More free nationally televised Twins games!

[Brock Beauchamp]

18 hours ago, DJL44 said:

Some days I'm surprised the people who post here are able to login to TwinsDaily.

I literally coded over half of the website that you're calling me stupid on. Technological issues aren't the problem. Increased fragmentation, device-strangled apps, and jumping through more and more hoops every year to watch a ****ing Twins game is the problem, all the while MLB's viewership is swirling down the drain.

[DJL44]

14 hours ago, USAFChief said:

Yup, Further splintering the methods needed to watch the Twins is not the answer.

So, you're opposed to nationally televised games? There's going to be a game for free on FOX this summer. Is that a pain for you as well?

More free, nationally televised baseball games is better in my opinion.

[Vanimal46]

On 5/14/2024 at 7:24 AM, Riverbrian said:

This is going to sound like a bitter old man talking but... not out of bitterness... out of pure principle.

I’m right there with you on every point you made in your post. All of us could pirate the content. It’s easy to find in a Google search. As you said, it’s out of pure principle. At this point, I don’t want to support an organization that is shutting out a significant percentage of people from their content. I’m also not going to spend $80 a month to gain access to 1 channel. 

The choice is yours, MLB… I’m doing other things now instead of watching baseball. So will my 80 year old aunt that can’t load a webpage, let alone figuring out which streaming platform to click on to watch the Twins. 

[Vanimal46]

14 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

So, you're opposed to nationally televised games? There's going to be a game for free on FOX this summer. Is that a pain for you as well?

More free, nationally televised baseball games is better in my opinion.

Come on. You know there is a significant difference between a game on FOX, over the air TV, vs. an app. 

[DJL44]

25 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

Come on. You know there is a significant difference between a game on FOX, over the air TV, vs. an app. 

Yes, an app has guaranteed availability anywhere you can get Wi-Fi while over-the-air TV requires a broadcasting tower in your neighborhood and an antenna to receive it.

The NFL fragments it's coverage ALL THE TIME but no complaints because the games are always available for free in local markets. NBA playoff coverage for the Wolves has switched between ESPN and TBS/TNT in the SAME SERIES. I can watch the road games on MAX (if I can actually stay up that late in the evening with the 9:30 start time) but I can't watch the home games (the ones that are actually on at a reasonable hour) because they're on a different streaming service.

This doesn't happen with just sports. To watch South Park you need both Paramount and MAX. Watching the full run of Pokemon cartoons requires 8 different streaming services.

[Vanimal46]

2 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

The NFL fragments it's coverage ALL THE TIME but no complaints

You’re joking, right? There was a major uproar about a playoff game being shown exclusively on Peacock last year. 

[DJL44]

2 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

You’re joking, right? There was a major uproar about a playoff game being shown exclusively on Peacock last year. 

I do remember that now. Forgive me for not paying that much attention to the NFL. Did people have to pay for Peacock or did they show them for free on the app?

Do I remember correctly that Gopher basketball games were split between Peacock and Big Ten Network this year?

[Vanimal46]

10 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

I do remember that now. Forgive me for not paying that much attention to the NFL. Did people have to pay for Peacock or did they show them for free on the app?

Do I remember correctly that Gopher basketball games were split between Peacock and Big Ten Network this year?

People at the very least had to sign up for the 7 day trial and remember to cancel it in time. NFL is not immune to complaints about fragmenting their content. People still refuse to get Amazon Prime for Thursday Night Football. Still, probably 75% of their total games are on OTA channels FOX, ABC (there were several weeks where both ESPN and ABC broadcast MNF at the same time), CBS, and NBC. 

I’m not sure about gophers bball I don’t follow them. 

[Riverbrian]

42 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

I’m right there with you on every point you made in your post. All of us could pirate the content. It’s easy to find in a Google search. As you said, it’s out of pure principle. At this point, I don’t want to support an organization that is shutting out a significant percentage of people from their content. I’m also not going to spend $80 a month to gain access to 1 channel. 

The choice is yours, MLB… I’m doing other things now instead of watching baseball. So will my 80 year old aunt that can’t load a webpage, let alone figuring out which streaming platform to click on to watch the Twins. 

In my case... it isn't just my decision. 

My wife doesn't watch much baseball but my wife has a say in the entertainment coming into our world. 

I know... I'm a softy.    

If I end up cutting the cord over this and I'm preparing to. I've got to make sure that whatever we do works for her.

At the moment... I'm not going to uproot our world over a couple of companies staring at each other across a table.

I'm waiting for the permanent move and that permanent move should have occurred this off-season. 

I absolutely blame the Twins for putting me in this position... even if just a temporary disruption.

When they come back... I may not be. My wife and I will decide when the details are revealed.    

[USAFChief]

37 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

This doesn't happen with just sports. To watch South Park you need both Paramount and MAX. Watching the full run of Pokemon cartoons requires 8 different streaming services.

Heh.

Examine that statement, closely. 

 

 

[USAFChief]

40 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

Do I remember correctly that Gopher basketball games were split between Peacock and Big Ten Network this year?

You remember correctly. And all it accomplished was to decrease the number of people able to watch, and piss them off. I know, because I was one of them, and complaints were loud and numerous on Gopherhole. 

 

Peacock isn't free, BTW.

Splintering coverage is a stupid idea.

 

 

[Mike Sixel]

3 hours ago, TwinsDr2021 said:

I will add my son decided not to watch the game last night, after seeing the starting lineup, he said to me another game where the hottest guys are not playing, then he asked me to tell him with Soto and Judge where up. As a baseball fan their are a couple of options to say to him, one that is to say you are just not smart enough to understand the genius of baseball or try to explain why the Twins set the lineup that way and that Margot somehow is in the game is an advantage, neither are great ways to lure the next generation to the game.

That has nothing to do with fancy stats. 

[Mike Sixel]

I guess I thought more free games was a good idea..... Apparently not? 

[bean5302]

16 hours ago, Vanimal46 said:

Yep, it is. Rob Manfred can go pound sand. 

Why is this Manfred's responsibility? To be honest, I've been pretty happy with Manfred's stewardship over the past couple years. The game is better than it's been in 15+ years, and it's been accomplished in the most difficult environment MLB has faced in 20+ years.

Dave St. Peter decided to choose Bally Sports North or was simply unable to negotiate in any successful way with a potentially different set of partners. The Twins could have taken the disastrous experience with Bally Sports and gone in a different direction this year, but they decided to double-down on a unreliable and intensely hated business partner. It's not like the organization didn't cut payroll with the specific intent to shield themselves from a drop in TV revenue. 

Bally Sports North has much bigger negative impact on the franchise's fan engagement than signing Trevor Bauer would have.

[Vanimal46]

5 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

I guess I thought more free games was a good idea..... Apparently not? 

It is until it’s no longer free. Apple TV games last year started out free then you had to subscribe. 

[Mike Sixel]

Just now, Vanimal46 said:

It is until it’s no longer free. Apple TV games last year started out free then you had to subscribe. 

Different things.... People here seem to be complaining they are free, but on the wrong app....

Don't get me wrong, baseball broadcasting is broken..... We all agree on that. 

[USAFChief]

8 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

It is until it’s no longer free. Apple TV games last year started out free then you had to subscribe. 

And those of us who had ALREADY paid for those games lost them, and were expected to pay for yet another service. 

There is zero chance Roku ends up free, BTW.

Streaming services aren't free, at least not for long.

 

[DJL44]

47 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

Peacock isn't free, BTW.

Splintering coverage is a stupid idea.

Peacock has (had?) a free "tier" that shows a limited amount of programming. Maybe they stopped doing that.

Splintering coverage is a stupid idea if you care about the fans actually being able to watch your games. Selling games to as many broadcasters as are interested using a Dutch auction is going to generate the most short-term revenue. From that angle it's a great idea. The NFL just announced further fragmentation of their games. Some streaming services are getting just a single game in their "international series" where they know the local fans for both teams will be unable to attend in person.

At least they don't change which radio station they broadcast on from game to game.

 

[DJL44]

36 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

Dave St. Peter decided to choose Bally Sports North or was simply unable to negotiate in any successful way with a potentially different set of partners. The Twins could have taken the disastrous experience with Bally Sports and gone in a different direction this year, but they decided to double-down on a unreliable and intensely hated business partner. It's not like the organization didn't cut payroll with the specific intent to shield themselves from a drop in TV revenue. 

Bally Sports North has much bigger negative impact on the franchise's fan engagement than signing Trevor Bauer would have.

Agreed, but that doesn't have anything to do with how MLB parcels out its exclusive, nationally broadcast games to ESPN, FOX, Apple, MLB Network, TBS and now Roku.

[bean5302]

2 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

Peacock has (had?) a free "tier" that shows a limited amount of programming. Maybe they stopped doing that...

 

This is how streaming services have operated for years and years now. Buy market share through loss leaders, get people on board with the programming, then jack up the rates. Streaming services almost always start off with weak content for free. Then they add some exclusive, quality content for a few months, then they start price hiking. Users who are in the middle of a series they like or whatever are more willing to pay to continue to watch.

Peacock killed their free version for new users early in 2023 and forced existing users into the paywall in June of 2023.

[bean5302]

3 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

Agreed, but that doesn't have anything to do with how MLB parcels out its exclusive, nationally broadcast games to ESPN, FOX, Apple, MLB Network, TBS and now Roku.

Yeah, that's a different item, and well worth directing some hate towards Manfred. Baseball is doing everything it can to kill it's market. 

[Craig Arko]

I’d venture the root cause of this is when the regulations set up the cable monopolies in the first place. Bad, bad, idea.

[DJL44]

Just now, bean5302 said:

Yeah, that's a different item, and well worth directing some hate towards Manfred. Baseball is doing everything it can to kill it's market. 

Yes. But they aren't doing anything different from the NFL, NBA, NHL or NCAA.

[bean5302]

Just now, DJL44 said:

Yes. But they aren't doing anything different from the NFL, NBA, NHL or NCAA.

https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-broadcasters-settle-tv-lawsuit-c162312178#:~:text=The lawsuit argued that baseball's,their own national television deals.

I suspect we're going to see some more anti-trust lawsuits filed against MLB as they continue to break the intent of the agreements.

[Vanimal46]

4 hours ago, Vanimal46 said:

People at the very least had to sign up for the 7 day trial and remember to cancel it in time. NFL is not immune to complaints about fragmenting their content. People still refuse to get Amazon Prime for Thursday Night Football. Still, probably 75% of their total games are on OTA channels FOX, ABC (there were several weeks where both ESPN and ABC broadcast MNF at the same time), CBS, and NBC. 

I’m not sure about gophers bball I don’t follow them. 

Interesting that this news came out today for the NFL. A new 3 year agreement with Netflix.

So now there are 4 streaming services (Peacock, ESPN+, Amazon Prime, Netflix) broadcasting at least 1 NFL game in 2024. They all want at least a sliver of the pie and rake in a couple thousand extra subscribers who forget to cancel. 

The Roku/MLB partnership indicates the interest and demand from other platforms streaming baseball games… Before this thread began I didn’t know there was a Roku channel. 

[Riverbrian]

When the Bally sales team hits the streets to sell those Twins ad packages. The ratings, number of viewers determine how much they can charge. 

Kinetico pays X amount based upon X amount of households. Comcast has the majority of households. 

Kinetico isn't getting what they paid for and therefore most likely... not paying. 

Most of us don't know what new excuse Travis is going to use to get some water from his neighbors. 

If Kinetico doesn't pay and they shouldn't... Bally can't pay the Twins.

Diamond can't survive this... Yet those blackouts remain while Diamond/Bally delays the inevitable and sets us all free. 

The first step is going to court just to put pressure on Diamond. Getting Diamond to admit they can't survive. 

It's going to take a long time just to get that answer just so MLB can move to the next step toward the eventual goal of getting every single team out of all contracts with Diamond. 

I'm really getting screwed here and I'm really going to be screwed for awhile. Because I'm guessing Diamond is going to take their time. 

[Hubie29]

On 5/13/2024 at 7:45 PM, Benchwarmerjim said:

While not free, Tuesday (5/14) Twins-Yankees game is on TBS

But of course blacked out for me.

[USAFChief]

3 hours ago, Riverbrian said:

It's going to take a long time just to get that answer just so MLB can move to the next step toward the eventual goal of getting every single team out of all contracts with Diamond. 

 

Is that MLB's goal? 

If so, they don't seem very interested in achieving it. MLB (or at least multiple teams) spent all of the last year trying desperately to get Diamond Sports through bankruptcy and back INTO broadcasting games rather than using the bankruptcy as a path away.

[Riverbrian]

Just now, USAFChief said:

Is that MLB's goal? 

If so, they don't seem very interested in achieving it. MLB (or at least multiple teams) spent all of the last year trying desperately to get Diamond Sports through bankruptcy and back INTO broadcasting games rather than using the bankruptcy as a path away.

I can't speak for MLB. My opinion isn't worth much.  

Just guessing that it would have to be the goal. Right now there are 12 teams suffering through this current mess. The Twins have a 1 year deal and some of those 12 teams have deals that extend well beyond this year. 

MLB has recently filed in bankruptcy court that the loss of comcast will be "insurmountable" for Diamond. They are using the court to try to get Diamond to reveal exactly how they can survive this and MLB doesn't believe they can. 

This leaves me to believe that they want off the sinking ship as quickly as possible. 

However... I was sleeping during law school so my opinion isn't worth much.  

[Riverbrian]

26 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

If so, they don't seem very interested in achieving it.

I agree with you and many others that MLB lies in the bed they made.

This train left the station years ago.