What a nightmare. I was hoping that eventually, when enough people cut the cord, MLB regional sports networks would end their almost exclusive deals with cable companies, allowing fans to purchase their channel separately. Instead, it appears that teams/MLB will divvy up their broadcasts among multiple providers. So now you'll need cable AND Prime AND Apple TV. And who knows what else.

They must be really confident that nothing they can do will alienate their fans.

Note, these were over-the-air broadcasts, you didn't need cable for these. But yes, as many noted at the time, cord-cutting was eventually going to lead to your $100+/month cable bill becoming a $100+/month bill split among your ISP provider and multiple streaming services. There are obvious disadvantages to (local) monopolies but also obvious advantages to one-stop shopping. Thank god for direct debit.

I never got the strength of the objection "why should I pay for 100 channels when I only watch 5?" The folks watching those other 95 channels were also helping to pay for yours. Now you've got 3 streaming services on which you watch 5 shows each while paying for the 95% of Disney+, Netflix, etc. that you don't watch.

1--Amazon, Apple, Netflix all have huge piles of cash. Plus baseball's fan base is older, white and affluent (meaning they have multiple streaming services among other things). This is the nexus of common sense if the focus is only on cash. And MLB loves the cash.

Only Amazon Prime. They will be only available in the Yankees’ local footmark, which is primarily in the New York tri-state region.

So, these games won’t be available out-of-market via MLB Extra Innings or MLB.TV, and Amazon Prime will only make the games available in the NYC Metro Area? What is this, the 1950s? Someone should be serving the out-of-market audience - it’s not like I’m in Iowa.

I never got the strength of the objection "why should I pay for 100 channels when I only watch 5?" The folks watching those other 95 channels were also helping to pay for yours. Now you've got 3 streaming services on which you watch 5 shows each while paying for the 95% of Disney+, Netflix, etc. that you don't watch.

It's still better. For starters, do we forget that cable made you sign a YEAR-long commitment? Then streaming came along, and everyone changed to a month-by-month model which is so much better. We hop from streaming service to streaming service, and it's nice to have choices, and for those that long for the days of paying a cable bundle, well that's still an option!

The Yankees and Amazon teaming up is like Incubus and the devil himself forming a partnership.

It's still better. For starters, do we forget that cable made you sign a YEAR-long commitment? Then streaming came along, and everyone changed to a month-by-month model which is so much better. We hop from streaming service to streaming service, and it's nice to have choices

I haven't found the idea of a year-long commitment terribly onerous since I've more or less settled in one area, and if you're still paying close to the same amount but hopping from service to service, you don't really have choices at a particular moment, and it will probably only get worse once companies consolidate their material into their own walled gardens, especially if we wind up with the baseball nightmare scenario where you've got to have Prime, ESPN+, HBO Max, Apple, MLB.TV, and whatever service your home team's network launches just to watch all the games it plays in a month.

So, these games won’t be available out-of-market via MLB Extra Innings or MLB.TV, and Amazon Prime will only make the games available in the NYC Metro Area? What is this, the 1950s? Someone should be serving the out-of-market audience - it’s not like I’m in Iowa.

Apparently they'll at least be available on MLB.TV, and hopefully on Extra Innings.

Andrew Marchand
@AndrewMarchand
The out-of-market Yankee fan, who has http://MLB.TV will still be able to watch these games.

As stated in the story, these 21 exclusive Amazon games will be the only way to watch them in the tri-state footprint.

well, it wasn't stated that clearly, I don't think.

hence the clarification.
;)

The Yankees and Amazon teaming up is like Incubus and the devil himself forming a partnership.

The Yankees already team up with the Dallas Cowboys in their co-ownership of stadium grift "consultants" Convention, Sports, & Leisure. Amazon must be like working with the local PTA.

Found the YouTube games annoying but interesting. I get why MLB is doing this - trying to get new audiences to watch MLB. They won't come to mlb.tv so they need to get the games to them. I suspect Prime and other streamers won't touch the games unless it is an exclusive for that specific game thus why they aren't on mlb.tv - hopefully they put it up on there afterwards, but I cut mlb.tv once they blacked out Jay games here in Ontario and signed up for Rogers SportsNet (owned by the same people who own the Jays) which has all their games and most spring games too. Well, except for the ones on YouTube or some other streamer. Still, it works for me mostly and when I get in the mood for hockey, basketball, or Olympics I can watch them too.

Yeah, but to Darren's point why actively shrink the game. I buy MLB so I can watch the RS. I would prefer NESN so I could watch the pre and post game stuff, but NESN isn't available in my market, which is dumb, NESN should be available on the space station.

Bally's is now our regional sports network in KC (formerly Fox), and they have been saying they will sell their app for $30/month. Basically making the six month baseball season on the App and MLBTV+VPN for the season the same price (approx $180). Bally's has yet to release an app.

It really is a pain. My cable company quit the business, and I just couldn't bring myself to sign up for another cable company. Now, I'm just out there in the wilderness illegaly tapping in to my Mom's cable account.

It's still better. For starters, do we forget that cable made you sign a YEAR-long commitment? Then streaming came along, and everyone changed to a month-by-month model which is so much better. We hop from streaming service to streaming service, and it's nice to have choices, and for those that long for the days of paying a cable bundle, well that's still an option!

I can't commit the energy to bounce around so much and save, what, less than $1/day?? I just pay for cable, plus Netflix and Prime, which of course is more than just the streaming library. Our total bill is ~$115/month for internet + cable, $20 for Netflix, and Prime recently went up to what I think comes out to $12/month.

NESN isn't available in my market, which is dumb, NESN should be available on the space station.

You're on the ISS?

". . only available on Amazon Prime" and only with proof of employment at Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, or another firm among those who own the Federal Reserve.

Being an "MLB-on-the-radio" (well, MLB-Radio) guy continues to serve me well. Streaming Joe Castligione from anywhere is fun.

another firm among those who own the Federal Reserve.

Heh, I recently watched "The Other Guys" (on Netflix, of course), and now every time I hear this, I think "we're going to lock you up in the Federal Reserve"

well, it wasn't stated that clearly, I don't think.

I think it was. Technically, the confusion lies in the way we (i.e. BBTF) "process" stories written by local media. The linked article is from the NY Post who, I suspect you know, are writing for a local NY audience. The headline is perfectly appropriate for that audience -- the only way their readers can watch these games is on Amazon. Why should the NY Post add "Post readers more than 500 miles from New York City with MLBtv subscriptions will be able to watch these games?"

We run into this occasionally with things like injury reports or trades. A Braves' news snippet might say "Contreras to IL" and the BBTF stalwart (usually Retro) who is kind enough to post the story doesn't change the headline. Cub fan me panics thinking it's Willson when the Braves' writer is referring to backup C William. It's a small price to pay to be a free rider on Retro's efforts to provide us with stuff to talk about.