https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/335256/youtube-inks-deal-to-stream-mlb-games.html
13 games will broadcast on Youtube.
13 games will broadcast on Youtube.
-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
YouTube Inks Deal To Stream MLB Games
- Thread starter Y2kTheNewOldies
- Start date
Hmmm. I assume they mean YouTube TV, which is a subscription package offered by YouTube. This seems to be different from the MLB streaming package, which makes the local broadcast available outside the local area. What do they mean when they say "produced by MLB Network." Does that mean packaged by MLB, they way they repackage local play by play on their channel? Or doing their own unique play by play as they do Friday night with Bob Costas?
I assume this is complementary to their package of games carried on Facebook. The games will be removed from the RSNs, and aired exclusively on YouTube (presumably outside the YouTube TV paywall, since that is not mentioned in the article).
The games are probably being produced by MLB network so that YouTube doesn't have to find talent for such a small package. One criticism of the Facebook games last year was the inexperienced announcing and camera crews.
The games are probably being produced by MLB network so that YouTube doesn't have to find talent for such a small package. One criticism of the Facebook games last year was the inexperienced announcing and camera crews.
So they will be blacked out from viewers who pay extra for a RSN (such as YES), or Extra Innings, or the MLB streaming package?
That doesn't seem fair.
YouTube TV already carries the MLB Network, which broadcasts at least one game seven days a week. This doesn't seem to have anything to do with YouTube TV; it's just plain old YouTube, available to anyone with an internet-connected device.
Presuming that the games are available for free on YouTube (as the Facebook games are), no reason to feel gypped. If it did require a YouTubeTV subscription, that would rightfully annoy folks.
Either way, Fox Sports North is probably annoyed because they wanted to get revenue from that Tuesday night Twins-Royals game.
Either way, Fox Sports North is probably annoyed because they wanted to get revenue from that Tuesday night Twins-Royals game.
The only aggrieved viewers will be those who have a cable or satellite TV setup but, for whatever reason, don't own a computer, smart phone or any other internet-capable device. Probably not enough of these odd semi-Luddites tor MLB to worry about.
If you pay a price for something, and get fewer games as part of that package after you've paid for it, you are getting gypped, regardless if they're free on some other service.
What it requires is either a smart TV or an outside internet box such as FireTV or similar converter so you can watch on the same TV that has cable or satellite. I'd say that's a much bigger number. Watching baseball on the phone isn't the same as a 55 inch HDTV.
Games get moved from RSNs to network TV all the time. It's no big deal. Fans just find the game on the other outlet and don't think about the nickels and dimes they're losing by the game not being on the RSN. Extra Innings has never provided a full lineup of games because games carried by ESPN and FS1 are exclusive to those networks. Again, the EI subscribers who want to watch those particular out-of-market games will just flip to ESPN or FS1 and see the games, not caring one bit that their EI subsciption just lost 1/162nd of its perceived value.
Look I get it, and we've talked about this in other threads, that baseball's national viewership, like that of other sports, is declining, and the MLB is looking for new revenue streams. So they shave a little here for Facebook, shave a little there for YouTube, and they will pay a premium price. Baseball has become a niche genre of sports, and it can use niche platforms rather than the mass platforms it once enjoyed. With all the teams and all the games, they've diluted the product.
The NFL has been far more diluted than MLB. Thursday games have hurt the NFL.
Why only available in the US and Puerto Rico. Japan is a huge baseball market.
Japan allows no streaming of its games on YouTube to anywhere and has never offered a package to MLB TV for U.S. consumption. Could it be that MLB will not allow Japan access to its YouTube streams until Japan opens up its telecasts to the rest of the world? AFAIK, the only way to watch NPB games here is through the various beyond-the-law European streaming sites.
Sometimes a licensee of the MLB can cause confusion with the MLB itself. I ran into that today. I bought the MLB game package from the MLB. I watch my games on an Amazon Fire device. Amazon offers a similar package through Amazon Prime. So when I log in to MLB on my Fire device, it offers me their package. However, I already have my package from the MLB. Turns out the only way to log in to the MLB channel using my MLB password is in Settings, not through the main login site. That is owned by Amazon Prime. Users have to know that, or they may buy the same package twice.
I'm still not sure how all this works. Will all these YouTube "exclusive" games be available for delayed viewing on MLB.TV, or will I have to go to an archive on MLB's YouTube page? Also, my MLB.TV subscription doesn't let me watch Red Sox, Yankees or Mets games live, but I can still watch the Red Sox via NESN on YouTube TV. I assume this won't change. (YouTube TV has no agreement with YES or SportsNet New York, so I have no legal way to see those teams' games without subscribing to cable again.)
I wonder if that will affect whether they run any Yankee or Mets games in their exclusive deal. So far, there are no Yankee, Mets, or Red Sox games announced.
- Status