OTA games on MLB EI

[bjthadj]

So I couldn't help but notice tonight that the WWOR feed of the Yankees/Pirates game was up on extra innings. Makes me wonder why there have been a couple times this season where games that are only being carried on OTA networks aren't on the package. On the game mix channel it will show the score of the game, but in the box says "this game may be available locally."

One such example was a game earlier this year between the Cubs and Pirates. Pirates had no TV and the Cubs were on WCIU. The game wasn't on EI, but was carried on MLB.TV. So what gives? Why are some OTA broadcasts put up on EI when others are not?

 

[Hemi 6.1]

Depends where the games are played.MLB EI blacks out your local teams,so that way you will watch it on your local networks instead.

 

[stoutman]

Fiber feeds to rebroadcast center would be a technical answer why only a few so far.

 

[smaug07]

It would seem as if there is some sort of agreement between DirecTV and WWOR (or the Yankees) to include the OTA Yankees games into MLB Extra Innings. This Friday, the Yankees and Mets are playing, with the only feeds being that of WWOR and WPIX. However, this game is listed on the D* schedule site. From my research it seems as if this is the only OTA feed allowed on MLB Extra Innings. Being a Yankees fan living in New England I'm happy with this turn of events. But I'm still curious as to why no other OTA feed is allowed. The previous reply regarding fiber feeds does not make sense to me because the other sports packages, NBA, NHL, and MLS Direct Kick, all use OTA feeds to supplement RSN broadcasts. I will admit the value of MLB has substantially gone up thanks to the additions of Comcast Philly, San Diego Channel 4, Canada's Rogers Sportsnet, and now WWOR, but it still baffles me why they can't just get it right and offer all games like MLB.TV does. Another annoyance is the Saturday afternoon blackout of 1:00 EDT games. Most Yankees games played on Saturday (that are not on FOX) start at 1:00, and are blacked out on the Extra Innings package. Since FOX does not start their games until 3:55, I do not understand why the 1:00 games need to be blacked out at all. What possible harm does watching 2 hours and 55 minutes of a game before greedy FOX's national broadcast do? This Saturday I will be forced to watch a very snowy broadcast of the Yankees-Mets game on a Connecticut station that is 85 miles away and is interfered with by the digital broadcast of a closer station. Thanks FOX for (a) not putting the Yankees-Mets game on your broadcast, and (b) making it virtually impossible to watch the game. Just needed to vent a bit!

 

[bjthadj]

Good call on the extra value with Cox San Diego, Comcast Philly, etc. I'm completely happy with MLB EI after adding D*, but I'd still love to see the Dodgers and/or Angels games on KCAL/KCOP, or the Giants games on KTVU as a couple examples. It seems really odd to me that D* would ONLY have such an agreement with WWOR. Does it maybe have something to do with the fact that YES produces these games, whereas other OTA broadcasts are produced seperately from the RSNs?

 

[smaug07]

I doubt if YES producing the WWOR broadcasts would be a factor. After all, each television contract is negotiated separately by Major League Baseball. It is true that YES produces the telecasts and then sells the rights to WWOR, but WWOR is still an off-the-air station in the New York City market and the telecasts are not being shown on YES anywhere in the market, as far as I know. There are some circumstances where a simulacast of an off-the-air broadcast to a RSN has appeared on the MLB Extra Innings package. This occurs every once in awhile with the Minnesota Twins and one of the Texas teams (the Rangers, I think). This occurs when the local market of a team is showing the game on a local OTA station, while the rest of the team's territory is viewing it on the local RSN. This used to occur here in the Boston market a few years back when WSBK, UPN 38, would air the game locally in the Boston market, but the local RSN, NESN, would air the game to the rest of New England. The game would still appear on Extra Innings, but was shown via NESN. The situation in New York is different, in that, although YES is producing the games for WWOR, the telecasts are exclusively on WWOR (and any other simulcasting OTA stations in the New York area). Well, I'm certainly baffled, but I am enjoying the extra bonus games and hope they will continue!

 

[T_N_T]

I got the WWOR feed as well, and I was just curious, being a Cleveland Indians fan, if the game was on NBC WKYC Channel 3 in Cleveland, when they are playing at home, would the WKYC feed be shown or would the away team feed be shown?

 

[smaug07]

I got the WWOR feed as well, and I was just curious, being a Cleveland Indians fan, if the game was on NBC WKYC Channel 3 in Cleveland, when they are playing at home, would the WKYC feed be shown or would the away team feed be shown?

As of right now, the only off-the-air feed allowed is WWOR (for some unknown reason). Therefore, if the Indians were playing at home and the game was televised by WKYC, the Extra Innings feed would be the road team's feed, if there was one available via Regional Sports Network. If the Indians were playing at home vs. the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, for example, and the game was on WKYC, and the Devil Rays feed was their local Ion affailiate (which happens a lot), then the game would not be offered in Extra Innings.

And one note, a quick check of cable's Indemand Extra Innings schedule now lists cable as well as DirecTV has having the WWOR feeds. So this deal is not just exclusive to D*. My question is why no other off-the-air feeds are allowed? And how did WWOR manage to make a deal while other stations did not? Does anybody have any ideas?

 

[stoutman]

fiber to the rebroadcast center still fits, but I do not know for sure. Fiber for cox, rogers and so forth took awhile this season. Maybe more is coming.

 

[cariera]

As of right now, the only off-the-air feed allowed is WWOR (for some unknown reason).

Not true. Earlier this year I saw the Brewers v. Padres on MLBEI using the WMLW feed.

 

[T_N_T]

When did I get in the Indians home territory? Even though I get MLB EI the games have been showing up on the channel 657 STO and the MLB EI channel.

I live in the 37066 zip.

 

[smaug07]

Not true. Earlier this year I saw the Brewers v. Padres on MLBEI using the WMLW feed.

WMLW's broadcasts have been simulcasted on FSN Wisconsin this season, and because FSN Wisconsin is a Regional Sports Network, these games have been offered on Extra Innings.

Some teams do offer a simulcast of off-the-air broadcasts on their RSN, such as the Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins, and I think the Seattle Mariners.

The difference with the WWOR scenario is that the WWOR games are not simulcast on any RSN, and therefore, are true off-the-air telecasts. And to the best of my knowledge these are the first such OTA broadcasts in Extra Innings in many years.