Pretty much the only way streaming will work for the middle-tier teams that don't have enough viewership or play in a big enough market to justify the network/channel figuring it out on their own. Partnering with Amazon or Apple is probably where most of these networks need to end up. For those companies, its a drop in the bucket that can only help them get their foot in the door for more and more live sporting events, and they'll always have a streaming infra-structure in place to accommodate. Fans need to also get a little more flexible when it comes to sporting events. Everybody always clamors for wanting the game to be available on streams, mobile devices, or make it less hard to "access"... and then when the game goes exclusive streaming (like the NFL did), everybody complains that they should be able to get these games via a "TV antennae" because that's how it always has been. I do predict by 2050, more sporting events will be on exclusive streaming platforms than regular network or cable TV.
Man, I'd be happy with the option to stream them on amazon prime (with no blackout). I can't watch the Rockets or Astros (with out illegal streams) since we have Youtubetv. I know some other services carry the channel like Fubotv or whatever it's called. But I'd prefer not to make the change...especially since I have the fam all setup with my youtubetv service.
I'm not sure that fans' flexibility is the issue. The issue is, and always has been, blackouts. It is crazy that I couldn't watch the Rockets on League Pass when I lived in Austin because that was a "home" territory. As if I was going to drive 320 miles round trip on a Tuesday to watch them in person. "Access" is the issue and the leagues are intent on shutting out people in absurdly large geographic areas from consuming their content.
I’m presuming that any future “exclusive streaming option” has to do away with blackouts that are actually determined by the archaic RSN policy, not MLB or the teams. Was more referring to how fans simply react to any major change in how their teams are watched, yet it merely represents how media and technology continue to evolve. At one point, where every road game was on local TV, people bemoaned the shift to just cable-only games. When Rockets playoff games were only available on pay per view, people were more than upset and a lot of fans never saw the actual “choke city” game in Houston unless you were at that game. Now cable-only games that are occasionally streamed on Apple TV are universally hated. Eventually it will just be streaming (without blackouts) and that will require an adjustment with outrage but will eventually be accepted as “normal”.
I'm just looking ahead to the day they skip the bundle and market directly from the Team to the Customer. Right now it's like extortion having to support the garbage you get with the bundler who streams it. Think of streaming as expanded ticket sales going directly to the team with away games being offered as reciprocity for sending them their away games. But right now they are scared to step away from guaranteed money to follow the opportunity. But the collapse of RSNs has shown the weakness of those guarantees.
Streaming still requires a good amount of infra-structure, distribution, and maintenance. Some teams are still learning how to produce a network for television, let alone being experts in direct to consumer streaming. Even if they start doing it, I’d have concerns about longevity, quality and reach. Makes more sense to have experienced “streamers” take the mantle for now. The NFL could literally do whatever they want and people would buy it. They could likely easily forgo all network deals or streaming deals and try to do it themselves on their own platform… but they know that the market reach is there with their current setup and they get paid billions without having to do much more than just have teams play the games they were always going to play.
Blackouts are no different than anything else. They are about money. If a league or team can split access and sell off pieces to make more money they will. It's going to be very difficult to expect any league or team to get rid of blackouts because it means they are limiting their revenue by not taking advantage of a geographic area they can sell to another provider above and beyond what they are getting from their base product. It's no different than the NFL selling off days or games to Prime or YouTube
I'll give you an example. I live in Spokane Washington and subscribe to MLB.TV and watch every Astros game except when they play the Mariners. Those games are blacked out to me unless I pay extra for a service that includes the Mariners network. Is it Root? Anyway, the "local" games are not included and require additional payment. MLB has sold games to YouTube TV, to ESPN and others that require additional expense despite paying for an annual subscription Every couple of years a few more games are taken away from my subscription and put someplace that requires me to pay more for something else to watch them.
It's like potato chips. You keep buying the bag of air and every year there is more air in the bag and they expect you to buy more bags of air to compensate.
blackouts are due to RSN rules, not MLB rules. MLB would prefer no blackouts but teams have contract/rights agreements indepently that enforce them. If MLB controlled the streaming, they'd sell it and make it accessible to all who paid for it.
Whether it's a team, or MLB it still amounts to content being separated from the whole in order to generate additional revenue by requiring fans to spend more money to watch games.
I don't see how selling Prime, Youtube, and others specific games or days/times and taking them out of the base subscription is caused by RSNs?
I have a friend who is a transplant from Boston, who is a Red Sox / Astros fan. He had the MLB streaming to watch Red Sox on his phone, and would literally be at MMP for an Astros game while Red Sox were playing and wanted to have it on his phone... but it was blacked out for some reason.
The RSN’s currently hold the broadcast rights, based on their agreements with the team. They set the blackout rules that say you can’t stream the Astros on MLB TV in Austin or Dallas or San Antonio, etc. Once the RSN’s either get fully dissolved or they all get bankrolled by Amazon or one of the other streaming services (as the diamond group are currently), blackouts will go away.
Yes. U can’t watch your team on MLB.TV if you’re physically within the “blackout region” even if your team is the road team. That’s an RSN rule, not an Astros or Red Sox rule.
