In-market Yankees streaming broadcasts available in July
ByWhen we first heard of YES and Cablevision offering streaming Yankees games in-market earlier this month, it was pretty exciting. As it stands, you cannot stream Yankees games via MLB.tv if you are in-market. It’s understandable, at least under normal circumstances. If MLB.tv allowed in-market broadcasts, I certainly wouldn’t have cable TV. That’s not only lost revenue for cable companies, but for YES and other stations, since cable companies pay them per subscriber. Of course, this new deal wasn’t coming without a catch: you have to be a Cablevision subscriber, using Cablevision Internet to access the broadcasts. So right away it’s not as awesome.
Today we learn of some further details on the deal. Right off the bat we get another downside: it’s going to cost you, to the tune of $49.95 for the rest of the 2009 season, or $19.94 for 30 days. If the experiment is successful and carries over into 2010, expect that to cost you $100 for the whole year. That is, of course, on top of your current TV and Internet bills.
While the price seems steep — especially if you’re already paying for MLB.tv on top of it — there are certainly some practical uses for it. For instance, my parents like to spend time together by watching movies three or four nights a week. Yet my dad, who is as die-hard a fan as they come, has to miss games because of this. If he were willing to pony up the $100 — which he is most certainly not — he could stream the game on his laptop while watching the movie. Best of both worlds.
Even so, I don’t foresee this plan being too popular. Beyond the desire to watch other program and the Yankees game at the same time, there aren’t too many practical uses for streaming video that’s already in TV while you’re in your house. Maybe the use of Optimum Wi-Fi will add to the draw, though most of the hotspots seem to be on Long Island (they’re in NJ at the train station, but how long are you going to be waiting at a train station during a Yankees game?).
Anyway, this all begins on July 8 for the Yankees-Twins game. You can learn more and sign up at Optimum.net. I’m truly interested to hear if anyone plans to purchase this package, and why.
Seems like an interesting idea, with a lot of barriers to actually being used
Streaming live games, for a fee, restricted only to cable subscribers who already pay a fee to get the games streamed live on TV seems to me to be about as useful as a poopy-flavored lollipop.
If I’m watching a movie with the wife, and have a laptop there with the Yankee game streaming, safe to say that’t the only thing that’s gonna be on my lap that night.
I was just thinking the same thing.
And I wrote it below!
I utterly enjoy these dirty comments.
what about those that are still at work at 7 during the summer and have to buy mlb audio and painfully listen to sterling and waldman? i think this is fantastic and would pay for it during the months i am busy
For all of you who despise John Sterling (everyone I guess), I have a question: What is your opinion of the old Mets announcer, Bob Murphy?
You know, that same broadcast is available for free on AM Radio.
I’m just saying.
Yes, but it sounds like you have to be streaming it on Optimum’s network. That was the most flummoxing part of it all. So if you’re at work and it’s not Optimum, you might not be able to.
oh then thats not as cool
For instance, my parents like to spend time together by watching movies three or four nights a week. Yet my dad, who is as die-hard a fan as they come, has to miss games because of this. If he were willing to pony up the $100 — which he is most certainly not — he could stream the game on his laptop while watching the movie. Best of both worlds.
Yeah, I’m sure your mom would totally love for your dad to have the laptop on and one eye watching the game while they spend “quality time” together watching something she wants to watch.
If you’re mom’s cool with that, she’s a saint. Dorothy Pawlikowski is a saint.
and I’m going to take your mother out to a nice seafood dinner, and never call her again!!
I don’t think you mother is going to be too happy about the Yankees interrupting her movie!
I do something similar with my wife. I have a Slingbox hooked up to our bedroom TV and I watch most games on a laptop, via the Slingbox, in the living room. The living room TV will have something else on and I’ll keep an eye on the game on the laptop. It’s a lot easier to do it with baseball because there is only a pitch every 30 seconds or so. Sure, I get in trouble every once in a while for paying too much attention to the game, but it’s not possible for me to just not watch Yankee games.
I’ve been thinking of getting a slingbox so I can watch games at work. What’s your opinion on the quality of the slingbox? You have the SD or HD version?
I have an older one, but it certainly does the trick.
That’s actually a great idea. I proposed the idea to my wife to get MLB.tv so we could do this while watching other shows, but I completely forgot you can’t watch in market games. You buy a slingbox once and you’re all set. I never thought I’d have much use for one of those things but you might’ve given me a reason to buy one.
Yep, it obviously works for all sports. Before I met my wife, I lived with a friend and we would have up to 4 TVs in the living room during big Saturdays/Sundays. Obviously, that isn’t going to fly now, but I do currently have a big TV on the entertainment center, a little TV in the door in the entertainment center, and the Slingbox.
It goes without saying that my wife is also a huge sports fan, but I’m a little over the top.
They should just offer individual games at $4.99 a pop and use the local YES broadcast. PROBLEM SOLVED for everyone. You would have to watch the local commercials instead of the stupid “MLBTV will be right back” screen. Everyone is happy!!! Yeah!!
Now lets get those day games on so we can watch at work.
Your paying money for something your already paying money for just to access it from the internet?
people should just get a DVR, its alot cheaper and you can record other shows
My wife is a huge Yankees fan (I’m a fan BECAUSE of her), so, uh, I don’t have no issues.
i might have to steal your wife from you
if you receive YES at home–save yourself the trouble and $$$ and get a slingbox for when you’re on the road on business or at college.
it costs about 140 flat rate…no subscription etc. and instead of getting just the yankees for 100 — you can have your entire cable package streamed over the interwebs to wherever you have the software installed (ie your laptop).
I was going to say the same thing. I have a slingbox. Life is good. Saw one on sale for $100 last nite on WOOT!
-BINNER
The only real issue with the Slingbox is the possible firewall at work. I can’t get my Slingbox past the firewall, but my mlb.tv works. It’s a possibility that the Cablevision package would be worth it for people who can’t use Slingbox because of firewalls.
So let me get this straight. I live in an area where we’re suppose to get the YES Network but Cox Communications has some dispute with them because they refuse to carry NESN and YES and NESN is what they went with – but we’re still considered in the YES Network region, so when the Yankees are on ESPN or TBS (while also being on YES) it gets blacked out. I can’t order the baseball package or mlb.tv on the computer because it gets blacked out as well.
So then comes along this opportunity that seems too good to be true because it seemingly can solve every problem I’ve had since moving to this town 2 years ago. And what happens??? IT IS too good to be true. What a shocker. It’s only available in Connecticut as north as New Haven. So the one thing that seemingly could solve a problem that shouldn’t ever exist in the first place, can’t.
You would think that it’s 2009 and there are hopefully smarter people running these types of things that could avoid these unnecessary situations – but you’d be wrong. So in an attempt to go along with the blackout rule to save revenue for local networks – they blackout the major networks AS WELL AS local network (YES) in order to accomplish something.
I may be talking out my ass because I don’t know the technical details but if you have optimum online, could you set up a proxy server on your home PC and then access that from anywhere else so that technically you are going “through optimum”?
I might have to look into that.