I want to help call attention to news broken on Monday by Fangraphs’ Nathaniel Grow.
In the bowels of a court-filing by Major League Baseball in their defense of a lawsuit over their broadcast practices, the following was stated:
“beginning next season MLB will make single-team, out-of-market streams available for purchase (alongside the out-of-market package) on MLB.TV.”
While no specifics were offered, on the surface this looks to be good news for out-of-market fans of a single team not interested in paying to watch the other 29. This is not trailblazing, however, as it would follow the recent lead of the NBA and NHL.
Of course, without the associated pricing model, there are more questions than answers at this point. A per-game subscription, for example, would not be price effective except for the very most casual viewer.
If a single-team full-season subscription is offered, it almost certainly is going to cost substantially more than 1/30th of the $129.99 full package price today. So as always, it will come down to money – how much is MLB willing to give up to help defend themselves and their antitrust exemption in court?
In closing, I should also note that this would do nothing to address the ridiculous team blackout territories and related policies that continue to frustrate so many.
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