# baseball cable tv contract **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 3, 2007, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-cable-tv-contract/398589 "2007-04-03T17:56:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2007, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-cable-tv-contract/398589/1 "2007-04-03T17:56:34Z")
[Yahoo Finance - Stock Market Live, Quotes, Business & Finance News](http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/070221/jim_litke_baseball.html?.v=2) If this is true, the baseball package that was offered on cable will be in control of a group which has much fewer fans. Is the money so good that baseball will allow a smaller audience and not grow the game.? ---
**Author:** ![fruitbat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58f4c7/32.png) [@fruitbat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fruitbat)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2007, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-cable-tv-contract/398589/2 "2007-04-03T18:02:44Z")
My wife and I are die-hard Red Sox fans and I will be damned if I will get DirecTV just to get my baseball games. It seems like a bizarre business decision to me and I think baseball is sacrificing future growth for a slight increase in current revenue. I have to hand it to Cox Cable. We got the Extra Innings package last year. This year it is unavailable. We got a promotion code for a free year of MLBTV streaming from the computer. The next step was that I bought some cables and I am going to make a valiant attempt to connect said laptop to the television to simulate a televised game as best as possible. I know this is a hijack, but has anyone tried this? Does it work? Can you give me any tips? ---
**Author:** ![FatBaldGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecd19e/32.png) [@FatBaldGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FatBaldGuy)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2007, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-cable-tv-contract/398589/3 "2007-04-03T18:08:10Z")
[QUOTE=fruitbat] My wife and I are die-hard Red Sox fans and I will be damned if I will get DirecTV just to get my baseball games. It seems like a bizarre business decision to me and I think baseball is sacrificing future growth for a slight increase in current revenue. I have to hand it to Cox Cable. We got the Extra Innings package last year. This year it is unavailable. We got a promotion code for a free year of MLBTV streaming from the computer. The next step was that I bought some cables and I am going to make a valiant attempt to connect said laptop to the television to simulate a televised game as best as possible. I know this is a hijack, but has anyone tried this? Does it work? Can you give me any tips? [/QUOTE] Here is a [thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=414740) from just a couple of days ago on this very subject. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2007, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-cable-tv-contract/398589/4 "2007-04-03T18:25:58Z")
[QUOTE=fruitbat] I have to hand it to Cox Cable. We got the Extra Innings package last year. This year it is unavailable. We got a promotion code for a free year of MLBTV streaming from the computer. The next step was that I bought some cables and I am going to make a valiant attempt to connect said laptop to the television to simulate a televised game as best as possible. I know this is a hijack, but has anyone tried this? Does it work? Can you give me any tips? [/QUOTE] It works; I added a DVI & VGA video card to my PC next to the LCD TV. I use the DVI to run the streaming video to the LCD. It works fine, but streaming video blown up to 37" is blocky. Far from what Extra Innings would give you. I use this setup currently for Netflix “Watch it Now” streams and a few others. MLB got a great deal for Direct TV. There has been a lot of bitching about this deal, but very few baseball fans had taken advantage of the package in the last few years and Direct TV has promised to push and sell the product. My understanding is that 200,000 fans are currently being affected. Commissioner Selig hopes to grow the game with a strong partner in Direct TV as opposed to a large number of apathetic cable companies. I share everyone’s doubts that this is the best move, but MLB thinks it is. Jim ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2007, 8:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-cable-tv-contract/398589/5 "2007-04-03T20:03:23Z")
They could be jeopardizing their antitrust exemption if they follow up with this. There was a gonressional hearing the other day and they implied that the cable and dish people might be wise to get together. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2007, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-cable-tv-contract/398589/6 "2007-04-03T20:11:12Z")
[QUOTE=gonzomax] They could be jeopardizing their antitrust exemption if they follow up with this. There was a gonressional hearing the other day and they implied that the cable and dish people might be wise to get together. [/QUOTE] Do you have a link for that? Which members were involved? I can see McCain and Kerry both nosing in on this deal. Jim ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2007, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-cable-tv-contract/398589/7 "2007-04-03T23:04:49Z")
[QUOTE=What Exit?] Do you have a link for that? Which members were involved? I can see McCain and Kerry both nosing in on this deal. Jim [/QUOTE] I watched the replay of the conference last Sat on cspan. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2007, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-cable-tv-contract/398589/8 "2007-04-03T23:10:04Z")
[http://www.cspan.org/](http://www.cspan.org/) Its on the list so you can scroll down and watch the kerry panel. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2007, 1:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-cable-tv-contract/398589/9 "2007-04-04T01:52:15Z")
[QUOTE=gonzomax] [http://www.cspan.org/](http://www.cspan.org/) Its on the list so you can scroll down and watch the kerry panel. [/QUOTE] I can’t find the clip. But I am not surprised Kerry was involved. Him and McCain both spend too much time trying to legislate baseball in my opinion. Jim ---
**Author:** ![Capa84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8edcca/32.png) [@Capa84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capa84)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2007, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/baseball-cable-tv-contract/398589/10 "2007-04-04T02:38:39Z")
This is going to come up again for the NFL Sunday Ticket eventually The rub is that the leagues’ anti trust exemptions requir them to offer equal coverage to all Americans, which obviously is impossible if only satellite customers are allowed to watch the games.