977]

Since FOX has essentially wiped their Saturday night schedule in favor of baseball,
I would expect them to try and continue that. Maybe a day/night doubleheader every
Saturday on FOX? It seems they have no interest in producing entertainment programming
for that day.

I would expect one of the new Sports Networks (CBS, NBC or FOX Sports National) to take a
run at ESPN for weeknight games. But the Mother Ship may be hard to beat.

 

[AdamfromPhilly]

Wow....I am nonplussed. Why try to change everything if it's not really broken. How many weekday afternoon are scheduled on Mon, Thurs and Friday (except for the Cubs)??

Here is my thoughts

Sunday day game--stay with TBS (no local blackout).
Sunday day game--TNT (add a 2nd game, perhaps a 4pm EST game-no local blackout)
Sunday nite game--stay with ESPN (tradition continues)

Monday nite game-- NBCSports (spread the wealth)

Tuesday nite game--MLB network with local feeds

Wednesday day game--ESPN (great day for get-ways)
Wednesday nite game- stay with ESPN

Thursday nite game--MLB network (with MLB announcers)

Friday nite games -- NBCSports (this night has not had a lot of national games)

Saturday day games---FOX (duh, this is the MNF for MLB)
Saturday niite games-- MLB network with local feeds


as for the playoffs---make it easy (NBC not NBCSports aka Versus)

Wild Card Games (2) on TBS/TNT
ALDS and NLDS (4) on TBS/TNT/NBC/FOX
ALCS and NLCS (2) FOX and NBC (alternating)
WS FOX and NBC (alternating)

this allows each team to have plenty of national exposure and spreads the wealth.

 

[KeithE4]

...this allows each team to have plenty of national exposure and spreads the wealth.

Trouble is, there is little-to-no national interest - either with viewers or national advertisers - in most MLB teams. The only exceptions are the Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, and maybe the Dodgers, Cardinals, & Giants if they're contending. Baseball is mostly a local-interest sport, not a national one like the NFL.

I'd almost put the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Azusa, and Cuc...amonga in there because of Albert Pujols, but except for him, few outside of Orange County give a rat's you-know-what about that team, no matter how good they are. LA means "Dodgers" just like New York means "Yankees" to non-hardcore fans. The "other" team (Mets, White Sox, Angels, A's) just don't get as much national (read: ESPN) coverage that the so-called "dominant" teams in the four 2-team cities get very often.

A Yankees/Red Sox, Cubs/Cardinals, or Dodgers/Giants game will do well nationally, but a Tigers/Angels, Rays/Twins, or D'backs/Rockies game probably wouldn't.

 

[anotherguyTN]

If ESPN/ABC sould get a deal for Saturday night games it would make sense since they already have Saturday night college football, and it would be another step toward having Saturday night sports year round. All they would have to do is add NBA basketball and NASCAR since they already have deals with them.

 

[mgsports]

Don't forget College Basketball on Saturday Nights on ABC.
Sometimes White Sox,Royals,Braves play in Afternoon.
No National Feed on MLB Network. NBATV does it and should have their own crews calling exspecailly on FAN Night.

 

[PandoraRocks730]

I don't think Monday nights will work for nbcsportsnetwork cause of hockey! Put it Saturday night for baseball games?

 

[anotherguyTN]

With ABC and occasionally CBS doing college football and Fox doing MLB baseball I think that the networks are possibly realizing that sports may do better on Saturday nights than reruns and reality shows. If regular prime time shows aren't working why not?

 

[Sammi Brie]

With ABC and occasionally CBS doing college football and Fox doing MLB baseball I think that the networks are possibly realizing that sports may do better on Saturday nights than reruns and reality shows. If regular prime time shows aren't working why not?

Nothing new: NBC had some summer primetime games in the 1980s when they had baseball.

 

[Tim from Springfield IL]

With ABC and occasionally CBS doing college football and Fox doing MLB baseball I think that the networks are possibly realizing that sports may do better on Saturday nights than reruns and reality shows. If regular prime time shows aren't working why not?

Nothing new: NBC had some summer primetime games in the 1980s when they had baseball.

And ABC did the same thing during the '70s and '80s with "Monday Night Baseball." Plus during the ill-fated Baseball Network experiment on ABC and NBC during 1994-95, I recall some prime-time games (particularly Thursday nights, maybe Saturday nights but I'm unsure of the latter).

 

[TroyG]

I think MLB should belong to NBC-Its rightful network, like The NFL has been belonged to CBS for so many years. I think ESPN should be showing some MLB playoff games-with TBS, while TBS alternates its coverage with NBC-NBC getting The AL playoff games & TBS The NL playoff Games in odd Numbered years, NBC getting the NL Games & TBS the AL Games in even-numbered years-And vice-versa. Also, the All-Star Game would go to ESPN in 2014, and The MLB Game of the week would start at 12noon instead of 3PM because hot weather WILL become a major issue. It's 2012, the new 10-year deal would be in place-but anything could happen after the 2013 season.

 

[fussbudget]

"Baseball Night in America" on the Baseball Network was primarily on Saturday nights at 8:00 p.m. EDT, or 8:00 p.m. PDT when west coast teams were featured.

 

[Irishfl]

I fully expect Comcast/NBC to dive into the baseball contracts. Comcast wants more big 4 programing for its NBC network, and they already know how to cover baseball with the several RSN's they have.

I wouldn't be surprised if we see a deal similar to the first contract fox had when they started up all those FSN's to have a baseball monopoly in many cities on the sport. I could see them going after the fox Saturday, All start, 1 LCS, & WS package for NBC. I see them taking TBS's Sunday day, LDS's, & 1 LCS for NBC sports net, & maybe even if they have any extra money ESPN's Sunday night, & Wednesday Night's package, but thats more a longshot.

 

[onairb]

"Baseball Night in America" on the Baseball Network was primarily on Saturday nights at 8:00 p.m. EDT, or 8:00 p.m. PDT when west coast teams were featured.

In 1995, the only year they finished the season schedule, it was Saturday nights on ABC(with a couple of Mondays thrown in) and Fridays on NBC. There were some Thursday night games in the next contract, aired on FSN.

 

[notalkallstatic]

I put money on Turner Sports picking it for TBS/TNT and even TruTV. (They have already being doing college basketball via CBS, so why not?)