maggliopipe Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 I think this thread is sure to test the limits of the profanity filter. Directv has purchased (or is this/close to purchasing) EXCLUSIVE rights to the MLB Extra Innings package for the cost of $700 million over 7 years. Not only does this mean anyone who wants the package will have to switch to Directv, but the very reasonable current cost of ~$150 per season is sure to escalate a lot. Unbelievable. Greedy ass MLB. I'm so pissed off. The single added benefit is that more games are likely to be broadcast in HD. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/20/sports/b...amp;oref=slogin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Lopez's Ghost Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 Well, that truly does suck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joeynach Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 It boggles my mind why they think limiting their broadcasts to Directv only subscribers which is only like 5 or 10 million out of 300 Mil in this country anyway is a good thing. Yes they will get a lump sum of cash but they are making it more difficult to view MLB games for tens of millions across the country, why would they want to do that. Why would they want to limit their exposure to so many fans. Any common sense will tell you this would hurt them in the long run. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 From a business perspective it makes total sense for both sides. MLB will generate far more money in revenue than they would before and DirecTV has another exclusive rights deal that will try to force more people to DirectTV (or those that have to get the package). All in all, its a load of BS. On a sidenote, I'm going to merge this thread with an original post and discussion that started yesterday about this exact subject. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 Well now we know how guys like Gil Meche are worth $10 million per season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mmmmmbeeer Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 I recently switched from Cox Cable to DirecTV when I moved. I can't stand DirecTV...their customer service is horrible, they're expensive, and their tv guide maneuverability is ridiculously slow. Not to mention losing signal from even a weak storm system overhead. They lock you into contracts too. I signed up and I'm stuck with it for 2 years, plus any changes you make to your system (ie, upgrade from dvr to HD tivo receiver) extends your contract another year. Of course, being the baseball fan I am, I'd switch if I didn't already have it. I hate these deals, although it is good from a business perspective it s***s on the fans. The football package is something like $280 so it'll be interesting to see how much they jack the price up on the MLB package. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Chappas Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 Doesn't the cable side simply have to pay a fee to DIRECT TV for the rights. Kind of like Direct TV getting Comcast Sports????? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iguchi=dank Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 (edited) Since I am a DirecTV user, this year with a new move, I'm not mad and will try to give another side of things. Joeynach-There were 750,000 purchases of EI last year... millions of people will not be affected. Also the NFL has a deal that is exactly the same with DTV and have about 3 times the subscribers as EI and their price hasn't gone crazy since the deal was done. Another thing is if you can't get DTV then get the MLB.TV feed, I've had it 2 years straight and didn't mind it at all, if you want it doesn't take a genius to hook up a computer to your tv to watch the internet on your tv also. I could go on, but really I was just reading Joe Sheehans piece about this deal on BaseballProspectus.com and basically agree with him... you need to be a member to read the whole thing.. but its only 5 bucks a month and I enjoy it for that price, great article, and really MLB did this for only 30mill more over 7 years... still alot of money and only diehard Baseball guys who don't have DTV are mad, and these are people who aren't going to abandon the game b/c of it. So rub some dirt on it and stop whining, there are still ways to see the sox if your not in ILL. If your in nashville and want to catch a game, gimme a buzz, b/c I have DTV. Edited January 23, 2007 by iguchi=dank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stocking Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 QUOTE(iguchi=dank @ Jan 23, 2007 -> 01:22 PM) \Another thing is if you can't get DTV then get the MLB.TV feed, I've had it 2 years straight and didn't mind it at all, if you want it doesn't take a genius to hook up a computer to your tv to watch the internet on your tv also. Do what I do and have a family memeber in Chicago hook up a slingbox. One time fee for the slingbox and i have every comcast cable ready channel here in Hi. Bulls, Bears, Blackhawks, Sox everygame with a decent picture. I can even hook it up to an HD box if i want to pay for the comcast reciever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iguchi=dank Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 QUOTE(Stocking @ Jan 23, 2007 -> 01:30 PM) Do what I do and have a family memeber in Chicago hook up a slingbox. One time fee for the slingbox and i have every comcast cable ready channel here in Hi. Bulls, Bears, Blackhawks, Sox everygame with a decent picture. I can even hook it up to an HD box if i want to pay for the comcast reciever. another solid post on my side of things, well done.. slingbox is very smart for diehard fans Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winninguglyin83 Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 What is a slingbox, for the technoogically inept? I have DirecTV. Have had the package for 10 years. It's basically fine -- and not really that expensive. I think it was only $159 last season -- and they take it in four payments. The only annoyances have been that you have to watch the home team announcers (mute button essential for the Twins' games), they only carry the Comcast and WGN games (excluding WCIU or whatever that other channel is) and the picture does disappear during bad weather, which if very annoying if the weather gets bad in the seventh, eighth or ninth inning. But, I'm thinking about the mlbtv.com package this season. Can anybody speak to the pros and cons of Mlbtv.com vs directv? Does that also force you to listen to the feeds from Twinkie Land, the Red Sox and other annoying play by play chumps? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted January 23, 2007 Share Posted January 23, 2007 QUOTE(mmmmmbeeer @ Jan 23, 2007 -> 11:09 AM) I recently switched from Cox Cable to DirecTV when I moved. I can't stand DirecTV...their customer service is horrible, they're expensive, and their tv guide maneuverability is ridiculously slow. Not to mention losing signal from even a weak storm system overhead. They lock you into contracts too. I signed up and I'm stuck with it for 2 years, plus any changes you make to your system (ie, upgrade from dvr to HD tivo receiver) extends your contract another year. Of course, being the baseball fan I am, I'd switch if I didn't already have it. I hate these deals, although it is good from a business perspective it s***s on the fans. The football package is something like $280 so it'll be interesting to see how much they jack the price up on the MLB package. I don't expect a price raise to the baseball package, but the football package has really shot up over the past few years (a lot of it having to do with them now offering all the games in HD for an additional fee, plus the new exclusive rights deal they had cost Direct TV a lot of money). I have Cox and absolutely love it. If I move to my own place I'd probably consider the dish but where I am now we have about 5 tv's (now we only use 3 of them regularly) but the other two are just hooked up to basic (which is free via cable) but if we had direct tv we'd have to have 2 extra boxes (more money) plus you have to buy equipment (we get our HD DVR's for no additional charge, just a 7.95 fee and even after owning for DirectTV you have to pay like 4.99 for each additional tv). Bottom line this is f***ing horrible. Unless Direct TV wants to give me 3 free HD DVR boxes and cut me a deal on my internet as well (since I get that and phone service through my cable company). Please MLB...don't sign the dotted line. QUOTE(winninguglyin83 @ Jan 23, 2007 -> 01:04 PM) What is a slingbox, for the technoogically inept? I have DirecTV. Have had the package for 10 years. It's basically fine -- and not really that expensive. I think it was only $159 last season -- and they take it in four payments. The only annoyances have been that you have to watch the home team announcers (mute button essential for the Twins' games), they only carry the Comcast and WGN games (excluding WCIU or whatever that other channel is) and the picture does disappear during bad weather, which if very annoying if the weather gets bad in the seventh, eighth or ninth inning. But, I'm thinking about the mlbtv.com package this season. Can anybody speak to the pros and cons of Mlbtv.com vs directv? Does that also force you to listen to the feeds from Twinkie Land, the Red Sox and other annoying play by play chumps? The pro's are that you tend to get a couple additional sox games with mlb.tv (that aren't picked up by Xtra innings). But the picture quality on mlb.tv is not that good (its good for being on a computer, but bad when compared to the beauty of watching it on a tv) and ocassionally you'll get connection lags (on MLB's side) that will have the feed stop or skip or do something else funny. I think mlb.tv is a good thing for people that want to watch the games from a computer or who travel a lot (and won't regularly be at home where they can watch on the package). And it is definitely better than the alternative of not being able to see anything. As far as a slingbox, I think its a box that you plug into a tv that somehow connects to the internet and allows you to watch the feed (coming from your TV) through a computer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzie's Accent Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 Terrible. Fans lose again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aboz56 Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 Doesn't really effect me, I have DirecTV. Also I believe my rate is locked in at $159 as long as I continue to subscribe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlaSoxxJim Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 I didn't read the article, but I assume this wouldn't take effect until the 2008 season, right? It's too close to the start of the season to get a deal like this worked out, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chisoxfn Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 QUOTE(FlaSoxxJim @ Jan 23, 2007 -> 08:35 PM) I didn't read the article, but I assume this wouldn't take effect until the 2008 season, right? It's too close to the start of the season to get a deal like this worked out, right? Nope, apparently 07. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlaSoxxJim Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Jan 24, 2007 -> 12:46 AM) Nope, apparently 07. Well that flat out sux then. We finally have our cable, internet and phone service through the same provider and it saves us several hundred dollars a year, so the wife will not be down with switching over to Direct TV. Mybe this will be enough o an excuse to shell out for the AppleTV box so I don't have to futz with plugging a computer into the TV to feed MLBTV broadcasts. The slingbox alternative is intriguing though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Hurtin Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 QUOTE(aboz56 @ Jan 23, 2007 -> 10:32 PM) Doesn't really effect me, I have DirecTV. Same here, but I don't know how I feel about it. I have both the NFL Sunday Ticket and Extra Innings, which will both remain with Directv. I guess it's that it feels like an anchor holding me with Directv. It's not that I have a problem with them, but I would like to have a choice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
G&T Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 QUOTE(FlaSoxxJim @ Jan 24, 2007 -> 12:55 AM) Mybe this will be enough o an excuse to shell out for the AppleTV box so I don't have to futz with plugging a computer into the TV to feed MLBTV broadcasts. The slingbox alternative is intriguing though. I think Apple TV only works for downloaded media, not streaming video. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlaSoxxJim Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 QUOTE(G&T @ Jan 24, 2007 -> 07:49 AM) I think Apple TV only works for downloaded media, not streaming video. I wondered about that, and if there was a way to stream a cached and buffered amount of the stream with a small delay. Probably not. Curses, foiled again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cerbaho-WG Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Jan 23, 2007 -> 04:12 PM) I don't expect a price raise to the baseball package Then you're not noticing the obvious. Extra Innings, like NFL Sunday package, will now be under monopoly control. Supply curve shifts leftward, some people who have Cable, like me, will not switch to DirecTV and demand shifts leftward, but not by the amount that the supply curve shifted. Price then goes up, and because it's a monopoly, by an exorbinant amount. It's really not that hard to understand. That being said, I'll just get an S-Video out cable for my laptop and watch it on my TV. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 I was not aware that the MLB Packagae was on every outlet, cable and satellite, and is just being sold/bought to be exclusive to DirectTV. I though it was just on cable. This reaks of greed. I was pissed off before, now I'm turning green and ripping through my clothes. Someone start an online campaign!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aboz56 Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 QUOTE(Brian @ Jan 24, 2007 -> 09:26 AM) I was not aware that the MLB Packagae was on every outlet, cable and satellite, and is just being sold/bought to be exclusive to DirectTV. I though it was just on cable. This reaks of greed. I was pissed off before, now I'm turning green and ripping through my clothes. Someone start an online campaign!!! DirecTV had the package first, that's where it started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WCSox Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 QUOTE(Chisoxfn @ Jan 23, 2007 -> 09:46 PM) Nope, apparently 07. That truly blows. I basically live in a forest, so it's doubtful that I'd be able to get a satellite signal. I enjoyed Extra Innings over Comcast last year, but apparently I won't be able to again. I had DirecTV a couple of years ago and thought that their customer service was very good. That said, the response time of changing channels/menus was slow at times and the signal would go out for 30-45 minutes at a time during heavy rain. I liked DirecTV, but don't have much love for satellite TV. It's an inferior medium. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longshot7 Posted January 24, 2007 Share Posted January 24, 2007 whew........... the title got me afraid, but now I can breathe. I have DirecTV too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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