Cable MLB Extra Innings question

[GeorgiaBird]

Post AS Break OnDemand has started providing both home and away broadcasts of certain games. Anyone have any idea how they are picking the games? It seems very random.

Today, for example, the Os Yanks are the only day game they have on. Meaning there are 13 free channels. Yet only one broadcast is being carried, so I guess another fun day with Michael Kay. But tonight, despite a pretty full schedule, fans will get to choose between home and away broadcasts of the Houston/Cincinnati game and Mets/Marlins. I just don't get how they are picking what games get dual coverage.

[Sanfran327]

Post AS Break OnDemand has started providing both home and away broadcasts of certain games. Anyone have any idea how they are picking the games? It seems very random.

Today, for example, the Os Yanks are the only day game they have on. Meaning there are 13 free channels. Yet only one broadcast is being carried, so I guess another fun day with Michael Kay. But tonight, despite a pretty full schedule, fans will get to choose between home and away broadcasts of the Houston/Cincinnati game and Mets/Marlins. I just don't get how they are picking what games get dual coverage.

I noticed that recently, too. I think the teams with a bigger following get the dual broadcasts so Sox fans in California can listen to Remmy and Orsello.

[RShack]

Unlike past years, this year MLB-EI makes the feeds from both teams available. Last year, it was just one or the other.

On DirecTV, you get both feeds all the time (if there are 2 feeds; not all teams have all their games broadcast, so once in a while it will be just 1 feed). What drives me nuts is that their onscreen guide doesn't tell you which one is which, so you have to go look at their web page to see. I wish they'd just give each team it's own channel so you wouldn't have to guess. It wouldn't cost them anything to do that, they have the transponders dedicated to MLB anyway, and they're dark when not in use anyhow. So, the only thing it would change is reducing viewer-hassle.

With cable, my guess is that it's up to the cable company how much bandwidth they want to devote to dual feeds of the same game, but I really don't know.

I have no clue exactly how they decide.

[Camden_yardbird]

It actually has not been just larger markets. They have been pretty good at getting a bunch of different teams into the mix.

The other day one of the games with multiple feeds was the KC game. Also have seen Seattle get two feeds.

[Migrant Redbird]

My greatest complaint is that some games get blocked in my area and it's not always predictable which ones will be.

I'm across the line in Pennsylvania, so they apparently regard me as being in the Phillies market area and block all broadcasts on MLB EI and on Fox Sports Midwest, even though my local station rarely carries the Phillies broadcast.

The Orioles and Nats games on MLB EI usually don't get blocked, but last night they were. However, I was able to tune into the MASN broadcast.

When the Cardinals play the Pirates, they usually block the Cardinals broadcast on MLB EI and allow me to watch the Pirates broadcast. Sometimes there is only one broadcast, and that seems to be blocked occasionally too.

The real problem is that I'm usually recording the Cardinals games to watch them later and, if one of the broadcasts is blocked and I pick the wrong one to record, I lose it entirely. Aggravating!