The saga of MLB’s quest to get an in-market streaming deal is growing tiresome two weeks before Opening Day. It seems like the wheels have been turning for months, yet the car hasn’t gone anyway. However, we may be nearing a partial solution, according to the New York Post. The Post is reporting that MLB is preparing to announce a deal to allow in-market streaming of games – but only on tablets and smartphones.
Yankee and Met fans will be able to stream home games to their smartphone or tablet when the season starts, The Post has learned.
Major League Baseball is expected to announce in the next few days a deal with a national distributor, like a wireless provider, to stream local games of every MLB team, a source close to the situation said Thursday.
Yes, details of this arrangement are nearly nonexistent at this point. From what the Post is describing, it sounds like this deal would be more like the NFL’s streaming deal with Verizon as opposed to an MLB At Bat/MLB.tv-centered deal.
The Post also is claiming that in-market streaming is getting closer as the major RSN owners (Fox, Comcast, DirecTV) are feeling pressure before Opening Day.
The talks have accelerated in the last two weeks, and both sides are optimistic a deal will be reached before Opening Day, April 6. Under that agreement, fans would deal directly with their pay-TV provider.
Both Fox and MLB denied the reports (via Sports Business Journal), and SBJ’s Eric Fisher reports that the talks are still in the same place they were.
What have we learned from all this? If MLB is going to announce a deal in the coming days, it won’t be the in-market streaming deal we’re craving. It’ll probably just be another mobile paid solution that won’t solve any of our major issues.
[NY Post]
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About Joe Lucia
I hate your favorite team. I also sort of hate most of my favorite teams.