627 replies to this topic

[hallas]

I think there exists a world where MASN can continue to receive rights fees from cable companies, but those cable companies are going to start bundling internet with IPTV service rather than bundling channels with cable TV service.  Regional programming like MASN requires some model like this, and I think the biggest change here is the medium that the content is delivered.  It shouldn't make much difference to the cable company that the content is delivered over IP rather than over RF signals.  There might be some backend work required by MASN to support this, but I mean, they already have a content delivery system for baseball games on MLB.tv, so it shouldn't be too difficult to overcome.

 

I think the big question mark (and it's a really big question mark) is how much this will affect rights fees.  No doubt it will have some negative impact.

[DuffMan]

Phoenix Suns will begin broadcasting their games for free on over the air channels and streamed online  starting this summer with the WNBA's Mercury.

 

https://www.espn.com...nba-rsn-problem

[Ravens2006]

Phoenix Suns will begin broadcasting their games for free on over the air channels and streamed online  starting this summer with the WNBA's Mercury.

 

https://www.espn.com...nba-rsn-problem

 

I don't really care about the NBA, but the Suns just became my favorite NBA squad! 

 

Seriously, I think there is something to be said for exposing your product to a broader audience to build interest.  Long term interest.  Getting kids to see it more, because they turn in to viewers, ticket buyers, apparel buyers, and advertising eyes potentially for life.  Sacrifice some short term wind-fall money for a bigger long-term base that is more likely to sustain for many decades.

 

So glad to see, whatever the motivation might be, a franchise giving this methodology a chance.  I don't think the NFL is doing itself long-term favors as they move some games to single streaming services, and MLB with their Apple TV games or whatever... I haven't watched a single game broadcast in that fashion the last few years.  Yes, they're all making a mint right now, no question.  What's it going to look like in 30 or 40 years though when the next generation maybe grew up without seeing the product as much?

 

"...Ishbia is deep-pocketed, and after studying the matter for months, he said, and consulting with the NBA, he decided to forgo the larger guaranteed money and enter into a partnership with local over-the-air stations. He said he sees it as a long-term investment. Suns and Mercury games could be available to more than 2.8 million households throughout Arizona. His bet is that more eyeballs, over time, will lead to more revenue..."

 

The estimate is that the new setup will basically add 2 million MORE potential sets of eyes in Arizona to the viewer pool for every game they play / broadcast this way.  Over triple the 800,000 or so that they were on pace to have access to before.

[BSLMikeLowe]

This is probably a piece of the post-RSN future...a return to the days when at least some of a team's games were on broadcast TV. I still think RSNs won't completely die off soon. As long as they still make everyone money, even if it's a lot less money, there's no rush to get rid of them. But you have to find a way to reach the widest audience possible, so it'll probably be a combo of RSN, direct-to-consumer (via streaming), and some OTA.

 

The one interesting thing I read about elsewhere regarding the Suns' news, and it hasn't been mentioned that they intend to do it yet, is that the new ATSC 3.0 broadcast format does allow for putting certain content behind paywalls.

[Nigel Tufnel]

Holy crap, I think they came to an agreement.

[BSLMikeLowe]

Got a link?

 

All I can find is they just cut a deal with Ice Cube on airing his Big3 league games.

 

 

 

Never mind, found one.

 

So all they really did was settle on the exact amount owed the Nats from 2012-16, which was all but compelled by the recent NY Supreme Court ruling.

 

2017-21 is still in dispute. The writer of The Post article suggests with the rulings in the 2012-16 case that maybe the Orioles and MASN will simply settle, but that person clearly is unaware of the Angelos Family's insatiable appetite for litigation.

[Nigel Tufnel]

Apparently MASN also owes $100M to the Orioles.

[BSLMikeLowe]

In related news, the Orioles announce they have made a $100M donation to the Help Poor John Angelos Foundation.