Single Team Streaming Is Nice, But MLB Needs Even More Tweaking to Its Extra Innings Package

It took the threat of an anti-trust law suit and a loud clamor from its dwindling fan base, but Major League Baseball finally made an amendment to its Extra Innings package. Offered for purchase through most cable and satellite companies, Extra Innings allows fans to watch most games in nearly every market.

The most frequent complaints about the package, other than its expense, has been the inability to purchase just the club you want to watch. Until the potential law suit prompted the action of MLB, fans who follow a team out of their market had to buy the entire Extra Innings package just to see their club’s games. For example, Red Sox fans who live in Florida could not get Boston games because their local cable sports station aired only either Tampa or Miami games.

In January, MLB.TV decided to offer what is referred to as single team streaming. This service is considerably cheaper than the Extra Innings package, yet it still allows out of market fans to catch almost every game of their favorite team.

Unfortunately, those of us who prefer to watch baseball games on television, instead of our computers or phones or tablets, are not eligible for single team streaming. It can only be purchased through the Internet, not through cable or satellite companies.

The media authorities at MLB need to tweak the service so that its multitude of TV fans have the option to purchase a single team package. After all, many baseball fans are older and less inclined to watch games on their computers.

Furthermore, there are several other tweaks MLB needs to make to improve the Extra Innings package currently being offered to fans who watch on TV. Theses three changes would cost MLB nothing, while making more alluring the decision to purchase Extra Innings.

First of all, allow hometown fans to watch the game on the opponent’s channel. We know how our own announcers feel about our team, so it would be insightful to hear the opinion other broadcasters give of our players. Right now, the opponent’s broadcast is blacked out in our market.

Another suggestion is to emulate the National Hockey League’s equivalent of Extra Innings, a package called Center Ice. That outlet shows reruns of the night’s games several times throughout the late evening and early the next morning, giving fans the chance to watch West Coast games without having to stay up past midnight. It also allows fans to watch afterward a game that had started at the same time as another.

Finally, the Extra Innings package should include Spring Training games. Most teams broadcast Cactus and Grapefruit League games throughout March, so Extra Innings customers should be allowed to watch them. 중계