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Monday, July 09, 2012

Baseball’s Long, Hot Summer

Negotiations for Major League Baseball’s national TV rights deals are likely to be the knottiest in sports media history, as fundamental pricing agreements will be complicated by a host of thorny issues. Renewed interest from a former network partner and a bifurcated linear/digital rights structure could keep baseball at the table throughout the summer. The only certainty is that the cost of doing business with America’s pastime almost certainly will soar.

MLB’s network partners (Fox, ESPN and Turner) last month saw their respective exclusive negotiating windows slam shut, letting NBC make its first official overture to baseball in more than a decade. The world was a simpler place when NBC’s last MLB contract expired in 2000 -— for one thing, NBC was the top-rated network on the tube; for another, it had a lot fewer mouths to feed. And while baseball isn’t going to deliver “ER”-type ratings, that’s not really the point. Instead, sources said NBC is looking at a package to shore up its NBC Sports Network.

Can the peacock outwit the fox?

TerpNats Posted: July 09, 2012 at 11:13 AM | 15 comment(s) Login to Bookmark
Tags: television

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1. boteman Posted: July 09, 2012 at 11:45 AM (#4176945)

The only certainty is that the cost of doing business with America’s pastime almost certainly will soar.

Oh, joy! That means the cost of the MLB Extra Innings package will likely soar as well next year.

Now where did I leave that Slingbox???

2. Matt Clement of Alexandria Posted: July 09, 2012 at 11:48 AM (#4176947)

Blockquote, people. Blockquote.

If it's not your words, it goes in quotes.

Negotiations for Major League Baseball’s national TV rights deals are likely to be the knottiest in sports media history, as fundamental pricing agreements will be complicated by a host of thorny issues.

That is some Friedman level metaphor-mixing. Though he'd have thrown in a reference to the new iPad and either steroids or game changing.

3. puck Posted: July 09, 2012 at 11:57 AM (#4176955)

Blockquote, people. Blockquote.

If it's not your words, it goes in quotes.

To be fair, the interface for submitting articles doesn't make it easy to do this. It's far easier to mark up text when commenting on a thread than it is when submitting articles. And the note asking one to use a 'blockquote' tag is easy to miss.

4. TerpNats Posted: July 09, 2012 at 12:20 PM (#4176998)

My bad -- forgot the blockquote.

My only contribution above was the peacock-fox comment.

5. Tom Nawrocki Posted: July 09, 2012 at 12:40 PM (#4177028)

And it used to be that whatever you put in the box for the article you were submitting was automatically block-quoted.

6. Justin T is expanding the aperture of awareness Posted: July 09, 2012 at 01:29 PM (#4177065)

Oh, joy! That means the cost of the MLB Extra Innings package will likely soar as well next year.

I don't really see this.

7. PreservedFish Posted: July 09, 2012 at 01:41 PM (#4177078)

That is some Friedman level metaphor-mixing.

Let's see you try and untie a knot while beset by thorns.

8. Gamingboy Posted: July 09, 2012 at 01:45 PM (#4177082)

IT PRINTS MONEY!

9. the legend of Fenderbelly is ongoing Posted: July 09, 2012 at 02:02 PM (#4177110)

My bad -- forgot the blockquote.

My only contribution above was the peacock-fox comment.

But I've already published three papers using "TerpNats" as my sole source for information on the MLB TV negotiations!

DAMN YOU INTERNET! WHHHYYYYYYYYYYYYY??!!?

At least my other two papers regarding peacock/fox interactions still stand.

10. Swedish Chef Posted: July 09, 2012 at 02:14 PM (#4177126)

MLB tweets:

"I want to play games in Europe and take this sport to new heights." - Commissioner Bud Selig.

11. gef the talking mongoose Posted: July 09, 2012 at 03:16 PM (#4177212)

MLB tweets:

"I want to play games in Europe and take this sport to new heights." - Commissioner Bud Selig.

I'm pretty sure that's code for "I am an idiot & need to be pushed down the next flight of stairs."

12. Double-Spin Mechanic Posted: July 09, 2012 at 04:22 PM (#4177316)

I'm pretty sure that's code for "I am an idiot & need to be pushed down the next flight of stairs."

Thank you for rescuing an otherwise interminable afternoon.

13. Anonymous Observer Posted: July 09, 2012 at 07:04 PM (#4177507)

I know they can't be completely resolved with the national contract, but is there any chance that the new national contract can at least START changing and easing the ridiculousness of the archaic blackout rules?

14. AndrewJ Posted: July 09, 2012 at 08:11 PM (#4177577)

MLB tweets:

"I want to play games in Europe and take this sport to new heights." - Commissioner Bud Selig

Only if some of the top UK/West Indies cricket clubs come over and play at Fenway or Wrigley.

15. Cris E Posted: July 10, 2012 at 11:01 AM (#4178277)

Only if some of the top UK/West Indies cricket clubs come over and play at Fenway or Wrigley.

Well a standard Yankees-BoSox time slot should provide ample room for a test match or two, and it wouldn't be as bothersome that Buck and McCarver didn't know what was going on or who the non-Yankees/Sox were.

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Monday, July 09, 2012

Baseball’s Long, Hot Summer

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