So you're saying there is a chance?The only reason blackouts will ever go away is because MLB will make an extra 12 cents on the deal.
Blackouts are embedded in the contract between RSNs and the teams. It has to do with local broadcast rights holder making sure they protect the commercials since the same commercials are not on MLB.TV. Streaming of commercials are rarely the same as the broadcast. If you are an advertiser paying for local spots, you would be pissed if a portion of the audience isn't seeing them."Blackouts" are a function of multiple generations of ineptitude in the leadership of MLB. RM is just the most recent occupant of the office who lacks the leadership to get MLB on one page relative to their media rights.
go back to the old rules and let the teams sell and market there own feeds to any one (and have no blackouts even when playing an local team and you are out of market) Like the old WGN days.The final thought I have on the issue is what to do with nationally broadcast games. Games that currently are not on any RSN or MLB EI. Would my $200 allow me to watch the Tigers when they play on ESPN or some other national feed? Nope. Getting to 100% of the games being available is more than a simple request.
Right now it is far easier to see teams that are not local to your area. Just buy MLB-TV.B) keep local fans from watching out of town games, thus loss of local fan interest which leads to gate revenue. It stems from the old fears that first radio and then TV would lead to less gate. What MLB never wants to happen is that it becomes the NFL where large portions of fans start rooting for out of town teams, and only the better teams with large out of town interest. Imagine fans in Kansas City have the ability to watch, instead of their Royals, watch Dodger, or Yankee or Cubs games, and THOSE teams gain large fan bases and lead to disinterest of the local teams, and again, less gate or interest in the local RSNs. As a fan of local teams, I hate the number of Cowboy or Steeler fans in the NY Metro area. Why is that? Because those teams are on TV EVERY week.
When they realized they are probably making more money from TV than they were from gate. In the old days gate drove revenue for the NFL. Having people NOT go to games was a major problem for them. Now that the TV money is so huge, if they sell 5k less tickets they don't care as much, it's 5k more eyeballs watching the game and more advertising money. Obviously they STILL want fans at games, and they build these colossal stadiums for that reason. But TV money is so big that a stadium that's not sold out is just not as big a deal as it was 40 years ago. And I'm sure the networks paying that big money made sure that there would be NO reason to have local games blacked out anymore (because in most local markets the larger audience is watching a local team rather than an out of town team).When did the NFL actually eliminate it's own blackout rules?
The NFL blackout rule was the dumbest of them all. If the game wasn't sold out by the middle/end of the week, no home game on local network channel that Sunday. Stupid.
I know that teams did everything to skirt it but sometimes a local game was blacked out due to a non-sellout at the stadium. This was an issue for the Jaguars, Bengals and several other teams that always had trouble selling out.
How does that help MLB? Would $60 per sub be enough? I don't know the answers, but if it was that simple, I think they would have done it already.There is a way to add local broadcasts to MLB.tv for cordcutters.
And it protects, somewhat, the RSN.
If O-O-M MLB.tv is $139, make "zero blackout" MLB.tv $199, with all of the $60 difference going to the local RSN.
More than one RSN in the area? Let the user pick one, and if they want more, add an upcharge.
This would be "game only" with pre and post game shows, not 24 hours.
MLB already has access to every game, every day.
Here in Vegas,we have 6 in-market teams, none anywhere local. Those 6 RSN's cost me $14 per month. $168 per year. You could do the same $60 upcharge for NHL and NBA. $60 per league X 3 is $180.
Edit: I am not talking about including the ESPN, TBS, FOX, Apple, Peacock, Amazon, et al games in this package.
Second Edit: If I switch to YTTV, an offer of MLB.TV + a local team for $200 might be worth it with the money saved by quitting DirecTV.
And the technology exists for all local ads to be shown.
I watched the NFL on Paramount+ and the Fox Sports app and they were filled with local spots.