O's on Apple TV

[SteveA]

Apple TV released their April/May/June schedule for their exclusive Friday night doubleheaders, and there are 3 Oriole games on the list.   Like last year, these games will only be available on AppleTV+, not on MASN or MLB.tv.

• Fri Apr 12 7:05 vs Brewers
• Fri May 10 705 vs Diamondbacks
• Fri May 24 7:35 at White Sox

https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2024/03/friday-night-baseball-returns-to-apple-tv-plus-on-march-29/

[forphase1]

This crap angers me.   I hate paying for mlb.tv and then not being able to watch all I pay for. 

[spleen1015]

32 minutes ago, forphase1 said:

This crap angers me.   I hate paying for mlb.tv and then not being able to watch all I pay for. 

Technically, you didn't pay for these. Unfortunately, it's only going to get worse.

[forphase1]

27 minutes ago, spleen1015 said:

Technically, you didn't pay for these. Unfortunately, it's only going to get worse.

Technically, I did.  I paid for MLB.tv before these games were announced.  Therefore at the time MLB.tv took my money and more or less promised me I can see all of the Os games, it was unknowable that these were among the games I was going to get screwed out of.  Regardless it devalues the MLB.tv product, but they don't do anything to make it right to those who paid for all 162 games.  

[sevastras]

17 minutes ago, forphase1 said:

Technically, I did.  I paid for MLB.tv before these games were announced.  Therefore at the time MLB.tv took my money and more or less promised me I can see all of the Os games, it was unknowable that these were among the games I was going to get screwed out of.  Regardless it devalues the MLB.tv product, but they don't do anything to make it right to those who paid for all 162 games.  

I agree. I have been a subscriber for probably the better part of 15 years and the amount of games continually get diluted and the price keeps going up. Another increase this year, but didn’t pay attention how much it was. Anyway, I live 10 hour driver from Denver, 12 hours from Seattle and both are blacked out. What happens when As move to Vegas, they will be 12 hours away and will those games get blacked out too?

[Yossarian]

I hate this.  I hate the idea of needing multiple subscriptions to pay services to watch games.  I hate Apple and cannot get myself to purchase their subscriptions. And I hate it even more that they now control my access to watch my beloved Orioles.

<typed on my Samsung Galaxy>

[InsideCoroner]

Have they announced yet if there will be any other “exclusive” games on other platforms this year, like Peacock or YouTube?

I agree it’s extremely annoying losing access to these games. Some years back the annual mlb.tv subscription got you all 162 games, plus the postseason. Then they started chipping away some individual games, and now you have to pay extra for a “postseason package”. 

[NashLumber]

Not defending Apple or MLB, only a clarification, but I do think games that are not aired live as they happen are available on MLB-TV to watch 90 minutes after they are over. I know that's how I saw one of those "exclusives" last year. 

[SemperFi]

8 hours ago, forphase1 said:

This crap angers me.   I hate paying for mlb.tv and then not being able to watch all I pay for. 

It borders on "bait and switch" tacits retailers used to use.  Retail price has not gone up but moving 3-5% of the content per year is BS. 

Stream EVERY out-of-market game LIVE or on demand. Blackout and other restrictions apply*

* MLB  reserves the right to screw you by moving the better games to other providers

[Just Regular]

4 hours ago, InsideCoroner said:

Have they announced yet if there will be any other “exclusive” games on other platforms this year, like Peacock or YouTube?

I agree it’s extremely annoying losing access to these games. Some years back the annual mlb.tv subscription got you all 162 games, plus the postseason. Then they started chipping away some individual games, and now you have to pay extra for a “postseason package”. 

I expect there will be.    The League is perhaps now trying to maximize the revenue outcome of the negotiation same as Boras with his aces.    

For valuing MASN, does it control 160 Orioles games a year, or 155, or 145?

[btdart20]

8 hours ago, sevastras said:

I agree. I have been a subscriber for probably the better part of 15 years and the amount of games continually get diluted and the price keeps going up. Another increase this year, but didn’t pay attention how much it was. Anyway, I live 10 hour driver from Denver, 12 hours from Seattle and both are blacked out. What happens when As move to Vegas, they will be 12 hours away and will those games get blacked out too?

It always amazes me the sheer size of the country out west...

I'm in the York, PA area.  An hour+ from OPACY, 2+ from DC, 2+ to Philly, and 4+ to PIT.  All are blacked out.  8 teams out of 30...

[Moose Milligan]

I hate it too, and while I have Apple TV and love their visual coverage of the game (their announcers are almost always terrible), but it's obvious that the MLB is taking advantage of their core customers, the die hards like us.

They know we're going to tune into all of the games we possibly can.  They're not going to lose fans like us.  

But they think they're doing a good job of introducing new fans to the game, I'm not sure if that's the case or not.  They seem to believe that if they have more games on more streaming platforms and different channels, that's going to make a difference while screwing the most ardent fans of teams.  

 

[Sports Guy]

2 minutes ago, Moose Milligan said:

I hate it too, and while I have Apple TV and love their visual coverage of the game (their announcers are almost always terrible), but it's obvious that the MLB is taking advantage of their core customers, the die hards like us.

They know we're going to tune into all of the games we possibly can.  They're not going to lose fans like us.  

But they think they're doing a good job of introducing new fans to the game, I'm not sure if that's the case or not.  They seem to believe that if they have more games on more streaming platforms and different channels, that's going to make a difference while screwing the most ardent fans of teams.  

 

It’s a few games over the course of 162. Missing a few games shouldn’t ruin anyone’s life.

Its extra revenue and its potentially introducing the game to people who may not usually watch it. 
 

If I had to guess, like you said, it probably doesn’t bring many, if any, new fans in but MLB has an national attention problem and doing something like this makes some semblance of sense to try to improve upon that. 
 

There are smarter(or at least other) things that they should be doing but very few things will potentially bring in a national audience.

 

[Moose Milligan]

5 minutes ago, Sports Guy said:

It’s a few games over the course of 162. Missing a few games shouldn’t ruin anyone’s life.

Its extra revenue and its potentially introducing the game to people who may not usually watch it. 
 

If I had to guess, like you said, it probably doesn’t bring many, if any, new fans in but MLB has an national attention problem and doing something like this makes some semblance of sense to try to improve upon that. 
 

There are smarter(or at least other) things that they should be doing but very few things will potentially bring in a national audience.

 

Right, and we agree.  They need to do anything/everything they can to bring in new audience members.

And missing a game here and there shouldn't ruin anyone's life, we agree on that too.  

But it still strikes me as unnecessary.  Like, there's no good reason that they couldn't put an Apple TV game on MLB.TV.  Apple can cry about having exclusive rights, but if we're hoping that games broadcast on Apple TV are going to bring new fans, maybe broadcasting an Apple TV game on MLB.TV will make some people consider purchasing an Apple TV.  It's cross-marketing and it's not a terrible idea.  

To your point about not bringing many, if any, new fans...I've got HBO Max, they broadcast NBA games and NHL games which is nice since we just cut the cord and got rid of Direct TV.  

I'll watch an NBA game because I have a mild interest in basketball but I have no interest in watching hockey.  I'll find something else to watch or go do something else instead.  

It's because I didn't grow up watching hockey.  I have no interest in it.  Grew up playing baseball and basketball, grew up watching football.  Even played a little soccer in youth leagues, I'll still watch a soccer game occasionally.

If MLB wants to get new fans, they need to get bats and balls into the hands of kids and not hope that a few adults will tune in to an exclusive broadcast on Apple TV.  

[spleen1015]

9 hours ago, forphase1 said:

Technically, I did.  I paid for MLB.tv before these games were announced.  Therefore at the time MLB.tv took my money and more or less promised me I can see all of the Os games, it was unknowable that these were among the games I was going to get screwed out of.  Regardless it devalues the MLB.tv product, but they don't do anything to make it right to those who paid for all 162 games.  

I feel you man. I bet there's small print in the T&Cs that you agreed to when you purchased that these games aren't included.

You say it devalues MLB.tv, but are you going to stop subscribing to it?