Espn Opts out of Mlb Deal
- Thread starter jkrdevil
- Start date
varsaku
Registered User
Its a doubled edged sword going to full streaming. As a fan it is now so easy to tune into MLS games, since it is all in one place with now blackouts. The consistent scheduling also makes it easy to know when to expect games to be on. However, this puts all games behind a pay wall that would deter casual fans and slow down any growth.
They focus on those two sports the most because they result in the most viewers. They are a for profit company that is looking to maximize the number of viewers and improve the bottom line. They will follow where the money is.
AtlantaWhaler
Thrash/Preds/Sabres
- Jul 3, 2009
- 19,537
- 2,654
True on the viewership numbers, but why spend $billions and barely market the sport? For a for-profit company, that seems odd to me
ESPN doesn't want the NHL/NBA finals at the same time. So, one of them has to end before the other begins.
MLB gives ESPN summer programming (mid June to the start of college FB), but if the numbers don't make sense, then ESPN moves on without it.
DaveG
Noted Jerk
yep, if MLB thinks coverage is bad now just wait until they're actively being shut out the way ESPN did to the NHL for ~15 years. As much as I hate it ESPN still is the force that drives sports discussion.
I mean yes and no there. In a lot of ways they drive the viewers because that's what ESPN chooses to talk about. The NFL, sure, that's been the 500lb gorilla in the room as far as sports go for basically my entire life. But even remembering back to the 90s for college football things were all over the map (literally) for high end programs until ESPN started talking about the SEC like it was the end all be all of CFB turning things into a self-fulfilling prophecy as far as that goes.
I am very interested in what the NBC deal will do to the NBA. People were complaining of not finding NHL games when it was on NBC, I wonder if the NBA will suffer from the same? NBC never ever really promotes or markets its product.
IU Hawks fan
Fan of bad teams
Well that's just not true. The NBA Finals started on 6/6 and the SCF on 6/8, and the NBA's game 7 would've been the night before the NHL's.
How many games are on free tv these days? It seems like other than the national game of the week everything is on cable. So its a paywall either way.
Brodie Brazil breaks down the issues with the math on streaming:
John Price
pro gambler/drinker
- Sep 19, 2008
- 372,614
- 23,945
ESPN would rather inform yinz about the NBA, LeBron,the Dallas cowboys or Caitlin Clark rather than baseball.
it's summer. nothing else is going on. TALK BASEBALL
it's summer. nothing else is going on. TALK BASEBALL
The NBA will be fine on NBC. The complaints about not finding the NHL were about games on NBCSN not the games on NBC proper. Most of the NBA telecasts are going to be on NBC proper with some on Peacock. But I believe even then most of the Peacock games are going to be a reverse mirror where you get one game on NBC that is regionalized and the other will be on Peacock.
And NBC promoted the NHL a lot when it had the rights. The Wednesday night games were promoted weekly on SNF for instance. It’s just NBC didn’t have a lot of other sports that people on this board watched at the time. It was EPL soccer and auto racing outside the SNF and ND.
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Terrier
Registered User
I follow all things hockey, year round(I'm attending a women's college playoff game in Boston tonight), but hockey aside, when it comes to baseball, I revered it in the 70's, played Little League, played pick-up ball, etc., but in my current sports fandom, admittedly it's been supplanted by soccer.
Yes, but ESPN marketed the HELL out of the 4 Nations. It probably was the most marketed event I have ever seen involving hockey, more so than the Olympics (which naturally draws bigger crowds overall).
Fair, but they only really marketed it once the first two games pulled in good numbers. There wasn’t much pre-tournament marketing outside the league’s ads on NHL games.
IU Hawks fan
Fan of bad teams
Wait, what? NBCSN doesn't exist anymore.
And they will no doubt have Peacock exclusives. Probably all their weeknight inventory will be there.
I meant NBC proper. Phone autocorrect. Thanks for the catch.
The deal calls for their Tuesday slate to be two games one at 8pm eastern and one at 8pm pacific. If you are in the East you get the early game on NBC and the late game on Peacock. If you are in the west you get the late game on NBC and the early game on Peacock.
PCSPounder
Stadium Groupie
I wouldn’t be surprised if MLS and Apple tear up their deal, followed by MLS abandoning the fall-spring schedule proposal. But I’m not sure what odds I’d place on that.
Virtually certain that Messi leaving/retiring is the trigger for that. Mind you, I might have put money down on Messi leaving after last season, so when I suggest he’ll leave after this season, eh…
Virtually certain that Messi leaving/retiring is the trigger for that. Mind you, I might have put money down on Messi leaving after last season, so when I suggest he’ll leave after this season, eh…
The players were not and the league took a hit in the mainstream. It's still not mainstream as the NBA but it's much better than where it was before where they didn't even get highlights on SportsCenter or ESPN socials during the regular season.
Is there data that supports the notion that hockey is now more popular because of ESPN? I’m asking because I haven’t seen it.
ESPN does a terrible job of prioritizing the NHL regardless.
At the very least a replaceable platform. There is something to be said for being able to watch MLB nationally on just 1 or 2 broadcast partners. My guess is that Fox will find a way to take this package over.
I don’t see FOX ponying up to get it, the Home Run Derby they are likely to get. But for SNB and the WCS, I think Amazon is likely to get it imo.
I would have to look at it but I'm talking anecdotally. I travel a lot to the states (like half my time is there which is kinda scary at the moment) and when the NHL was on versus/NBCSN it wasn't on in restaurants I didn't hear much at all about hockey. Now I see it on bar tvs and the NHL playoffs are far more prominent on SportsCenter and the ESPN talk shows. Which wasn't a thing while on NBCSN.
