Author Topic: Streaming MASN  (Read 3969 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline nfotiu

  • Posts: 5041
Streaming MASN
« Topic Start: January 23, 2021, 01:11:37 PM »
They did that when they decided to not stream
Interestingly, we have about the same option for streaming as most other teams going into this season.   Most of the RSNs, including MASN are only available on AT&T TV.

Online HalfSmokes

  • Posts: 21606
I think baseball as a whole is short sighted with streaming. League pass is great for nba because people want to watch non-local teams, extra innings falls short because most baseball fans are largely fans of their local teams

Offline nfotiu

  • Posts: 5041
I think baseball as a whole is short sighted with streaming. League pass is great for nba because people want to watch non-local teams, extra innings falls short because most baseball fans are largely fans of their local teams
Baseball and hockey both have this problem.   NBA teams do to some extent too, but have big national games with all their stars, so they are a little more insulated.  Lots of the big NBA games are nationally televised and I assume blacked out on league pass, so a cable or virtual bundle is needed.

The problem is how do they monetize the local streaming, and do it without cannibalizing or breaching their (for now) lucrative RSN deals.   This may all come to a head if/when Sinclair sports networks go bankrupt.   It seems there would be some appeal to espn+/Peacock/HBOMax/Paramount/Amazon to try to make a splash with in market local games to draw subscribers, but I don't seen them paying nearly what the RSN model pays at the moment.

I think you hit on the big problem for these leagues.  Cord cutters and cord nevers are not going to have any exposure to these games, and that includes a whole lot of younger people.   Even if streaming doesn't make much financial sense at the moment, they need young fans to have a future.

Online Five Banners

  • Posts: 2237

I think you hit on the big problem for these leagues.  Cord cutters and cord nevers are not going to have any exposure to these games, and that includes a whole lot of younger people.   Even if streaming doesn't make much financial sense at the moment, they need young fans to have a future.

The latter issue is why gutting the minors the way they did for short term savings rather than working with them on a streamlined model looks so shortsighted. Remove it from the culture, and it’ll be done

Online HalfSmokes

  • Posts: 21606
The latter issue is why gutting the minors the way they did for short term savings rather than working with them on a streamlined model looks so shortsighted. Remove it from the culture, and it’ll be done

I think it works on two fronts. Minor league ball is definitely part of the summer culture some places. I know I used to love going to games whenever I lived in a town with a minor league team. You're losing those kids who would normally turn into fans. On the other hand, you have people already living in your markets who have cut the cord (anecdotally, but it seems to be the norm among our friends/neighbors) who would like to watch games, but can't. Those people will drift away over time and there kids will have no exposer outside of in person attendance

Offline nfotiu

  • Posts: 5041
The problem with lack of streaming options was entirely created by the rather insidious RSN model that allows the Dodgers to make 300 million/year for 25 years with less than a couple hundred thousand fans watching the games.

With all their issues, MASN is still raking in the dough.  Probably 250-300 million in revenue is coming (but falling) in carriage fees, however they share it.

Offline 1995hoo

  • Posts: 1082
Re: Streaming MASN
« Reply #6: January 25, 2021, 01:08:35 PM »
Apparently there will now be a MASN in-market streaming app.

https://twitter.com/benjstrauss/status/1353765806807658497?s=21

Offline 1995hoo

  • Posts: 1082
Re: Streaming MASN
« Reply #7: January 25, 2021, 01:24:39 PM »
This is big enough to warrant its own thread:

Quote
News for Mid-Atlantic baseball fans: MASN is launching an app for in-market streaming of all O's and Nats games. Been a loooooong wait for this in DC and Baltimore.

https://twitter.com/benjstrauss/status/1353765806807658497?s=21

Of course, that doesn’t tell us what the conditions are. Will it be restricted to people who subscribe to a cable or satellite system that carries MASN, or will it be open to anyone who pays a fee? (I assume it won’t be free, and I think that’s understandable. The question is, how much?)

Offline 1995hoo

  • Posts: 1082
Re: Streaming MASN
« Reply #8: January 25, 2021, 01:28:27 PM »
.....annnnnnndddddd he followed up. MASN is still half-assed:

Quote
still will need a cable subscription to watch games, but can now authenticate on phones, tablets, etc)

I interpret this as meaning that if you use, say, YouTube TV, you’ll still have jump through technical hoops.

Online Slateman

  • Posts: 63095
  • THE SUMMONER OF THE REVERSE JINX
Re: Streaming MASN
« Reply #9: January 25, 2021, 01:29:13 PM »
I mean, if you had a cable subscription, you could do that anyway through there app?

Offline nfotiu

  • Posts: 5041
Re: Streaming MASN
« Reply #10: January 25, 2021, 01:29:23 PM »
Follow up tweet says it requires cable/sat subscription, also just mentions tablets/phones (not sure about apple tv etc).   So not really a lot of use to cord cutters unless they can borrow someone's credentials.   

AT&T TV is at least an option at $85 this year.   More expensive than YTTV, but similar service and includes hbo-max for a year.   


Offline nfotiu

  • Posts: 5041
Re: Streaming MASN
« Reply #11: January 25, 2021, 01:32:33 PM »
.....annnnnnndddddd he followed up. MASN is still half-assed:

I interpret this as meaning that if you use, say, YouTube TV, you’ll still have jump through technical hoops.
At least for now, we have the same options as most other MLB teams.   No one is offering unauthenticated in-market streaming, and most RSNs are gone from YTTV.

Offline bluestreak

  • Global Moderator
  • ****
  • Posts: 11259
Re: Streaming MASN
« Reply #12: January 25, 2021, 02:17:20 PM »
I mean, if you had a cable subscription, you could do that anyway through there app?

No. At least you couldn’t up until now. MASN didn’t have an app as far as I knew. If I wanted to stream Nats outside of my house I had to VPN on a computer spoofing my location in Germany. And I’m a cable subscriber.

From a tablet, I found it impossible (I’m sure it was possible, I just couldn’t do it).

Online imref

  • Posts: 42507
  • Re-contending in 202...5?
Re: Streaming MASN
« Reply #13: January 25, 2021, 02:18:16 PM »
I mean, if you had a cable subscription, you could do that anyway through there app?

that's not true. I have a FiOS TV subscription, I can stream whatever channel I want to whatever device, so long as all the devices are on my home Wi-Fi network.  Once I leave home, I can only stream a handful of channels (not including MASN).


Online imref

  • Posts: 42507
  • Re-contending in 202...5?
Re: Streaming MASN
« Reply #15: January 25, 2021, 02:32:17 PM »
More info here https://www.masnsports.com/masn-news-information/2021/01/masn-to-launch-in-market-streaming-for-all-300-orioles-and-nationals-games.html

so the only way to use it to watch games is to have a pay-TV subscription with a network that already provides MASN.

Online Natsinpwc

  • Posts: 25670
Re: Streaming MASN
« Reply #16: January 25, 2021, 02:48:01 PM »
so the only way to use it to watch games is to have a pay-TV subscription with a network that already provides MASN.
Isn’t that pretty standard?

Offline DCFan

  • Posts: 16722
  • What are you dense?
Re: Streaming MASN
« Reply #17: January 25, 2021, 02:54:34 PM »
so the only way to use it to watch games is to have a pay-TV subscription with a network cable or satellite company that already provides MASN.

FIFY

Offline 1995hoo

  • Posts: 1082
Re: Streaming MASN
« Reply #18: January 25, 2021, 03:03:56 PM »
The original tweet sounded a lot more promising than it turned out to be. His use of "Been a loooooong wait for this in DC and Baltimore" made me think there was something more to it, such as maybe a system for allowing people to subscribe for a fee. I'd have been perfectly willing to do that.

Offline GburgNatsFan

  • Posts: 22277
  • Let's drink a few for Mathguy.
Re: Streaming MASN
« Reply #19: January 25, 2021, 03:04:56 PM »
The original tweet sounded a lot more promising than it turned out to be. His use of "Been a loooooong wait for this in DC and Baltimore" made me think there was something more to it, such as maybe a system for allowing people to subscribe for a fee. I'd have been perfectly willing to do that.

Me too. I dropped cable. Gonna be a lot of Charlie and Dave this year. But maybe that's okay - I can listen while I *do* something other than sit on my fattening ass.

Offline GburgNatsFan

  • Posts: 22277
  • Let's drink a few for Mathguy.
Re: Streaming MASN
« Reply #20: January 25, 2021, 03:05:39 PM »
Yes. MASN is moving squarely into 2014.
Isn’t that pretty standard?

Offline nfotiu

  • Posts: 5041
Re: Streaming MASN
« Reply #21: January 25, 2021, 03:11:31 PM »
The original tweet sounded a lot more promising than it turned out to be. His use of "Been a loooooong wait for this in DC and Baltimore" made me think there was something more to it, such as maybe a system for allowing people to subscribe for a fee. I'd have been perfectly willing to do that.

It's unclear to me who owns the rights to in-market streaming.   MLB used to own them, but announced they were giving them back to the teams last year.  But generally RSNs don't own in-market streaming rights and would have to buy them from the teams.   Who know what that means to our complicated MASN relationship.   It might actually make it easier for them to offer something like that since they are owned by both teams. 

MASN would risk all their carriage agreements with Cable/Sat/Dish if they stood one up though.   Those contracts are worth far more than they could ever re-coup in selling MASN standalone.   

How does this resolve itself?  It's not just a MASN problem.    Are all these RSNs forced to just ride out the dying cable model and they'll lose out on a generation of fans?   Does MLB step in and tell everyone to wise up and take a short term hit for long term benefit?

Offline GburgNatsFan

  • Posts: 22277
  • Let's drink a few for Mathguy.
Re: Streaming MASN
« Reply #22: January 25, 2021, 03:12:39 PM »
Baseball is made for radio. That's what I'm telling myself, anyway.

It's unclear to me who owns the rights to in-market streaming.   MLB used to own them, but announced they were giving them back to the teams last year.  But generally RSNs don't own in-market streaming rights and would have to buy them from the teams.   Who know what that means to our complicated MASN relationship.   It might actually make it easier for them to offer something like that since they are owned by both teams. 

MASN would risk all their carriage agreements with Cable/Sat/Dish if they stood one up though.   Those contracts are worth far more than they could ever re-coup in selling MASN standalone.   

How does this resolve itself?  It's not just a MASN problem.    Are all these RSNs forced to just ride out the dying cable model and they'll lose out on a generation of fans?   Does MLB step in and tell everyone to wise up and take a short term hit for long term benefit?

Offline DCFan

  • Posts: 16722
  • What are you dense?
Re: Streaming MASN
« Reply #23: January 25, 2021, 03:18:37 PM »
MASN would risk all their carriage agreements with Cable/Sat/Dish if they stood one up though.   Those contracts are worth far more than they could ever re-coup in selling MASN standalone.   

How does this resolve itself?  It's not just a MASN problem.    Are all these RSNs forced to just ride out the dying cable model and they'll lose out on a generation of fans?   Does MLB step in and tell everyone to wise up and take a short term hit for long term benefit?

RSN's command the fees they get from cable/satellite by offering them exclusivity.  If they break from that model and start offering consumers another reason to cut the cord the cable/satellite companies aren't going to accept their current fee structure or sit around and watch their business continuing to slide into oblivion.

Online Natsinpwc

  • Posts: 25670
Re: Streaming MASN
« Reply #24: January 25, 2021, 03:20:01 PM »
Baseball is made for radio. That's what I'm telling myself, anyway.
It’s made for free streams.

https://www.allconnect.com/blog/is-streaming-illegal