392 replies to this topic

[BSLRoseKatz]

Ben is also vaxxed, idk about boosted but he's got at least two shots in him lol https://twitter.com/...941742143168513

[Nigel Tufnel]

Oh right, duh, the college World Series.  Maybe Palmer didn't want to travel and Roch was all they had.

 

There was a recent Washington Post article that said MASN has 3.6M subscribers compared to 5.6M in 2018.  And I think 2018 was already a pretty big drop from the pre-cord cutting days.  I wouldn't be surprised if MASN has lost 5M subscribers from its peak.  At $3/mo, that's a loss of $180M in revenue...  which is maybe how you go from Thorne and Palmer to Roch Kubatko and the guy whose name I've never bothered to learn.

[BSLRoseKatz]

Oh right, duh, the college World Series.  Maybe Palmer didn't want to travel and Roch was all they had.

 

There was a recent Washington Post article that said MASN has 3.6M subscribers compared to 5.6M in 2018.  And I think 2018 was already a pretty big drop from the pre-cord cutting days.  I wouldn't be surprised if MASN has lost 5M subscribers from its peak.  At $3/mo, that's a loss of $180M in revenue...  which is maybe how you go from Thorne and Palmer to Roch Kubatko and the guy whose name I've never bothered to learn.

I mean in the 2010s prime they still had Jim Hunter/Mike Bordick booths that weren't exactly gonna win an Emmy, the B crew is gonna do some games regardless of team finances 

[Old Man]

I think most cable companies are losing subscribers, due to cutting the cord efforts.

[BaltBird 24]

Thought Roch was better than most color guys that they use not named Palmer or McDonald.

[weird-O]

Perhaps the day will come when TV service providers wake up and offer a la carte programing. I cancelled direct tv the morning after the WC loss to Toronto. Thanks to Buck Showalter, I've saved $100 a month since then. And I never looked back. 

[Nigel Tufnel]

Thought Roch was better than most color guys that they use not named Palmer or McDonald.

 

Isn't that just Dave Johnson?

[You Play to Win the Game]

Such well trained capitalists. That losing subscriptions, means they are poor. Good grief.

And all they have to do is start charging a monthly fee for their app, but they are too damn stupid.

[weird-O]

Such well trained capitalists. That losing subscriptions, means they are poor. Good grief.

And all they have to do is start charging a monthly fee for their app, but they are too damn stupid.

I'm guessing that, even with the lost subscribers, they're still making more money than if they started charging for their app. A big part of negotiating that fee with D-TV and Comcast, is that they're essentially given them exclusive rights to air games. D-TV is famously hemorrhaging subscribers. Imagine the loss they and Comcast would experience, if O's fans had a streaming alternative.     

[Nigel Tufnel]

I hadn't realized this, but apparently the MASN streaming app doesn't work for Comcast subscribers.

 

Can You Stream MASN With Comcast? - The TV Answer Man!

[Pedro Cerrano]

I hadn't realized this, but apparently the MASN streaming app doesn't work for Comcast subscribers.

Can You Stream MASN With Comcast? - The TV Answer Man!

Nope. There are only a few providers it works with. Verizon works. Xfinity does not.

[Mike B]

Isn't that just Dave Johnson?

I actually thought Johnson was okay during the KC series.  He spent too much time putting himself down, but did well putting the broadcast into what the pitcher was thinking and what he would throw in the situation.

So far the Orioles have used Palmer, Ben, Johnson and now Roch.  I think Roch did okay, after the first few innings.  He had to be nervous.

[BaltBird 24]

Does anyone actually watch MASN besides for Orioles and Nationals games? Besides that, it's a horrible product. Maybe all regional sports networks are like that.

[weird-O]

Does anyone actually watch MASN besides for Orioles and Nationals games? Besides that, it's a horrible product. Maybe all regional sports networks are like that.

I've visited family in up state NY and in New Hampshire, so I've seen both YES and NESN. Both had interesting programming outside of the games. And this is from a person who has long been over exposed to both of those teams. It's a small sample size, but I'm willing to bet it's just MASN. Original programming cost money, that family is allergic to spending.

[BSLMikeLowe]

I've visited family in up state NY and in New Hampshire, so I've seen both YES and NESN. Both had interesting programming outside of the games. And this is from a person who has long been over exposed to both of those teams. It's a small sample size, but I'm willing to bet it's just MASN. Original programming cost money, that family is allergic to spending.

 

It just goes to show they didn't really want a network, they just wanted an ATM to make up for lost revenues. They were late to offer HD broadcasts once it was industry standard just about everywhere else, they were slow to offer streaming when that took off (and they still can't do it right), they don't offer any kind of decent programming outside of live games, and even that part they do a cut-rate job.

[russsnyder]

Yeah, that's what I said in the game thread. I guess I wouldn't be shocked if McDonald wasn't vaccinated. Johnson, too. Palmer probably just didn't want to travel. Or who knows, maybe they all have COVID right now.

Kevin Brown tweeted that he's vaccinated, and this is just regular vacation for him (which is weird scheduling).

Kevin Brown just finished the Women's College World Series last week. He did a bunch of games. That may have factored into the vacation as well. All that said, I thought Roch did alright.

[BaltBird 24]

It just goes to show they didn't really want a network, they just wanted an ATM to make up for lost revenues. They were late to offer HD broadcasts once it was industry standard just about everywhere else, they were slow to offer streaming when that took off (and they still can't do it right), they don't offer any kind of decent programming outside of live games, and even that part they do a cut-rate job.

Bingo. I'll give them some subpar programming for the first couple of years.... but they've been a network for what, almost 20 years now? And their programming is still terrible. When I do happen to turn the TV on and it's on MASN, their programming is from the 1990s.

[ivanbalt]

I've visited family in up state NY and in New Hampshire, so I've seen both YES and NESN. Both had interesting programming outside of the games. And this is from a person who has long been over exposed to both of those teams. It's a small sample size, but I'm willing to bet it's just MASN. Original programming cost money, that family is allergic to spending.

Random horse racing isn't interesting programming?

[ivanbalt]

It just goes to show they didn't really want a network, they just wanted an ATM to make up for lost revenues. They were late to offer HD broadcasts once it was industry standard just about everywhere else, they were slow to offer streaming when that took off (and they still can't do it right), they don't offer any kind of decent programming outside of live games, and even that part they do a cut-rate job.

I loved the old days where MASN1 was HD but MASN2 was not.

[Mike B]

Bingo. I'll give them some subpar programming for the first couple of years.... but they've been a network for what, almost 20 years now? And their programming is still terrible. When I do happen to turn the TV on and it's on MASN, their programming is from the 1990s.

I am not sure they were ever invested enough to have a real sports network.  They ignored chances to at least make a pitch to the Wizards and Caps, when The CSN contracts were up for bid.

They also had the Ravens (Shows-not games) for a year, but tried to screw them and that ended.  Biscotti half jokingly said, maybe I should start my own network.  Too bad he didn't.