In a move that could affect nearly 40 percent of all broadcasts during the regular season, Major League Baseball and FOX have been in discussions that would see streamed games from FOX regional sports networks without any blackouts. Currently games played in a team’s television territory are subject to blackouts to those within the territory. For those watching games on television via MLB Extra Innings, the league’s out-of-market package, most can switch to the RSN where the game is originating. For those that stream games via MLB.TV to internet-enabled devices, there is no such recourse as the originating networks do not currently offer streaming options.
According to sources, the economics of the deal between MLB and FOX are in place, but challenges remain.
Reportedly, MLB Advanced Media (MLBAM) is seeking to control all the streaming of the games, while FOX also wishes to be in on the action. MLBAM, the digital media company of Major League Baseball, would offer the games on MLB.TV, which would require users to authenticate through their pay-TV provider. In essence, if MLB.TV could package the in-market games with the out-of-market games, there would be no reason for users to get these games elsewhere, such as through online services from FOX Sports. According to sources, that remains the sticking point.
Last season, all national broadcasts on FOX and FOX Sports 1 were streamed to FOX Sports GO, the network’s streaming service. For the first time, that included the MLB All-Star Game, National League Championship Series, and the World Series. With it, 100 games via FOX and MLB.com were streamed without blackouts.
As we reported Thursday on Forbes, FOX has the potential to be the lynch pin in getting all blackouts lifted for MLB broadcasts (see Is This A Possible Solution To MLB's TV Blackouts Dilemma?). Of the 4,667 games broadcast last year, 1,709 or nearly a quarter of all games (37 percent), were broadcast on FOX-owned regional sports networks.
In an interview with Forbes on Tuesday, new MLB commissioner Rob Manfred spoke of how important broadcast territories are to the owners in the league, but were “constantly evaluating how [MLB does] business to make sure [they] are as fan friendly as possible.”
While FOX Sports GO has provided games without blackouts to devices that can receive streaming content, FOX does require users to authenticate with their pay-TV service. So, while games are being streamed, cord-cutters would still be unable to see the games due to the authentication process.
As to the costs to consumer, that information was not available. For national broadcasts last year, FOX Sports did not charge extra for the games that came through FOX Sports GO, including those high-interest games in the All-Star game, NLCS, and World Series.
In the Forbes interview with Commissioner Manfred, he revealed that 5.7 million subscribers a day watch games on just mobile devices through MLB.com’s At Bat app. That number would increase by several million when accounting for those that stream games through computers, gaming consoles, and devices such as Roku set tops, so the impact of lifting blackouts just for FOX Sports games on their regional sports networks would be significant to consumers.
