# Apple TV+ to carry MLB



## b4pjoe

*Apple TV Plus working with MLB*
By Ian Sherr

Apple's adding sports to its $5-a-month Apple TV Plus service, starting with Friday Night Baseball. Apple says there will be games "you can only see on Apple TV Plus." Curious what that will look like.


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## b4pjoe

MLB, Apple link up for "Friday Night Baseball"


MLB and Apple today officially announced their rights deal, which includes a Friday night doubleheader.




www.sportsbusinessjournal.com


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## SamC

I really don’t like paying twice for the same thing. I, gladly, pay for my local RSN so I can watch my team. Combined with a handful of national sports channels I would have in any case (ESPN, Fox, FS1, TBS) I get my game every day.

Now I have to pay once more? 

Going to the well one time too many has been the downfall of a lot of companies.


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## b4pjoe

They have already had a few games that were exclusive to Facebook, Youtube and Twitter so this doesn't really surprise me. Probably more on the way.


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## SamC

b4pjoe said:


> They have already had a few games that were exclusive to Facebook, Youtube and Twitter so this doesn't really surprise me. Probably more on the way.


I don’t disagree, but I am not happy about it.

Twitter? Don’t remember that one. Free anyway.


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## b4pjoe

Yeah they were all free as long as you had an account with each service. But they were exclusive and the only place you could watch those games. I would assume the Apple games will be games that are expected to be good teams. Probably won't see any Rockies vs Pirates on Friday night baseball.


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## Rob37

It’s just another way for MLB to nickel & dime people who want to see baseball games.


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## b4pjoe

I'm sure they got more than nickels and dimes from Apple.


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## James Long

SamC said:


> I really don’t like paying twice for the same thing. I, gladly, pay for my local RSN so I can watch my team. Combined with a handful of national sports channels I would have in any case (ESPN, Fox, FS1, TBS) I get my game every day.
> 
> Now I have to pay once more?
> 
> Going to the well one time too many has been the downfall of a lot of companies.


I agree. This echos why I do not like the various streaming companies. They have taken what was once a unified delivery system and fragmented it to create exclusive delivery paths. It isn't a bad deal for AppleTV+ subscribers who would be paying for the service anyways (other than the eventual price increase to pay for the content), but it is a bad deal for people who have no interest in the rest of AppleTV+ content. They lose games - potentially games that they have paid for through their local RSN or MLB EI. Just a few dollars more for each service until we're all paying twice as much for subscription TV as we did only a few years ago to get the same content - or settling for less content without getting a discount off of our existing subscriptions for what we have lost. The only way to pay the same as we did before is to cut content.

I am sure that AppleTV+ has some great programming. So does Netflix. So does Apple. So does Peacock. So does Paramount+. So does Amazon. The well is running dry to pay for it all.


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## raott

Not going to be happy at all if I lose these games from my EI package, which sounds like the case.


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## b4pjoe

raott said:


> Not going to be happy at all if I lose these games from my EI package, which sounds like the case.


Prepare to be unhappy then.


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## b4pjoe

MLB Reportedly Also Lands a Streaming Deal with Peacock for Weekday Games


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## harsh

b4pjoe said:


> Apple's adding sports to its $5-a-month Apple TV Plus service, starting with Friday Night Baseball


It may not be reasonable to label Apple TV+ as a $5/month service for much longer.

Hopefully the contract is based on games actually being played.


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## raott

b4pjoe said:


> Prepare to be unhappy then.


Yep....upon further reading that is the case. Thankfully the peacock deal is NOT exclusive, but the MLB and Apple a-holes just devalued my mlb.tv subscription.


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## SamC

I was listening to the Andy Marchand podcast, and he had an interesting take. His take is that this is not about us. 

In his view, MLB is aiming not a “nickel and dimeing” hard core baseball fans, but putting the product out there for “cord nevers” who are all those demographic things that baseball doesn’t have. The hard core baseball fans who lose out on three or four of their team’s games are just collateral damage.

That may be, but to follow what I consider to be the major sports, by next year I will need:


Linear TV with the OTA networks; the full time sports channels like ESPN and FS1; the general rerun channels that carry some sports (USA, TNT, TBS, and the once a year TruTV); and the sports specific channels (MLB Network, NHL Network etc.)
Amazon Prime
ESPN+
Apple TV +
Peacock Premium
Paramount Plus

I pretty much only watch not-sports to fill time time when there are no sports on. Paying for a lot of estrogen soaked melodrama streamers just for a handful of sports on each service.


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## inkahauts

The games will be free to everyone for a while.


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## James Long

inkahauts said:


> The games will be free to everyone for a while.


Free to subscribers of those services or free via other means (except AppleTV+ Friday night double header)?


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## inkahauts

James Long said:


> Free to subscribers of those services or free via other means (except AppleTV+ Friday night double header)?


No subscription will be needed to apple tv plus for a limited time…









Apple and Major League Baseball to offer “Friday Night Baseball”


Apple and Major League Baseball (MLB) today announced “Friday Night Baseball,” a weekly doubleheader available exclusively to fans on Apple TV+.



www.apple.com





Specifically on the page…

“boxes. “Friday Night Baseball” will be available on Apple TV+ — and, for a limited time, without the need for a subscription. “


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## JoeTheDragon

James Long said:


> I agree. This echos why I do not like the various streaming companies. They have taken what was once a unified delivery system and fragmented it to create exclusive delivery paths. It isn't a bad deal for AppleTV+ subscribers who would be paying for the service anyways (other than the eventual price increase to pay for the content), but it is a bad deal for people who have no interest in the rest of AppleTV+ content. They lose games - potentially games that they have paid for through their local RSN or MLB EI. Just a few dollars more for each service until we're all paying twice as much for subscription TV as we did only a few years ago to get the same content - or settling for less content without getting a discount off of our existing subscriptions for what we have lost. The only way to pay the same as we did before is to cut content.
> 
> I am sure that AppleTV+ has some great programming. So does Netflix. So does Apple. So does Peacock. So does Paramount+. So does Amazon. The well is running dry to pay for it all.


and just wait the for the mouse to work there way in and then you are paying for diseny and ESPN X4 times to get what you used to get with just one cable sub.

The local teams really need to step up and project there rights and maybe even to go court to get the right to steam there own games on there own.


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## JoeTheDragon

SamC said:


> Linear TV with the OTA networks; the full time sports channels like ESPN and FS1; the general rerun channels that carry some sports (USA, TNT, TBS, and the once a year TruTV); and the sports specific channels (MLB Network, NHL Network etc.)
> Amazon Prime
> ESPN+
> Apple TV +
> Peacock Premium
> Paramount Plus


well the value of an hacked directv box will go up (jokeing) when all of that ends of on the commercial only channels.
But commercial is one point streaming does not really cover.


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## harsh

JoeTheDragon said:


> But commercial is one point streaming does not really cover.


While this may garner some serious spousal approval points for Friday nights, it can't be popular with those who like to enjoy the company of like-minded fans.


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## glrush

Looks like the Peacock deal is close.....

NBCUniversal's Peacock nears deal for some exclusive Sunday MLB games (NASDAQ:CMCSA) | Seeking Alpha


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## the2130

glrush said:


> Looks like the Peacock deal is close.....
> 
> NBCUniversal's Peacock nears deal for some exclusive Sunday MLB games (NASDAQ:CMCSA) | Seeking Alpha


That article requires a subscription. Can you provide some details about that deal? Are these daytime games that would require a Peacock Premium subscription?


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## the2130

raott said:


> Yep....upon further reading that is the case. Thankfully the peacock deal is NOT exclusive, but the MLB and Apple a-holes just devalued my mlb.tv subscription.


The headline of the Seeking Alpha article says it's exclusive for Sunday games.


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## wmb

JoeTheDragon said:


> and just wait the for the mouse to work there way in and then you are paying for diseny and ESPN X4 times to get what you used to get with just one cable sub.
> 
> The local teams really need to step up and project there rights and maybe even to go court to get the right to steam there own games on there own.


The mouse already owns most of it. Disney bought 85% of BAMTech, now Disney Streaming a few years ago. MLB still owns 15%.

MLB pretty much invented sports streaming.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## b4pjoe

the2130 said:


> That article requires a subscription. Can you provide some details about that deal? Are these daytime games that would require a Peacock Premium subscription?











WSJ News Exclusive | NBC’s Peacock Is Finalizing Deal to Stream MLB Games in New Sunday Time Slot


NBCUniversal’s Peacock is finalizing a deal with Major League Baseball for exclusive rights to stream games in a new Sunday time slot, according to people familiar with the discussions, as the league looks to increase digital partnerships.




www.wsj.com





or









M.L.B. Nears Deal With Another Streaming Service to Carry Some Games Exclusively


Peacock would join Apple TV+, which has already reached an agreement that will make it harder for cable subscribers to find major-league games.




www.nytimes.com


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## SamC

the2130 said:


> That article requires a subscription. Can you provide some details about that deal? Are these daytime games that would require a Peacock Premium subscription?


OK, MLB is going to have some games on Peacock Plus, generally starting at 11:30 AM or Noon. These will be "exclusive" meaning non on the RSN and not on MLBEI/MLB.TV. 

This means that, if you just want to watch all 162 of your local team's games, which is what I want to do, you need:


Access to OTA Fox.
Linear TV channels FS1, ESPN, and TBS
Apple TV +
Peacock Plus
YouTube (which if free)
Your local RSN
(In the handful of remaining markets with game on local OTA TV, add that channel in)

If you want to watch an out-of-market team, add in MLBEI/MLB.TV (some games on ESPN+, but not all). 

MLB is selling the same real estate multiple times.


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## the2130

SamC said:


> OK, MLB is going to have some games on Peacock Plus, generally starting at 11:30 AM or Noon. These will be "exclusive" meaning non on the RSN and not on MLBEI/MLB.TV.
> 
> This means that, if you just want to watch all 162 of your local team's games, which is what I want to do, you need:
> 
> 
> Access to OTA Fox.
> Linear TV channels FS1, ESPN, and TBS
> Apple TV +
> Peacock Plus
> YouTube (which if free)
> Your local RSN
> (In the handful of remaining markets with game on local OTA TV, add that channel in)
> 
> If you want to watch an out-of-market team, add in MLBEI/MLB.TV (some games on ESPN+, but not all).
> 
> MLB is selling the same real estate multiple times.


Thanks for the reply. I also like to watch all 162 of my team's games, but it's requiring more and more paid subscriptions to do that. I follow an out-of-market team (Cardinals), but MLB keeps carving out more packages of games that aren't available to watch on MLB.TV or EI. I currently have DirecTV with MLB EI and the (mostly) ad-free Peacock. Looks like I'll have to sign up for Apple TV+ if I don't want to miss any games. I was probably going to keep Peacock anyway, since the NBC shows are moving over there from Hulu this fall, and I also use Peacock to stream most of the NFL Sunday night games in the fall.


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## B. Shoe

I love the enthusiasm and dedication you guys have for baseball. I'm lucky to be able to watch half of my team's games (Cardinals) on television during the season, and we live in-market. My better half enjoys baseball, but she'd much rather have the game on the radio while we're enjoying dinner or sitting outside on the back porch. 

Regarding "devaluation of MLB.tv", because I'm not a regular subscriber to MLB.tv: You're losing the Friday/Sunday games to Apple/Peacock. But no one has scooped up the Monday/Wednesday national package that was discontinued by ESPN. Presumably that goes back into MLB.tv access. It's probably a wash, or close to, in terms of total number of games available?

What I say next obviously doesn't account for all people, but for a lot, as we start going into the parsing of content and services and costs for that:

A good chunk of Apple TV+ subscribers are currently getting the service for free. If you buy any new iPhone/Mac device, you're usually getting a free year of Apple TV+ service. Many just don't activate it. The nice thing is, when MLB season is over, just discontinue the subscription.
(Not entirely related, but somewhat applicable): There are 150-million Amazon Prime subscribers. That includes Prime Video. A lot of people are already plugged in for Thursday Night Football and don't even know it.
I'm entirely on board that divvying these games up among services is inconvenient for diehard fans. But this league is looking for new money where it can find it, and that, to the chagrin of those used to just flipping on the RSN or ESPN/FOX, is in the streamers.


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## b4pjoe

B. Shoe said:


> I love the enthusiasm and dedication you guys have for baseball. I'm lucky to be able to watch half of my team's games (Cardinals) on television during the season, and we live in-market. My better half enjoys baseball, but she'd much rather have the game on the radio while we're enjoying dinner or sitting outside on the back porch.
> 
> Regarding "devaluation of MLB.tv", because I'm not a regular subscriber to MLB.tv: You're losing the Friday/Sunday games to Apple/Peacock. *But no one has scooped up the Monday/Wednesday national package that was discontinued by ESPN.* Presumably that goes back into MLB.tv access. It's probably a wash, or close to, in terms of total number of games available?
> 
> What I say next obviously doesn't account for all people, but for a lot, as we start going into the parsing of content and services and costs for that:
> 
> *A good chunk of Apple TV+ subscribers are currently getting the service for free. If you buy any new iPhone/Mac device, you're usually getting a free year of Apple TV+ service. Many just don't activate it. The nice thing is, when MLB season is over, just discontinue the subscription.*
> (Not entirely related, but somewhat applicable): There are 150-million Amazon Prime subscribers. That includes Prime Video. A lot of people are already plugged in for Thursday Night Football and don't even know it.
> I'm entirely on board that divvying these games up among services is inconvenient for diehard fans. But this league is looking for new money where it can find it, and that, to the chagrin of those used to just flipping on the RSN or ESPN/FOX, is in the streamers.


Peacock picked up those Monday/Wednesday games but the last I heard they reportedly will not be exclusive on Peacock and they won't be blacked out.

You only get 3 months of free Apple TV+ these days when you buy a new device from Apple.

Get 3 months of Apple TV+ when you buy a new iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV, or Mac.


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## the2130

B. Shoe said:


> Regarding "devaluation of MLB.tv", because I'm not a regular subscriber to MLB.tv: You're losing the Friday/Sunday games to Apple/Peacock. But no one has scooped up the Monday/Wednesday national package that was discontinued by ESPN. Presumably that goes back into MLB.tv access. It's probably a wash, or close to, in terms of total number of games available.


Those Monday and Wednesday games on ESPN were not exclusive. They were also on the RSNs and could be viewed on MLB.TV and EI. The only ESPN exclusives were the Sunday night games. There is no question that those two Friday games on Apple+ and two Sunday games on Peacock will reduce the number of games available on MLB.TV and EI.


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## B. Shoe

b4pjoe said:


> Peacock picked up those Monday/Wednesday games but the last I heard they reportedly will not be exclusive on Peacock and they won't be blacked out.
> 
> You only get 3 months of free Apple TV+ these days when you buy a new device from Apple.


Thanks for the clarification. When I last purchased a new iPhone two years ago, it came with a full year of Apple TV+. The Peacock deal is for games exclusive to the streaming service, per Awful Announcing.



the2130 said:


> Those Monday and Wednesday games on ESPN were not exclusive. They were also on the RSNs and could be viewed on MLB.TV and EI. The only ESPN exclusives were the Sunday night games. There is no question that those two Friday games on Apple+ and two Sunday games on Peacock will reduce the number of games available on MLB.TV and EI.


Thanks. I wasn't aware how those ESPN games were/were not limited. The Peacock deal is for a total of 18 games, so that's most likely one game a Sunday.

If you're wanting to talk hardcore numbers, sure. The value of MLB.tv/Extra Innings per game is less than what it is from last season. But there are 2,400 total MLB games in a regular season. Substract the streaming exclusives (approx. 50) and linear national broadcasts (300?), and you're still looking at more baseball than even a fly's eyes can keep track of on MLB.tv/EI.


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## b4pjoe

B. Shoe said:


> The Peacock deal is for a total of 18 games, so that's most likely one game a Sunday.


There are 2 different deals between MLB and Peacock. One for the exclusive 18 games and the other to take over the ESPN Monday/Wednesday package.

MLB Reportedly Also Lands a Streaming Deal with Peacock for Weekday Games


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## the2130

B. Shoe said:


> Thanks for the clarification. When I last purchased a new iPhone two years ago, it came with a full year of Apple TV+. The Peacock deal is for games exclusive to the streaming service, per Awful Announcing.
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks. I wasn't aware how those ESPN games were/were not limited. The Peacock deal is for a total of 18 games, so that's most likely one game a Sunday.
> 
> If you're wanting to talk hardcore numbers, sure. The value of MLB.tv/Extra Innings per game is less than what it is from last season. But there are 2,400 total MLB games in a regular season. Substract the streaming exclusives (approx. 50) and linear national broadcasts (300?), and you're still looking at more baseball than even a fly's eyes can keep track of on MLB.tv/EI.


Most baseball fans are interested in how many of their team's 162 games are available to watch, not the total number of MLB games they can watch. From my perspective, it's not a huge deal because I already have Peacock. I don't have Apple TV+, but they do have some other programming I wouldn't mind watching, so I'll probably sign up during the baseball season and binge-watch some of their shows, then cancel after the baseball season is over.


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## raott

the2130 said:


> Most baseball fans are interested in how many of their team's 162 games are available to watch, not the total number of MLB games they can watch. From my perspective, it's not a huge deal because I already have Peacock. I don't have Apple TV+, but they do have some other programming I wouldn't mind watching, so I'll probably sign up during the baseball season and binge-watch some of their shows, then cancel after the baseball season is over.


I'm not giving Apple an extra dime. Any company that charges an obscene $540 to go to a 2tb drive, will only get the money I absolutely "have" to give it (ie a phone and music).


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## Phil T

I signed up for EVOCA TV a OTA/OTT service that is now carrying Altitude and AT&T Sportsnet (Rockies) in Denver. This is a big deal here since Comcast and Dish dropped Altitude a couple years ago. No Nuggets or Avalanche games available other than DirecTV. The service is also ATSC 3.0 for OTA channels. I live within about 15 miles of Lookout Mountain where the major station towers are so OTA is no a problem for me. Only disadvantage I see is no DVR at this time. Looking forward to getting the equipment by the end of the week. $25.00 a month and $5.00 a month receiver rental guaranteed for 2 years. No commitment.









The smart, simple way to watch TV!


Evoca uses Next-Generation broadcast technology to provide high quality, reliable programming at a fraction of the cost of cable.




evoca.tv


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## the2130

raott said:


> I'm not giving Apple an extra dime. Any company that charges an obscene $540 to go to a 2tb drive, will only get the money I absolutely "have" to give it (ie a phone and music).


Well, you don't absolutely have to give Apple money for a phone or music.


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## SamC

the2130 said:


> Most baseball fans are interested in how many of their team's 162 games are available to watch, not the total number of MLB games they can watch.


Agree. I have MLB because T-Mobile gives it away and I might watch a random game just because nothing else is on, but I really only just watch my local team, which is never on the MLB package, because its the local team. I really could not see me paying for the package, between my local team and all the games on ESPN, FS1 and TBS, that is enough baseball for me.


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## wfs455

raott said:


> I'm not giving Apple an extra dime. Any company that charges an obscene $540 to go to a 2tb drive, will only get the money I absolutely "have" to give it (ie a phone and music).


AppleTV+ is pretty cheap at $5 per month. It's about the only bargain in the Apple universe.


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## swyman18

I find that Evoca service interesting (I’m not in any of those areas, so it doesn’t matter) but I was looking at their comparison chart and I find it funny how under “additional programming fees” they list YTTV with the add on costs for HBO, NBA League Pass, etc. and “None” for Evoca. 
Well gee, no kidding. Hard to charge additional programming fees for items they don’t offer. Not exactly an apples to apples comparison.


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## David Ortiz

wfs455 said:


> AppleTV+ is pretty cheap at $5 per month. It's about the only bargain in the Apple universe.


It is a good deal. If I keep it, I can also keep my Showtime/Paramount+ bundle for $9.99. (no ads)


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## David Ortiz

SamC said:


> Agree. I have MLB because T-Mobile gives it away and I might watch a random game just because nothing else is on, but I really only just watch my local team, which is never on the MLB package, because its the local team. I really could not see me paying for the package, between my local team and all the games on ESPN, FS1 and TBS, that is enough baseball for me.


That's great if you like the local team. I grew up near LA, but my "local" teams are the Giants and A's. As a Yankee fan I can't like the A's, and as an (ex)Dodger fan, I have tried to like the Giants, but it's near impossible.


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## B. Shoe

MLB.tv is now available for the 2022 season. Price has increased $10 to $139.99, per The Streamable, but an early bird special locks in the price in at $129.99 (the 2021 season price.) Team specific plans run $119.99 ($109.99 early bird pricing).

Other notes about the 2022 MLB.tv package:

All spring training games available without blackout restrictions.
Agreements in place with 13 teams to air pre-game and post-game shows within MLB.tv, with hopes to add more through the season.
MLB Big Inning show goes to 7 days a week, instead of just weeknights.


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## b4pjoe

I connected with DirecTV yesterday about this and the only option they gave me was the $139.99 price. I asked about discounts or promotions and was told there were none. And trying right now at the DirecTV website there is not an option to get it for 129.99. So how does one get the discount?

Nevermind, misread and that link is about MLB-TV. Not DirecTV Extra Innings. Extra Innings is $139.99.


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## B. Shoe

b4pjoe said:


> I connected with DirecTV yesterday about this and the only option they gave me was the $139.99 price. I asked about discounts or promotions and was told there were none. And trying right now at the DirecTV website there is not an option to get it for 129.99. So how does one get the discount?


I think this is just for the MLB.tv package directly from the league, not the MLB Extra Innings package available to cable/satellite distributors.


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## b4pjoe

Yes I just modified my post about it. I misread your original post.


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## the2130

B. Shoe said:


> MLB.tv is now available for the 2022 season. Price has increased $10 to $139.99, per The Streamable, but an early bird special locks in the price in at $129.99 (the 2021 season price.) Team specific plans run $119.99 ($109.99 early bird pricing).
> 
> Other notes about the 2022 MLB.tv package:
> 
> All spring training games available without blackout restrictions.
> Agreements in place with 13 teams to air pre-game and post-game shows within MLB.tv, with hopes to add more through the season.
> MLB Big Inning show goes to 7 days a week, instead of just weeknights.


This means we don't have to wait until the end of the preseason for DirecTV to give us access to to MLB.TV as they've done in the past. Last year they didn't give us access until minutes before the start of the first game.

On the other hand, we still won't know if it's working until the regular season games are underway. One year it wasn't working for me on opening day and I spent about an hour on the phone with customer "support" trying to get it straightened out. The CSR didn't have a solution, so he put me on hold for a while, then came back on the line and claimed it wasnt supposed to work until the second week of the season. It wasn't true, and I had to spend more time calling MLB support to get it straightened out. Unfortunately that's what you get with DirecTV - unhelpful and unknowledgeable customer service reps.


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## the2130

Anyone tried the Android app since they updated it? Some DVR controls have been added, which is an improvement. On the other hand, the app opens in portrait mode and only changes to landscape if you launch one of the games. If you are running the app on a tablet, you have to either re-orient the tablet or tilt your head to read what' on the screen. It's like the app developers think everyone uses the app on a phone.


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## b4pjoe

the2130 said:


> This means we don't have to wait until the end of the preseason for DirecTV to give us access to to MLB.TV as they've done in the past. Last year they didn't give us access until minutes before the start of the first game.


I don’t think it means that at all. DIRECTV EI doesn’t start until the regular which means the MLB-TV subscription through EI won’t start until the regular season.


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## the2130

b4pjoe said:


> I don’t think it means that at all. DIRECTV EI doesn’t start until the regular which means the MLB-TV subscription through EI won’t start until the regular season.


It means we can stream the preseason games without waiting for DirecTV to give us access, as I stated. I'm watching games on MLB.TV today, so I know it's true.


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## b4pjoe

So you bought MLB -TV separate from Extra Innings.


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## the2130

b4pjoe said:


> So you bought MLB -TV separate from Extra Innings.


Nope. I do not have an MLB.TV subscription. The games are being offered for free until March 24.









FREE preview: MLB.TV is back for start of spring games


Major League Baseball is back on the schedule! The Spring Training slate is under way, and with MLB.TV's spring preview, you can stream select exhibition games for free for a limited time. All you need to do is log in to your MLB.com account (no credit card required) and you’ll




www.mlb.com


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## b4pjoe

For the whole preseason or is it just the free 7 day trial that is being advertised? I can watch right now without even logging in.


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## the2130

b4pjoe said:


> For the whole preseason or is it just the free 7 day trial that is being advertised? I can watch right now without even logging in.


I read that the preseason was being offered free this year, but the MLB link indicates it's good until March 24, which is only the first week. So unless they extend it, we'll be limited to watching on the RSNs after that date.


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## NashGuy

wfs455 said:


> AppleTV+ is pretty cheap at $5 per month. It's about the only bargain in the Apple universe.


Yup. IMO, Apple TV+ is becoming the new HBO, i.e. a service focused on a smaller library of buzzy, glossy, high-quality originals (plus a bit of sports -- remember when HBO had boxing and Wimbledon?). Just as HBO was never intended to be the first/only stop on your cable dial, Apple TV+ doesn't want to be a jumbo-sized something-for-everyone service to compete with Netflix, Prime Video, The Max (HBO Max+discovery+), or Disney+Hulu. But they do offer a steady flow of fresh new series and mini-series each week, with a few films, docs and kids shows thrown in there too.

I barely got in on the free year deal last June when I bought the new Apple TV 4K box. Once that year lapses, I'll probably drop Apple TV+ for a couple months while I rotate in Netflix and Showtime and then resubscribe for another year of Apple TV+ for $50.


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## swyman18

I will be interested to see for todays games if there will be some type of live buffer where you can start watching from the beginning while the game is in progress, skip back, etc. 
Or if it will be a straight live stream with no buffer at all.

EDIT: well according to this, there will not be any playback controls. No surprise I guess.

https://thestreamable.com/news/appl...volve-the-mlb-telecast-what-to-expect-tonight


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## swyman18

Picture quality is decent on my ATV4K.
DD5.1 which is nice too. 

I suspect the entire broadcast is going to be one large plug for Apple devices and services, which is to be expected I guess.


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## b4pjoe

A couple of things with tonight’s Mets/Nats game tonight.

Picture is great when there isn’t any action. Some judder during action scene though that I don’t see on this same TV on MLB EI or MLB.TV.

Sound and video is not synced. Sound of announcer describing a hit to left field before the pitch was thrown.

Needs some work it seems.


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## 1948GG

I've been a very long term subscriber to mlb.tv, started maybe a couple years after they started up; but the continual increase in price while they chip away at the carried games. It was a continual itch they never got around to offering my local franchise team after dangling it out there for years, but this nonsense of selling games to apple exclusively may just be the final straw. 

I've lived all over the country and enjoy watching the Ray's, Rangers, and A's particularly, and maybe add in the Astros even though when I lived in Houston they were still in the National league playing in the old Astrodome. Then the fact my local franchise (Seattle Mariners) billionaire owners took the city to the cleaners to build the stadium a bit over 20 years ago, but if course they were simply following the trail blazed by Paul Allen (billionaire Microsoft founder) with the Seahawks earlier. But the voters finally wised up and told those getting a stadium for potential basketball and hockey to pound sand, they wouldn't get a dime, and haven't.

But for the mlb team to have a payroll several times that of Tampa and then refuse to allow low cost tv rights to the citizens who paid for their facility because they complain they have to pay big money for players, I have to remind them Tampa has been to the playoffs a bunch of times while the Mariners haven't since 2001. So not watching them live on mlb.tv isnt a problem.

But for mlb to sell exclusive rights to out of market games is too much.


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## NashGuy

b4pjoe said:


> A couple of things with tonight’s Mets/Nats game tonight.
> 
> Picture is great when there isn’t any action. Some judder during action scene though that I don’t see on this same TV on MLB EI or MLB.TV.
> 
> Sound and video is not synced. Sound of announcer describing a hit to left field before the pitch was thrown.
> 
> Needs some work it seems.


I watched a bit of both games, mainly the last couple innings of the Astros/Angels game. In both cases, the HD video quality was excellent (nearly as good as some live 4K sports I've seen) although I did notice occasional glitches, like a weird shake in the picture. Didn't notice the sound being out of sync at all but did hear persistent audio artifacts like a popping sound now and then. And unfortunately, no way to pause or rewind the live stream (unlike Peacock's recent live streams of the Winter Olympics). Even if Apple doesn't want to mess with that feature on their servers, there's no reason why they could use local storage on their Apple TV 4K to create a live buffer (as the Channels app for OTA TV does).

So good first effort at live sports by Apple TV+ but, yeah, they have some technical kinks to work out and improvements to make.


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## b4pjoe

NashGuy said:


> I watched a bit of both games, mainly the last couple innings of the Astros/Angels game. In both cases, the HD video quality was excellent (nearly as good as some live 4K sports I've seen) although I did notice occasional glitches, like a weird shake in the picture. Didn't notice the sound being out of sync at all but did hear persistent audio artifacts like a popping sound now and then. And unfortunately, no way to pause or rewind the live stream (unlike Peacock's recent live streams of the Winter Olympics). Even if Apple doesn't want to mess with that feature on their servers, there's no reason why they could use local storage on their Apple TV 4K to create a live buffer (as the Channels app for OTA TV does).
> 
> So good first effort at live sports by Apple TV+ but, yeah, they have some technical kinks to work out and improvements to make.


I noticed the sound issue in the Mets/Nats game. Once where the announcer was saying there was a line drive down the right field line that was foul. On the video as they were saying that the pitcher was just throwing the ball. The other time was a line drive down the left field that was fair. Two runs are going to score. As that was said the pitch was just being thrown. I didn't watch much of the Astros/Angels game but what I did see I didn't notice the sound issue. I noticed both games had a female announcer. I thought both did a good job calling the action. At one point in the Astros/Angels game they had 4 people talking at once. Two men and two women. They need to limit it to just 2 announcers. More than two is just too ESPN'y.

On the HD quality I noticed close ups on the people it was good enough that you could see their individual facial hair. It was excellant other than like you mention the weird shake during action scenes where the camera was moving trying to follow the ball or running players. That is where I could see the judder. I also had a couple of times where the picture froze and the only way I could get it going was to force quit the Apple TV+ app and re-start it.

Also you could have a picture in picture of the game along with a game from MLB.TV and switch back and forth between those two games but there were some sound glitches in that where occasionally you could hear the announcers of both games at the same time which is definitely a glitch.


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## NashGuy

b4pjoe said:


> I noticed both games had a female announcer. I thought both did a good job calling the action. At one point in the Astros/Angels game they had 4 people talking at once. Two men and two women. They need to limit it to just 2 announcers. More than two is just too ESPN'y.


I don't watch a ton of sports but the announcing didn't feel quite up to par with what I expect from the major broadcast networks. As you say, having two people in the booth (along with an occasional cut-in from someone on the field) might be better.


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## wfs455

I watched the MLB Phillies - Oakland opener game on my Roku TV yesterday. Picture and sound were excellent. And the Phillies won. I noticed in today's paper that most games were still over three hours long. That's discouraging. There's about a three-minute gap between half-innings for commercials so that's 51 minutes in a full nine-inning game that could be reduced to 34 minutes if they cut the gap to two minutes. Not likely to happen.


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## swyman18

wfs455 said:


> I watched the MLB Phillies - Oakland opener game on my Roku TV yesterday.


This thread is mostly referring to the AppleTV+ games, which PHI-OAK was not one of them.


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## b4pjoe

MLB broadcast info from last nights game.

1080p native, 60fps, ~8 mbps (AVC H.264) video bitrate, ~256 kbps (AC3 Dolby Digital) audio bitrate.


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## TheRatPatrol

b4pjoe said:


> Also you could have a picture in picture of the game along with a game from MLB.TV


I wish we could do PIP for the Apple TV+ games and I wish the MLB app would offer multi game view as well.


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## Rich

b4pjoe said:


> MLB broadcast info from last nights game.
> 
> 1080p native, 60fps, ~8 mbps (AVC H.264) video bitrate, ~256 kbps (AC3 Dolby Digital) audio bitrate.


Using the ATVs on the D* streaming app isn't the best option. The PQ is great but not being able to use trickplay as we can with our DVR remotes is something I couldn't deal with. I had no problems watching a movie, but I had issues with ball games when I was on a five-day free trial. I haven't tried an ATV since the MLB season began; perhaps those issues disappeared? I couldn't] use trickplay to go forward or back; either way, click or FF. 

A five-day free trial isn't long enough to decide.


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## b4pjoe

My post wasn’t about using an ATV for DIRECTV streaming. It was watching MLB on the ATV using the Apple TV+ app.


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## b4pjoe

TheRatPatrol said:


> I wish we could do PIP for the Apple TV+ games and I wish the MLB app would offer multi game view as well.


As I said you can do PIP for the Apple TV+ game with games on MLB TV and you can also do PIP in the MLB app with games. At least in the MLB app on an ATV.

For example I had both games going on Mets/Nats (Apple TV+) and Reds/Braves (MLB.TV) on the ATV last night. One full screen. The other in PIP.


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## TheRatPatrol

b4pjoe said:


> As I said you can do PIP for the Apple TV+ game with games on MLB TV and you can also do PIP in the MLB app with games. At least in the MLB app on an ATV.
> 
> For example I had both games going on Mets/Nats (Apple TV+) and Reds/Braves (MLB.TV) on the ATV last night. One full screen. The other in PIP.


Yes I know. I was talking of a grid view, 4 games at once, like the ESPN app offers.


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## TheRatPatrol

Well what do you know, I can do this using my laptop via the MLB.TV app and stream it to my Apple TV.


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## NashGuy

b4pjoe said:


> MLB broadcast info from last nights game.
> 
> 1080p native, 60fps, ~8 mbps (AVC H.264) video bitrate, ~256 kbps (AC3 Dolby Digital) audio bitrate.


Those are the stats for the games on Apple TV+? Wow, I'm surprised that they were able to get live on-the-fly encoded 1080p60 video in H.264 that looked so good at only about 8 Mbps. I also wonder why they weren't doing a second encode in HEVC H.265, which could have produced equal or better PQ at an even lower bitrate. Lots of devices running the Apple TV app support hardware decoding for HEVC.


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## b4pjoe

NY AG tries to explain how Apple’s free Yankees stream is worse than cable TV

🤣


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## MCHuf

b4pjoe said:


> NY AG tries to explain how Apple’s free Yankees stream is worse than cable TV
> 
> 🤣


No kickbacks from Apple.


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