ExtraInnings
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The lawsuit that can change how you watch Major League Baseball (updated)
Major League Baseball is in court today to defend its practice of region-locking game broadcasts, Bloomberg Business reports. MLB's broadcast deals force some fans to purchase bloated TV and internet packages like DirecTV's Extra Innings or MLB.TV in order to watch the games they want, plaintiffs argue. Comcast and DirecTV join MLB as defendants against a class of fans certified by US District Judge Shira Scheindlin.
MLB Network HD / MLB Extra Innings sliding into FiOS TV in 2009
Way back in February, we heard that Verizon was attempting to cut a deal that would bring MLB Extra Innings to its fiber-based FiOS TV service. Now, it looks as if the Is have been dotted and the Ts crossed. Verizon has formally announced that the baseball lover's most favorite package will be available starting next year, and better still, MLB Network HD will be added on slot 586 (SD version on 86) when the channel debuts on January 1, 2009. For those unaware, the channel will air live games, original programming, highlights, classic games and coverage of baseball events, and it's sure to spark up all sorts of controversy à la NFL Network.[Thanks, Pete]
DirecTV skips White Sox / Indians game due to "bandwidth constraints"
We already heard a chorus of boos from angry Red Sox / A's fans that missed some or all of the opening day of Major League Baseball, and now it seems the satcaster has disappointed fans of two other teams. Today's tilt between the Cleveland Indians and Chicago White Sox isn't being broadcast via DirecTV on SportsTime Ohio HD as part of the Extra Innings package due to "bandwidth constraints." According to STO, DTV customers shouldn't have any issues seeing games for the rest of the season on the carrier, but the purported overload of sporting events has seemingly left no room for this one. Check the notice in full below.[Thanks, Dayton Guy] %Gallery-19746%
DirecTV's MLB Extra Innings SuperFan gets down with HD
As if DirecTV customers didn't already have three good reasons to party down this week, the satcaster has just announced that its MLB Extra Innings SuperFan service will be four times better than last year. Or, there will be around four times more games in HD each week -- same difference, right? During the 2008 season, subscribers to the SuperFan package will be able to catch up to 40 out-of-market matchups in high-definition, and for the first time ever, the so-called Strike Zone Channel will be available in HD. 'Course, the interactive Game Mix channel, which shows up to eight tilts on a single screen, will be back (in SD, sadly) to satisfy popular demand. Those interested in getting signed up can save a few bucks by doing so before April 6th ($179), and current Extra Innings subscribers can upgrade to SuperFan for $50.
Cable gets Extra Innings too
Major League Baseball and In Demand struck a deal that will bring MLB Extra Innings to cable subscribers everywhere. A few weeks ago it appeared that DirecTV might have had another exclusive to add to the NFL Sunday Ticket package, but this deal brings relief to baseball fans with Series 3s everywhere. To date, Echostar has yet to get a deal done, but with only a few days into the 2007 season there is still time left before all of the 162 games are played.
