My Letter to the Cardinals and MLB, re: Live Streaming In-Market Games

by musial6 on Mar 4, 2007 4:44 PM EST Comment 28 comments

[I'm posting this here in hopes of getting some dialogue going on this issue]

When are the Cardinals/MLB going to start offering fans the ability to purchase live in-market games streaming over the Internet? Every year you guys reduce the number of games on free television. I attend 40 games a year and I subscribe to the MLB.tv online package. I'm more than willing to pay to watch my Cardinals, but I refuse to be strong-armed into getting cable or satellite.

Why can't you offer a deal on MLB.tv where people can pay a surcharge (say $2/game, or $10/month, or $30/season) and let them watch live in-market games? The surcharge revenue then goes to whoever holds the local broadcast rights in that market.

Television is a media format on the decline. The Internet will be the dominant media in the 21st century. You should focus on making your product available to as many people as possible - that includes people who don't subscribe to cable or satellite who would like to watch their local team play.

Poll

Choose the one which best applies to you

I'm a reluctant cable/satellite customer

7 votes

Shut up and buy a dish you ungrateful bastard!!!

7 votes

I subscribe to MLB.tv already, and would gladly pay more to get in-market games live

11 votes

I subscribe to MLB.tv already, and I get by with the proxy spoof just fine.

6 votes

I don't subscribe to MLB.tv because I can't get in-market games live

10 votes

I'm a happy cable/satellite customer

11 votes

52 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs | Comment 28 comments

Story-email Email Printer Print

Comments

i feel you

musial6.

Future Redbirds

by erik on Mar 4, 2007 5:13 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

speaking of

is it possible to just subscribe to one team? That's what always bugged me. They should allow you to subscribe to one team, instead of paying over $100 for every team. If that option is available, please let me know.

On with the youth movement!

by aet15 on Mar 4, 2007 5:28 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

not so much

http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/subscriptions/compare.jsp?c_id=mlb

The options:

-live game audio of every team
-every game every team, blackout restrictions apply
-every game every team, blackout restrictions apply, with better video quality

What will those MBAs over at MLB think of next?

by musial6 on Mar 4, 2007 5:38 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

maybe

another way to make me not want to give them my money, perhaps? I think that's a safe bet.

I bet $40 subscriptions to one team would sell a heck of a lot better than the full season, every team package.

On with the youth movement!

by aet15 on Mar 4, 2007 6:58 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

If you are reallly going to send that letter....

clean it up and take out the attitude. Television is a medium on the decline is smarmy. Also, don't say you guys.

by Brock20 on Mar 4, 2007 5:39 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

This is an informal letter from an average fan

If I drop the attitude it takes all the fun out of it. I'm not expecting to get anywhere with this - but at least I've said my piece.

I'm just a customer giving honest feedback, not applying for a job.

by musial6 on Mar 4, 2007 5:45 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Fine...

But I'm sure that it is something that MLB will look at or is currently looking at and sending a letter like that sets the issue back while a well thought out letter, taking the crap out might push the issue ahead a bit.

As someone who has worked in public service, a letter from someone counts as a hundred people who feel the same way.

Just a thought.

by Brock20 on Mar 4, 2007 6:49 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Let me just add

I've always thrown in a little attitude every time I've had a complaint with the Cardinals. I'm not sure if it made a difference or not, but the Cardinals exceeded my expectations in handling every serious complaint I've thrown their way. (I didn't go through my usual channels on this because I don't think the organization has much control over it - I'm not expecting a reply because I didn't get a reply the last time I emailed MLB.com about their removal of digital downloads from recent postseasons).

I too deal with complaints on a regular basis at my job and I take a complaint more seriously when they have a valid point and I sense the person is genuinely upset. My attitude is an attempt to convey the fact that I'm legitimately pissed off about this.

by musial6 on Mar 4, 2007 7:16 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Also,

the blackout restrictions are kinda absurd for out of market fans sometimes--if Fox picks up the Cardinals/Royals, Rangers/Astros, and Yankees/Red Sox for the rivalry week of interleague, for example, all three games are blacked out <u>everywhere</u&gt. So, even if my local Fox game is Rangers/Astros, and the Cardinals game isn't available, I still can't watch it on mlb.tv.

That glitch really needs to be fixed.

by Valatan on Mar 4, 2007 6:20 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Agreed

I only encounter the blackout problem when the Cards are playing the Astros, and then I generally can watch on FSN Southwest. The FOX all-day Saturday blackout is the one that pisses me off the most...

"The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge."

by iron duke75 on Mar 4, 2007 8:52 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Living in Chicago..,.

IF I get MLBTV will I only have Cards games blacked out online if they are playing the Chicago teams (because I could then watch them on cable TV...WGN, FSN, CSN, etc.)? How would an out-of-market Cardinals fan be hurt by the whole blackout restrictions of MLBTV?

by Big Rev on Mar 5, 2007 4:44 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

A few reasons:

Not all of us have cable.
As I said in the above post, all national games are blacked out, not just the one being broadcast locally. This happened like four times last season, where a Cardinal game was unviewable by any means in central Texas. Some of this has to do with the Cardinals' recent success leading to them getting picked up nationally more often than they normally would be.

by Valatan on Mar 7, 2007 1:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Ok, thank you Val

What I'm gleaning from your reply is that if I combo Cable with MLBTV I should get all or almost all the cards games.

I'm trying to figure out if it is more cost effective to do this combo as opposed to doing direcTV and the expensive baseball package.

thanks again for the info on the confusing subject for me.

by Big Rev on Mar 9, 2007 3:21 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Television isn't on the decline.

It's reinvented itself to incorporate many of the digital advancements but you have yet to see anything on television the quality of picture that you see on TV.

And that is where the MLB.tv problem lies.

Walk your dog, not Pujols.

by Hardcore Legend on Mar 4, 2007 6:27 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

you've heard of Youtube and Bit Torrent, right?

"It's reinvented itself to incorporate many of the digital advancements but you have yet to see anything on television the quality of picture that you see on TV."

Wait, there's a difference between television and TV?

I need to get out more.

Television is indeed on the decline - just like every other media format other than the Internet. On Television, the individual is at the mercy of the networks when it comes to what and when content is available. On the Internet, the individual is free to choose from a vast array of content at all times.

While you can argue that the Internet lags behind television in terms of video quality, that's going to change as time goes on and 100Mbps consumer grade Internet becomes a reality in this country.

by musial6 on Mar 4, 2007 6:43 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Unless net neutrality ceases

to be the law of the land

by Valatan on Mar 4, 2007 6:46 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah well

If that's the case, we'll have much bigger problems than MLB.tv and it's archaic blackout policies to worry about.

The key is to get the information out there. Once people get a handle on the issue, the answer is clear.

http://www.savetheinternet.com/

by musial6 on Mar 4, 2007 6:53 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Clearly you knew I meant to say internet

and I'm sorry you live in the stone age when it comes to television. Through VOD and even TiVo, you can watch what you want, when you want. 7 of CBS top-rated programs are availble 4 hours after their broadcast to watch 'on demand' in high def through my cable provider. Many of the cable networks also provide their programming for rebroadcast on VOD systems.

YouTube is poor quality and the best qualit bitTorrent downloads are illegal.

When you find something streaming online that is the quality of CBS HD or even ESPN HD, you let me know. Otherwise, the internet is still 10 years away from catching television and through the new 'digital act' passed on all channels being forced to be broadcast in digital format, the gap will continue to get wider.

Walk your dog, not Pujols.

by Hardcore Legend on Mar 4, 2007 7:54 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Quality of programming over Quality of picture

I'm of the opinion that at least 95% of all television is unwatchable. I don't care how clear the picture is, I'm not paying $50-70/month for crappy tv shows, chopped up movies, tons of advertising masked as entertainment, and a bunch of sports programming I won't watch.

Youtube can keep me entertained for hours on end - even with it's shitty quality.

Yes Bit Torrent is illegal - but it does allow me to try out content (tv episodes and music mostly) that I never would have checked out otherwise. I do still buy music and DVDs for bands/movies/tvshows I really enjoy.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying television will be gone in 10 years or anything. My real point is that as time goes on and the amount of digital content available online keeps growing, eventually we won't have any need for the idiot box anymore. We're not there yet, but we're moving in that direction. Hence, the medium of television is in decline.

by musial6 on Mar 4, 2007 10:11 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

The Home Computer: The Next Idiot Box

Thank myspace.com for that.

by liam on Mar 4, 2007 11:58 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

And what internet created content can you find

that has the quality of programming that The Office, 24, Jericho, NCIS, etc don't match up to?

I'm sorry, but the internet has yet to catch up with programming or the picture quality that television has. When the internet begins streaming exclusive hour long dramas in 1080i featuring Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound, then we can have this discussion.

As of now, all the internet is, is a companion for the television.

Walk your dog, not Pujols.

by Hardcore Legend on Mar 5, 2007 12:13 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

All of those shows are available w/out a TV signal

I can get any TV show (in catalog form) on either on DVD or on the illegal torrents - and without a Tivo or DVR - and without the mind numbing commercials to boot.

Once you stop watching televsion, you're life will never be the same. For one thing, you'll find infinitely more time to do other worthwhile things (reading, going outside, etc...), and the computer is equally good for killing time.

and as for the computer becoming the Idiot Box part deux, I concur - except that the programming schedule is being decided by the individual not souless corporations that are constantly trying to sell you shit you don't need. Plus, there's tons of good original content on the Internet that's not available anywhere else.

I know this comes off as preachy, but this country has been brainwashed by television for the better part of the last half century and I'm looking forward to seeing that trend reverse.

by musial6 on Mar 5, 2007 9:37 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Your morality is jaded

it's ok to take from 'souless corporations' by illegally downloading episodes of television shows (or watching inferior picture quality streaming ones) but you lament the corporations for trying to sell you things you don't need?

Yes, it comes off very preachy and a bit 'take to the woods'-ish.

Walk your dog, not Pujols.

by Hardcore Legend on Mar 5, 2007 5:09 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

You misinterpreted my point

I don't lament the coporations for trying to sell me stuff. That's business. I simply think I can select better content for myself than they can.

by musial6 on Mar 6, 2007 2:14 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

For those who have bought in

Any recommendations to a first-time mlb.tv package buyer as to whether the Mosaic (6 games at once) and supposedly better-quality-video package is worth the extra twenty dollars? It's not like I want to feel like a Vegas sports book with all those game feeds going at once, but there is something appealing about the demo...

by jfs on Mar 4, 2007 7:00 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

Can't say for sure

I couldn't get Mosaic to work last season, so I'll probably give it another try this year. I really haven't had a problem with the quality of the picture I get on MLB.tv, but I am intrigued by the idea of a better picture. I expect I'll shell out the extra dough to see how it works. I'm much less interested in watching 6 games at once, but occasionally it might be neat... :-)

"The thousand injuries of Fortunato I had borne as I best could, but when he ventured upon insult, I vowed revenge."

by iron duke75 on Mar 4, 2007 8:28 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Here in the hinterlands...

(AKA Jonesboro, Arkansas) one is already forced to get either cable or sattelite unless one wishes to watch KAIT-TV and nothing else!

Fortunately, the local cable provider realized better than 20 years ago that it would be profitable to provide Cardinals' telecasts... even though the suits at Fox Sports think the entire state of Arkansas is merely an appendage of Texas, and provide us with FSN Southwest rather than FSN Midwest. (All the Rangers and Astros games one can eat... blecch!) Even though our local cable provider has changed four times over those 20 years, the "Cardinal connection" has continued, with games from both FSN and Channel 11. I'm hoping the Cards' switch to Channel 5 for "live local" broadcasts won't affect their availability for the "Cardinal Cable Network."

Now, if I could only get Cards' radio back, so I could listen to Mike and John instead of Dan'n'Al... <sigh>

"A man should live forever, or die trying." -- Mike Callahan

by The Ol Goaler on Mar 5, 2007 10:46 AM EST reply actions 0 recs

MLB

will do whatever gets them the most coin, whether or not it's beneficial to the fans.It's not about us anymore; hasn't been for a long, long time. It's all about the corporate dollar; stadium naming rights, sponsorships, etc. As long as attendance at the parks is up, and it is, despite what all the naysayers are spouting, they won't have any problem with sticking it to the out of market fans.

by cardsrul on Mar 5, 2007 1:33 PM EST reply actions 0 recs