Major League Baseball joins Comcast and DIRECTV, Says Antitrust Exemption Bars Challenge to Its TV D

[dfergie]

On Tuesday, Major League Baseball, Comcast and DIRECTV took turns getting ready for the upcoming baseball season by asking a federal judge in New York to give them a win in a class action lawsuit that raises antitrust concerns over sports broadcasts.

hollywoodreporter.com

 

[Tampa8]

Overall I side with MLB. First, I don't find the cost of all the out of market games too high. You are talking about 165 games X all the teams minus your local, and a tremendous app. It's portable and available on just about anything. You also can listen to any game on XM radio. I can't watch just any Football game I want unless I subscribe to Direct TV, (Or perhaps visit a bar) so lets not talk about antitrust until that is discussed.

BUT - and this is probably the root of the problem, if you do not subscribe to Cable or Satellite even with the online package you can't watch your local team. (Legally) That is the black hole in the system. I don't know why you couldn't get your RSN's feed with all commercials just like you would if you did have Cable or Satellite in the MLBEI package.

I also agree that the lawsuit seems to assume magically you would simply get whatever game you want, that there would be no boundaries for teams, or there wouldn't be and added cost, possibly greater than the avenue now available.

 

[mikew]

I present the most ridiculous of all internet blackouts for MLB. The San Diego Padres claim part of Arizona as their "home territory". I live 10 miles from Chase Field. The Padres claim any zip code that begins with 853xx. I live just south of the Salt River, which puts me in 85339. If I lived a 1/2 mile north or east, I would be in 850xx. Since I am definitely part of the Phoenix market, I have a hard time understanding why I would be blacked out of Padres games. Since cell phones grab your location down to the centimeter, I cannot watch a Padres game on my cell phone from home. If I travel 1/2 mile, I'm good. I have submitted my issue to MLB, San Diego Padres and Fox Sports San Diego. None of them will even speak to me. I hope the courts hand all three of them a rotten egg. See map and look at the West side of Phoenix. This is where the imaginary line begins.

http://phoenix.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Phoenix-Zip-Code-Map4.png

 

[Tampa8]

It's your fault you need to move.








JUST KIDDING!!!!!! Yes that is about a ridiculous as it gets. I don't understand why it isn't an overlap like my situation. I am in the Red Sox DMA, (the one that really matters....) and also in the Yankees DMA, AND the Mets DMA. Why wouldn't they overlap you?

 

[mikew]

It's funny. I can watch the Padres on EI with DirecTV. I can watch them on MLB.tv with PS3 or Xbox, but I can't on the cell phone because of location services. I am a Giants fan in AZ, so when they play the Padres, I get a little irritated.

 

[bruin95]

I don't know why, but I don't get blacked out of any games ("home" teams included) when I watch via the Roku box. It's been that way the past several years. Anyone else having a similar experience?

 

[mikew]

Based on Sin City, you will be blacked out on ... Giants, A's, DBacks, Dodgers, Angels, and Padres. The good news, you get all of them on DirecTV without a sports package (except the DBacks). If you pay the extra $12 for Sports Pack, you also get the DBacks. All other games should be in the clear on the ROKU. Las Vegas is one of the worst online teams for MLB. The only games you can watch in the evening are those with the Mariners (unless they are playing one of the six teams listed).

 

[Adamv2]

BUT - and this is probably the root of the problem, if you do not subscribe to Cable or Satellite even with the online package you can't watch your local team. (Legally) That is the black hole in the system. I don't know why you couldn't get your RSN's feed with all commercials just like you would if you did have Cable or Satellite in the MLBEI package.

If you live in Philly you can't get Phillies games unless you have comcast or fios. Even spring training games on mlb network appear to be getting blacked out now. In the past when MLBN would simulcast CSN Philly, you could actually watch it on directv, but Wednesday game got blacked out here.

Surely there should be exemptions in place.

 

[bruin95]

Based on Sin City, you will be blacked out on ... Giants, A's, DBacks, Dodgers, Angels, and Padres. The good news, you get all of them on DirecTV without a sports package (except the DBacks). If you pay the extra $12 for Sports Pack, you also get the DBacks. All other games should be in the clear on the ROKU. Las Vegas is one of the worst online teams for MLB. The only games you can watch in the evening are those with the Mariners (unless they are playing one of the six teams listed).

Like I said, I get EVERY game via the Roku box. No blackouts. Why this is, I have no clue, and I really don't care. I just sit back and enjoy it.

 

[DS0816]

Monday (March 3) and Tuesday (March 4), the weather here was under 10 degrees for much of both days. I will be amazed to actually get past 40 degrees, and be held, let alone reach the regularly scheduled Major League Baseball season.

Given Comcast's deal with Time-Warner Cable, I trust pretty much nothing from that company.

 

[king3pj]

Overall I side with MLB. First, I don't find the cost of all the out of market games too high. You are talking about 165 games X all the teams minus your local, and a tremendous app. It's portable and available on just about anything. You also can listen to any game on XM radio. I can't watch just any Football game I want unless I subscribe to Direct TV, (Or perhaps visit a bar) so lets not talk about antitrust until that is discussed.

BUT - and this is probably the root of the problem, if you do not subscribe to Cable or Satellite even with the online package you can't watch your local team. (Legally) That is the black hole in the system. I don't know why you couldn't get your RSN's feed with all commercials just like you would if you did have Cable or Satellite in the MLBEI package.

I also agree that the lawsuit seems to assume magically you would simply get whatever game you want, that there would be no boundaries for teams, or there wouldn't be and added cost, possibly greater than the avenue now available.

The bold section is the part that bothers me. I pay the same $130 for MLB.tv as any other Tigers fan. As a cord cutter living in Michigan, they give me no way to watch Tigers games live without looking for illegal streams or circumventing their blackout rules by hiding my location. Come on MLB, I pay you a decent chunk of change every year for MLB.tv. Quit making it so hard for your paying supporters to follow their teams. I choose to go around their blackout checker because I pay good money for their service and I have never turned to illegal streams for any of my entertainment.

The only part of your post that I disagree with is that I don't think what I'm doing is illegal. It's definitely against the MLB.tv terms of service but as far as I know it isn't against the law. I'm sure they could cancel my account if they wanted to and keep me from ever being able to give them that $130 again. I don't see how using a service to change my location on the internet so I can watch my favorite team on MLB.tv is any more illegal than Dish/Directv customers "moving" to get a different RSN. Those people are breaking the Dish/Directv terms of service too but most people here don't seem to view that as breaking the law.

I didn't post that to attack what you wrote or start an argument about it. I just think it's an interesting subject. Maybe I'm completely wrong and the MLB blackout rules actually are written into the law somewhere. If someone knows more about it I'd love to hear about it before the black cars show up at my house.

 

[king3pj]

I don't know why, but I don't get blacked out of any games ("home" teams included) when I watch via the Roku box. It's been that way the past several years. Anyone else having a similar experience?

When we used to have AT&T DSL at work the Tigers weren't blacked out like they should have been. They were blacked out at my house in the same town and the Tigers claim the whole state as their territory. There was just some glitch with the IP AT&T was giving us. As soon as we switched the business to Charter internet the blackouts worked as they should. I think the MLB just has a few glitches in their location data. Consider yourself lucky. I have to pay $5 per month to get outside the blackout zone.

 

[Tampa8]

Well well well. They may be addressing exactly what I posted about and others have commented on.

http://nypost.com/2014/03/07/mlb-pressed-on-mobile-rights-to-local-games/

That would be a game changer. Pun intended.

 

[Tampa8]

The only part of your post that I disagree with is that I don't think what I'm doing is illegal.

You took my use of illegal too literally!! I 100% agree it isn't illegal in that sense, no more than moving just as you point out.

 

[dfergie]

Well well well. They may be addressing exactly what I posted about and others have commented on.

http://nypost.com/2014/03/07/mlb-pressed-on-mobile-rights-to-local-games/

That would be a game changer. Pun intended.

Good find!

 

[Adamv2]

Well well well. They may be addressing exactly what I posted about and others have commented on.

http://nypost.com/2014/03/07/mlb-pressed-on-mobile-rights-to-local-games/

That would be a game changer. Pun intended.

Except this wouldn't mean locals games would be offered thru MLB.tv or extra innings. You would still need a cable/sat package that included your local RSN, and then thru their mobile/tablet app you would be able to watch the local games. Sorta like HBOGO, or the watch abc. You need your cable/sat account login inorder to access the content. In the case of Philly direct/dish customers this would still mean no way of watching local Phillies games...unless maybe you have a friend with comcast willing to share his account login. Same applies to all other cord cutters.