Jim Tressel Flawed, Not Broken
March 9, 2011Game Preview: Blue Jackets vs. Blues (Game #66) – It’s All About the Two
March 9, 2011Major League Baseball can’t challenge the National Football League in popularity. Major League Baseball even trails the NBA in many fans’ minds. One place where MLB is doing pretty much everything right is their technology giving fans access to their teams and games. (Note: this is not an advertisement, but it might come off like one because I am so impressed by MLB’s efforts in this realm. I wish I was getting paid. Sadly, I am not. Yet.)
First, baseball is still probably the best radio sport. The culture of baseball is entrenched with people working in the yard or garage listening to day games on the weekends. Now, that culture has been brought forward into the modern age with an app for mobile devices. MLB.com At Bat 11 costs a flat fee of $14.99 and provides an interface for baseball fans to follow the game. It links to stats, standings, gamecasts and all the things you have come to expect from following your team on the Internet, but it also includes radio broadcasts from all over Major League Baseball.
Contrast that with the MLB channels available on Sirius/XM and you will be impressed. Granted, when you subscribe to satellite radio you get much more than just baseball, but in order to get those audio channels it will cost you over $150 per year minimum on a contract to have access on a single radio that is more than likely in your car. For $15 you get the entire season’s worth of audio on your mobile device.
As for video, MLB has really raised the bar. I am a fan of the NFL’s offerings with DirecTV because I have DirecTV. I get to watch all kinds of NFL games on Sunday Ticket and then have access to watch games on my laptop over the Internet. That’s pretty cool because I am a DirecTV subscriber, but it is a closed system where cable subscribers are cut off. MLB doesn’t play that way with their Internet video offering.
For $100 per year ($120 for a couple extra features) you can watch your team over the Internet. If you get the premium you can watch multiple games at once including a four-game view. Now, I know that $100 isn’t exactly a small sum of money, but if you are planning on watching even 50 games over the course of the season, for $2 per game you can do that from anywhere in the country. When you consider the cost per hour of entertainment, I have no doubt this will compete with just about anything. On top of all that, the MLB Internet package is considerably cheaper than the MLB package offered through DirecTV. That package costs $210 per season.
Anyway, I know a lot of you are out-of-town Cleveland sports fans. Nothing enrages me more than media and sports companies that seemingly spend all their time working on ways to keep their product out of their customers’ hands. MLB is flawed in many ways, as we all know, but they are leading the way in terms of technology. I just had to give credit where it was due.
20 Comments
Baseball has done much over the last decade or so to completely turn me off to the sport itself, but I agree with everything you said here. The At Bat app is particularly impressive. The NBA’s app is quite a letdown in comparison.
Yes, yes and yes!
Two years ago I had the Comcast version of the MLB package. It was decent for what it was, but incredibly frustrating. 1) with rare exceptions, it was strictly the home team broadcast. Minor thing, except when you play the White Sox a gazillion times every year and listen to the freaking morons calling their games, and 2) extremely limited number of HD games and 3) all for over $200. (I’m pretty sure neither 1 nor 2 are an issue with DirectTV, but I’ve had such terrible experiences with them I’d never go back).
Last year I was resigned that I’d get MLB.TV and not be able to watch my games on the TV. Then, a week before the season, out of nowhere they announce and application for the PS3 to stream all games, home or away feed, in full HD to your TV. I could not sign up fast enough, and outside of a few network glitches (which is really unavoidable with streaming video), it was a brilliant experience. Best $120 I spent, hands down, and I couldn’t sign up for this year’s offering fast enough.
If I had one complaint, it’s the mobile application fee. $15 (per device) on top of the $120 for the year is a little much. But that’s a small nitpick…overall MLB is doing everything right tech wise to bring their game. I laugh every time I show it to my friends, because universally their reaction is “when is the NFL going to be this smart?”
The NBA’s app is atrocious. Where MLB has done everything to take the lead technologically, the NBA is the exact mirror opposite. Nothing they do is worth a damn.
I’m one of the aforementioned people that unfortunately live outside of OH. The MLB At Bat app has been huge for me keeping in touch with the Indians and My Guy, Tom Hamilton. I actually used the MLB app before I moved out of the state, but it’s been a huge lifesaver for keeping me in tune with the Tribe. Well worth the $15.
I’ve used mlb.tv for a few years now and really love it. I’m not one to think we should have to pay extra for the At Bat app if we’ve already purchased the mlb.tv package and won’t be buying it…but I’m guessing that’s more of a personal problem and most people won’t mind shelling out the extra 15 bucks. It should be noted though in case someone is thinking about signing up…your local games are still going to be blacked out. Thankfully I’m from the DC area so I rarely don’t get to watch a Tribe game…except when they play the O’s but in that case I’ll either be at the game or watching it on MASN.
Agree and disagree.
MLB is AWFUL at YouTube (why???) and Saturday afternoon blackouts. Also, I’m in Columbus and get blocked out from Reds, Pirates and Indians games. Granted, the Reds and Tribe are on TV all the time, but what if I’m at work? And the Pirates??? Huh?? These “exclusive” maps are atrocious.
I will get the MLB package this year again. Also, where’s the best spot to get those wires that connect the computer to the TV?
No one mentions “IF YOU LIFE IN OHIO YOU CAN”T WATCH THE INDIANS OR REDS WITH MLB TV”!
Of course there is a work around where you trick the site into thinking you are out of state but I hate how they don’t really mention the local blackout thing.
The saturday blackouts are pretty annoying but I believe that’s an agreement Fox had in place prior to mlb.tv.
Gonna need some more info on that “wires that connect the computer to the TV”. It depends what sort of video-out port is on the video card of your computer…and if that’s compatible with an input on your tv.
The blackout rules kill the product. I would pay 3x the price to not have to go through the trouble of “tricking” MLB as to where I live.
Funny that MLB not only has the nicest looking mobile/tech offerings, but is also the most profitable. Bill Simmons just the other day on his podcast mentioned how good the NBA is and bad the MLB is because the NBA doesn’t shut Youtube down. So I guess it’s just the POV of where you’re coming from.
When it comes to TV rights, there’s always going to be blackouts. If everyone in Cleveland could watch the Indians games online (including TV via some set top box) the deal with local broadcasters would suffer. Same thing with DirecTV/NFL and local broadcasts, and NBA League pass, etc.
The economics of television advertising and sponsorships still greatly outweigh subscription fees to digital offerings, at this point. But it is shifting.
The fact that both NBA League Pass and MLB.TV are going to be broadcasting/streaming through Apple TV is pretty sweet as well.
Archived games, some in HD. Yeah, the blackout rules blow, but everything else is gravy.
Apple TV update today makes me squeeeee.
@Brian – Cleveland Sports Torture
good point. if they didn’t do the local blackout thing STO would hurt. if STO hurts the Indians hurt.
piling on with those outside the Northcoast that love MLB TV.
I used to get MLB.TV every year (back when it was not great quality), and as an out-of-town fan (in NYC), it was great – except when they were playing the Yankees or Mets here. I feel like at that price, you shouldn’t be blacked out on games in your area.
I loved MLBTV because it was amazing to have in the background or on my second monitor while doing other things – better than radio, since I could watch big plays right then and there. I think you should have mentioned fantasy owners: One of the best parts was being able to flip from game to game (or have 4 games on) to track my players as they came to the plate or were pitching, though again, not being able to see games being played in NY was annoying.
I only stopped getting it because I found I wasn’t watching enough, once the Indians stunk. I’d probably get it again in the future if they dropped the price, removed the blackout restrictions, and/or made it accessible from a phone, too, once the Indians are a bit improved. Definitely a great feature.
I think the NFL wins on this, though – being able to watch RedZone on my phone is completely unparalleled.
@ Ezzie:
Over the past 2 years MLB At Bat on iPhone has had two or three ‘games of the day’ that randomly cycle through the teams. These games get free video, even over 3G. It’s highly compressed, but streams really nicely through wifi.
And the radio calls for all games are included for 15 bucks – and these even work over EDGE networks.
If you don’t have an iPhone, though, I don’t know if there’s a good Android/BB solution.
I have used to iphone and TV apps over the past few years and find them well worth the money. I think the only reason I am not planning on re-upping this season is because of my violent hatred of the Dolan Shapiro regime has finally pushed me to the point of not caring enough anymore to follow the games.
@Hamsterdam
Worked in IT at OSU and got most of our cables and such from monoprice.com
Also, loving The Wire reference…Omar comin’ yo!
Yeah, MLB is just killing the other sports with this stuff. I’d give an important body part to see the NFL match any of it.
Denny – Good to know, thanks!