Baseball Musings
Baseball Musings
February 27, 2007
Mixed Media Message

There seems to be conflicting information on the DirecTV exclusive:

One source familiar with negotiations said he now believes that the Extra Innings package will remain available to all three services.

"I'd be surprised if the DirecTV deal goes through," he said.

It seems the cable companies are becoming willing to carry the baseball network:

But after initially rebuffing the MLB demands for carriage of the Baseball Network, the cable operators are now coming around, according to the industry source.

"There will be a commitment to carry the Baseball Network (on cable)," said the industry official. "Where it will be placed, that still needs to be sorted out."

However:

Another source with the league said he was not aware of any shift away from plans to go with an exclusive deal for DirecTV. But talks have lingered for months without an official announcement even as baseball's opening day draws near.

The longer this goes on, the more I think this deal was designed with the same goal as contraction. Put something out on the table the MLB doesn't want to do, but be serious about the plan and use it as leverage to get what you really want. It's the used car salesman in Bud at work.

Thanks to Jan for the tip.


Posted by David Pinto at 10:29 AM | Broadcasts | TrackBack (0)
Comments

This is some of the best news I've heard all day.

Posted by: robustyoungsoul at February 27, 2007 12:37 PM

Let's hope it's available on cable. And sure, I'd throw a dollar on the table every month for the Baseball Channel. I can stop any time I want to. Really. For sure.

Posted by: rbj at February 27, 2007 01:44 PM

Baseball would be stupid to sign an exclusivity deal with a TV medium that most people don't have. It would be suicide.

Of course this is a league that has a used car salesman in charge...so it's anyone's guess as to how much logic is used when making these decisions.

Posted by: Oriole Magic at February 27, 2007 03:08 PM

Here in Philly, it cost $3.95/month to get the Versus channel. which only shows hockey content 2 or 3 times a week. i dont know what the NFL Network costs here, but i imagine TBN (The Baseball Network, or Baseball Central) would be as much, or more than $3.95.

Posted by: The Gov'Nah at February 27, 2007 03:37 PM
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