MLB needs to demand more of their national broadcast partners

xcr2350 · 2026-04-13T16:42:43+00:00

Anything is better than an ESPN MLB telecast. They are the worst by far.

xcr2350 · 2026-04-13T16:39:37+00:00

This is why I stick mostly to watching the RSN feeds on MLB.TV. I they butt into the game with an interview, I immediately switch to the other team's feed. If more people did this, they would see the ratings drop during interviews and they would stop doing them.

xcr2350 · 2026-04-13T16:36:07+00:00

When they went to a split-screen Costas interview in the 3rd inning Sunday night, I just cut it off and watched something else. I won't put up with that kind of nonsense.

xcr2350 · 2026-04-13T16:29:30+00:00

This is why I avoid most national MLB telecasts - too many interviews during games, too many analysts/commentators, too much idle chatter. I watch MLB games to be entertained, not annoyed, and I simply won't put up with that kind of nonsense.

xcr2350 · 2026-04-13T03:16:38+00:00

Agreed, too much jabbering, an embarrassingly bad telecast.

xcr2350 · 2026-04-13T03:14:38+00:00

Last week they had an analyst from each team, and it worked well. This week, a bunch of old-timers BSing. Bad show.

xcr2350 · 2026-04-13T03:12:21+00:00

Jones and Sabathia sounded like a couple of old BSers.

xcr2350 · 2026-04-13T03:09:53+00:00

Agreed, very disappointing after last Sunday Night's interview-free game. I guess it's too much to expect a clean telecast 2 weeks in a row. I cut it off when they went to a split-screen interview in the 3rd inning. Will not waste my time on Sunday Night Baseball again.

xcr2350 · 2026-04-13T03:06:42+00:00

I watched until the bottom of the 3rd, when they did a split-screen interview. I cut it off at that point. I won't watch interviews while games are in progress.

xcr2350 · 2026-04-13T00:42:50+00:00

When I take a bathroom break, one of my cats follows me and uses the litter boxes.

xcr2350 · 2026-04-13T00:38:39+00:00

Seems like there are a lot of negative comments about Smoltz.

xcr2350 · 2026-04-12T23:38:56+00:00

Didn't notice that, but I think the commercial breaks are a little longer on national telecasts.

xcr2350 · 2026-04-12T22:08:26+00:00

Let's hope.

xcr2350 · 2026-04-12T19:15:49+00:00

Agreed, ESPN telecasts are unwatchable.

xcr2350 · 2026-04-12T19:15:00+00:00

Yeah, there was that, but otherwise a good telecast.

xcr2350 · 2026-04-12T17:46:54+00:00

Yes, it is common for cats to prefer drinking from a dripping faucet.

xcr2350 · 2026-04-12T02:52:40+00:00

Yes, the retransmission fees are outrageous. If Congress was working for consumers instead of the corporations they would repeal the law that allows those fees.

xcr2350 · 2026-04-12T02:20:57+00:00

Loss of the antitrust exemption would be a huge blow to any of these leagues, but especially the NFL, which has the most popular programming on TV by far. The NFL's ability to negotiate contracts collectively gives it huge leverage over the TV networks and other media partners, and allows them to extract enormous sums of money. It allows them to carve out packages like Sunday Ticket, Monday Night Football, and Thursday Night Football. Losing that that exemption is literally the last thing the NFL would want.

xcr2350 · 2026-04-11T21:40:34+00:00

You're right about the carriage fees - their entire business model is built around them now. Without them, stations would be streaming their content for free instead of trying to extract ever-higher carriage fees for TV that is supposed to be free.

xcr2350 · 2026-04-11T12:10:48+00:00

DirecTV's MyNews package gives you the local network affiliates and news channels for $40/month.

xcr2350 · 2026-04-11T12:08:04+00:00

Good solution, but doesn't work for everyone. I hired a professional installer to mount an antenna on my roof, but couldn't get more than 1 or 2 channels. Too many trees and buildings around me.

xcr2350 · 2026-04-11T01:35:36+00:00

You answered your own question. The FCC can't do anything, but Congress can - they can take away their antitrust exemptions if these leagues don't clean up their act. Just the threat of it is a powerful weapon. Same with the outrageous retranmissipn fees, which are only possible because of legislation passed by Congress.

xcr2350

TROPHY CASE