MLB settles - a big win for cord-cutters

[Brock Beauchamp]

http://abcn.ws/1Su0r2j

 

Huzzah!

 

It's not perfect, as you still need a cable connection or a proxy to view local games but it's a step forward.

[nicksaviking]

Ok, so will I or won't I be able to watch games online by 2017?

 

I ask because if I can I will surely be fired.

[Squirrel]

Yay! I can buy a single team package? So just Twins games, and for a lot less?

[Vanimal46]

Pretty pumped to read this!! I've been an MLB.tv subscriber the last couple of years to watch the Twins. Glad it's going to be cheaper than the original $110 package

[dgwills]

Well that's good. My main problem is the absurd blackout area though. Where I live the games are blacked out for the White Sox, Cubs, Tigers, and Reds. Even if I get the single team package for the Twins, those games will be blocked out.

[biggentleben]

They had already announced the single team package. Today's settlement added to it the $10 option to allow out-of-market viewers to watch their team's home broadcast for each game, so not a ton of extra.news based on this settlement. Still something more than there was. We still need more to get rid of these ridiculous blackouts.

[DaveW]

I'm excited the overall price has gone down, even with the discount it's worth getting the full "package" for all teams, especially if your team is still in it and you wanna check in on other teams in the division or you like watching some Vin Scully narrated baseball late nights (worth the extra $25 alone IMO)

[Mike Sixel]

Ya, this does nothing for cord cutters. Alas. It also doesn't fix the blackout problem. Really, very little was accomplished here that MLB wasn't already going to do. Awful settlement, imo.

[Otto von Ballpark]

This reminds me of those class-action suits that result in a fairly meaningless coupon.  Offering a smaller MLB.tv package for $25 less isn't that big of a deal.

 

I wonder if teams will start demanding a larger share of MLB.tv revenue based on how many team-only subscription packages they sell?  That could hurt smaller markets.

 

Also, the streaming games for cable subscribers by 2017 is largely meaningless for Twins fans -- FSN will be streaming to cable/satellite subscribers in-market this season, via the Fox Sports Go site/app:

 

http://www.forbes.com/sites/maurybrown/2015/11/19/manfred-announces-3-year-deal-with-fox-to-have-mlb-games-streamed-in-market/#2715e4857a0b5d2fac6163fa

[Otto von Ballpark]

Also, if you are interested in MLB.tv, I recommend not paying full price or letting it auto-renew.  The past few years, if you use your MLB account to watch one of their free games of the day in April, they have sent a 50% off offer in early May.  Not sure if/how that will continue with the single-team-only package, though...

[Vanimal46]

 

Also, if you are interested in MLB.tv, I recommend not paying full price or letting it auto-renew.  The past few years, if you use your MLB account to watch one of their free games of the day in April, they have sent a 50% off offer in early May.  Not sure if/how that will continue with the single-team-only package, though...

Hmm. Thanks for the tip! I did the auto-renew last year (kind of forgot about it until I saw the credit card bill) They tried charging me more than the advertised amount ($125 off the bat) and had to call in and threat to cancel until they lowered the rate. 

[bluechipper]

So it sounds like you can't watch the games for free online with a cable or satellite subscription until 2017, did I read that right?

 

I've enjoyed watching the Timberwolves games through foxsportsgo, and I was hoping they would be doing something similar to that for Twins games this season.

[Brock Beauchamp]

 

Ya, this does nothing for cord cutters. Alas. It also doesn't fix the blackout problem. Really, very little was accomplished here that MLB wasn't already going to do. Awful settlement, imo.

Well, this isn't going to be fixed overnight. There are 30 contracts in place - one for each team's local network - that say this is going to be a long, uphill battle to buy local baseball games without a cable connection.

 

But it's a step in that direction. MLB is going to continue to expand their infrastructure, creating more isolated packages... Ultimately, that will lead to a cable-free solution in the future.

 

When this all unfurls, it will happen in a hurry. We've already seen Showtime chase HBO just months after their Go announcement. A few months after that, Amazon announced Starz and a few other peripheral channels as add-ons. Soon, cable channels will begin to follow in numbers. Once the snowball starts building, it will gain momentum.

[Mike Sixel]

That reminds me, I need to sign on and cancel HBO NOW until GoT is back......

[Vanimal46]

So it sounds like you can't watch the games for free online with a cable or satellite subscription until 2017, did I read that right?

 

I've enjoyed watching the Timberwolves games through foxsportsgo, and I was hoping they would be doing something similar to that for Twins games this season.

I'm surprised you're not able to watch live Twins games on the Xfinity app, DirecTV, or whoever your cable provider is.

[BK432]

 

So it sounds like you can't watch the games for free online with a cable or satellite subscription until 2017, did I read that right?

 

I've enjoyed watching the Timberwolves games through foxsportsgo, and I was hoping they would be doing something similar to that for Twins games this season.

 

Actually, no, if you have a cable/satellite subscription that gets you FSN North, you can watch online starting in 2016. That agreement was signed back in October.

[bluechipper]

 

I'm surprised you're not able to watch live Twins games on the Xfinity app, DirecTV, or whoever your cable provider is.

According to this Forbes article, Twins games will be streamed on foxsportsgo in 2016, so that's some good news that I just learned.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/maurybrown/2015/11/19/manfred-announces-3-year-deal-with-fox-to-have-mlb-games-streamed-in-market/#2715e4857a0b765a1cb563fa

 

I probably should have looked into it more in previous years because I thought foxsportsgo was the only way you could watch their games online.

[bluechipper]

 

Actually, no, if you have a cable/satellite subscription that gets you FSN North, you can watch online starting in 2016. That agreement was signed back in October.

Thanks, I'm really glad to hear this news!