Will MLB Network do any better than the NFL Network

[GeorgiaBird]

From wsj.com tonight...


Disney's ESPN network is in talks to form a partnership with the NFL's NFL Network, according to people familiar with the situation. A deal would bring a face-saving end to an embarrassing episode for the NFL and a bitter standoff between the league and four major cable operators. The dispute kept live pro football games on Thursday and Saturday nights out of many American homes.

NFL had the country's most popular sport, live games, and apparently could not make it on its own. MLB has a less popular product for television, but does have the advantage of already securing better cable real estate thanks to the whole Extra Innings mess from last year. So they will not be on the sports tier.

But I have long suspected that the MLB network will be a bomb. I am a huge hockey fan and hardly ever watch the NHL Network. I can't imagine really sitting around watching MLB Network unless there is a game on, and I have Extra Innings for that. (Add to it the relative failure local sports networks have been in some markets where teams went out on their own vs. the local Fox affiliate.)

So any thoughts? A few years ago this was the wave of the future. I fear by the time MLB gets it off the ground, it is going to be a thing of the past almost.

[BirdlandMedic72]

I can only imagine that a MLB network would be endless babbling about teams I couldn't care less about (Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, etc). It would be kind of like watching ESPN, ESPN2, or any of the other current networks. Besides, I don't need a cable network for O's information, clearly, that is why God invented the internet.

[Mad Mark]

I'm not at all sure how this is going to work in regions with strong RSNs. They will have one hell of a lot more content to play with than the NFL network did, however.

[JTrea81]

I can only imagine that a MLB network would be endless babbling about teams I couldn't care less about (Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, etc). It would be kind of like watching ESPN, ESPN2, or any of the other current networks. Besides, I don't need a cable network for O's information, clearly, that is why God invented the internet.

Actually I bet it would be the opposite. ESPN is all Red Sox/Yankees/Mets/Cubs all the time, so an MLB network might actually give the other teams some more coverage. The Niners get little to no coverage on ESPN, but they get a ton on NFL Network...

[Col. Claypool]

I thought the NFL Network would be in trouble as soon as they gave a mic to Gumbel. I'd like to see a successful MLB network. Especially if they cover all teams, instead of the usual suspects that dominate ESPN.

[TyCobb]

The problem with the NFL network is that the casual fan only cares about games. They play there crazy thrusday night game that only the team's fan know about. They can't get any Sunday games cause they are covered by the major networks.

If we had a MLB network they could have a 2 games a night which would problaby bring a lot more fans to the game. I mean it would be great to see some West Coast games late at night or some random NL on the east coast game.

[NewOwnerNeeded]

I don't have confidence in anything Bud Selig does. So starting an MLB network, doesn't sound like a good idea. Although, if they can show game or even replays of great games, then that would help. But with the extra inning package, I doubt they would show live games.