Poll: Extra Innings Consumers

[ghostrunner]

MLB is making money either way, so what do they care?

Because with rights to exclusivity DirecTV also paid for a stake. So I would guess that it's really them getting upset about the cable companies circumventing the consequences, which would be losing customers to DirecTV.

Maybe, but it's still better for DirecTV than if Comcast comes to a deal. Then DirecTV will have paid all this money, and agreed to part ownership of the baseball channel without having the exclusivity.

[haltz]

MLB is making money either way, so what do they care?

Because with rights to exclusivity DirecTV also paid for a stake. So I would guess that it's really them getting upset about the cable companies circumventing the consequences, which would be losing customers to DirecTV.

Maybe, but it's still better for DirecTV than if Comcast comes to a deal. Then DirecTV will have paid all this money, and agreed to part ownership of the baseball channel without having the exclusivity.

I think the entire thing gets restructured if some agreement is reached with InDemand and EchoStar. It's best for DirecTV if things stay the same, and it's best for DirecTV if the cable companies aren't allowed this reimbursement. Who knows though, I have DirecTV so I haven't been following this as closely as others.

[Bo Hart]

As Biz of Baseball reported earlier this evening, the deadline for iN Demand and EchoStar will be pushed out till tomorrow in an effort to allow cable and DISH Networks to continue to show Extra Innings, MLB's out-of-market package for television. As reported by Richard Sandomir of the NY Times:

Tim Brosnan, M.L.B.’s executive vice president for business, said that the deadline would expire at the end of today.

“We continue to talk,” he said, “and we wouldn’t have extended the deadline if we didn’t think we could bring everybody in.”

If a deal cannot be reached, DirecTV will carry Extra Innings exclusively. DirecTV has agreed to make the MLB Channel available to 15 million subscribers in 2009; the league and InDemand have differed over the terms of making the network available to its digital cable subscribers.

InDemand and Dish would like a stake in the channel; for being the first to agree to carry it, DirecTV owns 20 percent.

I can't help but be optimistic about hearing this news.

[Schlich]

As Biz of Baseball reported earlier this evening, the deadline for iN Demand and EchoStar will be pushed out till tomorrow in an effort to allow cable and DISH Networks to continue to show Extra Innings, MLB's out-of-market package for television. As reported by Richard Sandomir of the NY Times:

Tim Brosnan, M.L.B.’s executive vice president for business, said that the deadline would expire at the end of today.

“We continue to talk,” he said, “and we wouldn’t have extended the deadline if we didn’t think we could bring everybody in.”

If a deal cannot be reached, DirecTV will carry Extra Innings exclusively. DirecTV has agreed to make the MLB Channel available to 15 million subscribers in 2009; the league and InDemand have differed over the terms of making the network available to its digital cable subscribers.

InDemand and Dish would like a stake in the channel; for being the first to agree to carry it, DirecTV owns 20 percent.

I can't help but be optimistic about hearing this news.

[jim]

Fingers crossed.

[Bo Hart]

OK, it sounds like they're making progress.

The hangup before was cable matching the "80% of households will have The Baseball Channel" quota that DirecTV has in place; Cable has now agreed to this.

The sticking point now is ownership over The Baseball Channel. MLB has an 80% share of the channel, and they don't appear to be willing to own anything less than that. DirecTV, if the exclusivity deal were to go down, would own the rest of the 20%. Now Echostar and iN Demand want a cut of that. Instead of giving them part of MLB's 80%, the three (DirecTV, Echostar, iN Demand) would each receive a portion of the 20% that DirecTV would have via an exclusive deal. That, from my understanding, is what they are negotiating over now.

Does that make sense? I'm sure I made it a lot more confusing than it had to be.

[stlouie_lipp]

I'm glad I made the switch...this waiting game would be killing me!

[Schlich]

I just recieved an $89.95 credit in the mail for MLB.TV.

Is that still available even if the deal is completed?

[fanforever]

Does anyone have any update?

[jim]

Wondering the same thing. Luckily we have until Tues. for Cardinal coverage, and even if it got done within a week I wouldn't complain too loudly.