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Written by Maury Brown
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Sunday, 28 June 2009 07:30 |
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 Last week, when the Yankees, Cablevision, YES Network, and MLB Advanced Media (MLBAM) announced that they would begin streaming games online in two New York markets, it marked the first time that in-market games could be seen with MLB.TV only streaming out-of-market games (see Yankee In-Market Games Begin Streaming on July 8, Others Markets to Follow). With the deal centering around a club-owned RSN, the question on many minds was whether such deals could be brokered by clubs that did not have a majority or minority stake in an RSN.
At the time of the announcement, MLBAM said that a second in-market live game streaming product was expected to be announced the week of June 29.And, while baseball did not announce via conference call which market that might be, sources said to The Biz of Baseball that the Boston/New England market with NESN and the Red Sox. But, in a turn that may have been unexpected, according to Ourand and Fisher of the SportsBusiness Journal, the San Diego Padres through Cox Communications will be the next club to see such a deal. With the two deals in place, baseball expects to see the “logjam” lifted, with “a majority” of clubs reaching such agreements over the course of next season, according to MLB President Bob DuPuy last week when announcing the Yankees’ deal. A question has been, how would revenues be split between MLBAM, who is providing the infrastructure to stream the game feeds, and the other parties in clubs, RSNs, and cable providers. According to a June 19 memo obtained by the SBJ, the revenue splits have been a case of intense vetting. The terms for local streaming deals, outlined in a June 19 memo that Commissioner Bud Selig sent to all 30 will see MLBAM being paid half the revenues, with the other half of the related revenue “going to local interests, such as the participating team, its regional sports network and the local cable provider. The 50-50 split between MLBAM and the local interests is ‘net of operating costs to participating broadband and wireless service providers,’ according to the memo.” As further reported: While each streaming deal will be different, in large part because of how the local half of the revenue is divided, Selig noted “the same relative terms” will be used in all future in-market streaming agreements. Selig, however, hinted the revenue splits are not cast in stone and could change in two years. In 2011, he intends to review the structure to “determine the fairness of the allocation and the impact upon industry economics.”
The Yankees on YES package announced last week, will be available for a one-time fee of $49.95 for the remainder of the season or $19.95 for any 30-day period, is scheduled to launch on Wednesday, July 8 at 8:00 p.m. (EDT) with the YES Network’s Yankees-Twins broadcast. The package will only be available to Cablevision subscribers with YES Network throughout the Yankees home broadcasting territory.
 Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.
Don't forget to register and log in on The Biz of Baseball site to get updates via your in-box, and see information only logged in members can see. Follow Maury Brown and the Business of Sports Network on Twitter  |
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Written by Maury Brown
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Wednesday, 24 June 2009 13:10 |
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In-Market Streaming Packages Not Seen as a Replacement for Dealing with MLB's Blackout Policy
Major League Baseball announced today it will launch this July a landmark pair of in-market subscription products, including Yankees on YES, to deliver live games online within their respective home broadcast territories. Upon launch, these will be the only live in-market streaming products in professional sports to include games with local broadcast television deals.
“These agreements are an important part of our global effort to give fans greater access to our game,” said Baseball Commissioner Allan H. (Bud) Selig. “It is important that fans in local markets have portable flexibility to stay connected to their favorite team if they can’t be at the ballpark, and I believe this represents a significant step in that direction.
MLB Advanced Media, LP (MLBAM), the interactive media and Internet company of Major League Baseball, has entered into a partnership with the YES Network and Cablevision to provide eligible Cablevision customers throughout the Yankees home broadcasting territory with access to YES Network Yankees telecasts live on their computers. The offering, which will be implemented through an authentication process managed by Cablevision and MLBAM, will be available exclusively to Cablevision customers who subscribe to the Family Cable (expanded basic) level of television service and Optimum Online.
The Yankees on YES package, available for a one-time fee of $49.95 for the remainder of the season or $19.95 for any 30-day period, is scheduled to launch on Wednesday, July 8 at 8:00 p.m. (EDT) with the YES Network’s Yankees-Twins broadcast. Beginning immediately, eligible Cablevision subscribers can review FAQs for the product and purchase Yankees on YES at Yankees.com, YESNetwork.com and Optimum.net. Major League Baseball became the first professional sports league to make every game available online for out-of-market fans in 2003 and since that time has delivered over 250 million live video streams. It now is also the first to make this number of live games available online for fans living in a home team territory such as the Yankees.
Game features, such as MLB.TV's fantasy tracker will not be available through the Cablevision/YES Network package.
A second in-market live game streaming product is expected to be announced the week of June 29. While baseball did not announce via conference call which market that might be, sources have said that it is likely in the Boston/New England market with NESN and the Red Sox.
As for how this landmark development sits against the blackout policy in place with MLB's online out-of-market package, MLB.TV, and television package, MLB Extra Innings, MLB president Bob DuPuy said that it should not be considered a substitution. MLBAM CEO Bob Bowman said that the blackout issue is MLB.com's number one customer service question.
Issues surrounding clubs that do not have a majority or minority ownership stake in RSNs, such as the Yankees with YES, and possibly the Red Sox with NESN, Bob Bowman said that deals could be reached to allow for in-market streaming, but that they would be structured differently.
As to whether small revenue making clubs will find this news one more reason to ask for constraints on higher revenue making clubs that can tap into in-market streaming agreements has not yet been voiced. Even if clubs will eventually be able to tap into such agreements, the Yankees, and possibly Red Sox, will get a jump on these new revenues before others do.
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network.
Don't forget to register and log in on The Biz of Baseball site to get updates via your in-box, and see information only logged in members can see.
Follow Maury Brown and the Business of Sports Network on Twitter |
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Written by Maury Brown
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Wednesday, 24 June 2009 09:40 |
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A 12pm ET conference call has been set to announce the landmark deal between Cablevision, YES Network, and MLB Advanced Media that will allow Cablevision subscribers that have the YES Network tier will have the ability to see games streamed online in New York market. As first reported earlier this month, the deal is a trial balloon of sorts to see if other carriage in the New York area might be available. For those that have followed MLB’s blackout policy, the carriage deal is a breakthrough as the Yankee games streamed will be available in-market, something that has been unavailable prior through the use of MLB.TV, baseball’s out of market online package. The deal also sets up a potential “Pandora’s Box” scenario in which other club-owned RSNs would look to launch in-market streamed games. The Red Sox and Orioles are but two clubs that have looked into the possibility. If so, it will create a have and have-not issue based on the new revenue stream for clubs that are in the position to foster carriage deals through their club-owned RSNs. Today’s conference call has Bob DuPuy, president, Major League Baseball, Hal Steinbrenner, managing general partner and co-chairman, New York Yankees, Tracy Dolgin, president and CEO, YES Network, and Bob Bowman, CEO, Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM) as the principles making the announcement.
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network. Don't forget to register and log in on The Biz of Baseball site to get updates via your in-box, and see information only logged in members can see. Follow Maury Brown and the Business of Sports Network on Twitter |
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Written by Maury Brown
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Thursday, 18 June 2009 20:46 |
In an attempt to thwart impostor profiles on Twitter, the social
networking giant is preparing to role out a verification system. |
Social networking giant Twitter is in the midst of Beta testing a verification system in an effort to thwart fake Twitter profiles. The addition of the system comes in the wake of a suit by Cardinals manager Tony La Russa, who was prepared to sue Twitter over a fake profile created by someone claiming to be him. Similar accounts have been created for high profile individuals in baseball including Bud Selig, Theo Epstein, and Peter Angelos. According to a report by Ryan Corazza in a special article for ESPN: Although Twitter thought La Russa's lawsuit was flimsy at best, it still prompted its creators to react and improve their service by creating verified accounts. As Biz Stone wrote on Twitter's blog: "We do recognize an opportunity to improve Twitter user experience and clear up confusion beyond simply removing impersonation accounts once alerted. ... The experiment will begin with public officials, public agencies, famous artists, athletes, and other well known individuals at risk of impersonation. We hope to verify more accounts in the future but due to the resources required, verification will begin only with a small set." The beta version of verified accounts went live late last week, signaling Twitter's shift from a Wild West free-for-all.
You can follow the Business of Sports Network, and the REAL Maury Brown here on Twitter. For more on the Verified Account Beta being rolled out by Twitter, see their dedicated help page.
OTHER NEWS ACROSS THE BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK: BREAKING: Major Teams in F1 to Break Away, Form Own Series - BusinessofSportsNetwork.com
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network. Don't forget to register and log in on The Biz of Baseball site to get updates via your in-box, and see information only logged in members can see. Follow Maury Brown and the Business of Sports Network on Twitter |
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Written by Maury Brown
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Friday, 12 June 2009 16:12 |
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MLB.com announced today that its live coverage of the 2009 First-Year Player Draft drew 332.5 million page views and 29.8 million visitors over the three-day event, shattering traffic records for the comparable draft time period. The total page views represents a 75 percent increase over the 2008 mark of 189.5 million, while visitors were up more than 30 percent year-to-year. In addition to the live broadcast of the first round on MLB Network and MLB.com, this year’s round-the-clock coverage on MLB.com included the integration of Twitter into the live interactive media application, Draft Caster, and the real-time searchable database of every draft-eligible player, Draft Tracker. Fans embraced being part of a Draft-related online conversation while following the Draft live on MLB.com as the designated hashtag “#mlbdraft” consistently ranked among the most popular ‘Trending Topics’ on Twitter. Source: MLB.com
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network. Don't forget to register and log in on The Biz of Baseball site to get updates via your in-box, and see information only logged in members can see. Follow Maury Brown and the Business of Sports Network on Twitter |
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Written by Maury Brown
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Monday, 08 June 2009 15:36 |
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MLB.com announced today that it will launch the first online social community integration of the First-Year Player Draft by utilizing Twitter into its live interactive media experience, the MLB.com Draft Caster, beginning Tuesday, June 9. This additive feature will allow fans to watch Draft coverage live, including direct access to a searchable database of all eligible players, their biographical data, statistics, scouting reports and video, while offering the opportunity to connect and engage in Draft-related discussions with other fans, MLB.com reporters and Draft experts, industry insiders and numerous Draft-eligible players such as @Michael_Trout, @Eric_Arnett, @JacobMarisnick and @DrewStoren. On Twitter, any posting utilizing the hashtag “#mlbdraft” will be displayed within the MLB.com Draft Caster live during the three-day event. Registered members of Twitter can also enter commentary to join the Draft conversation directly from the application. The 2009 First-Year Player Draft will be held at MLB Network’s Studio 42 in Secaucus, NJ, beginning live on MLB Network and MLB.com at 6:00 p.m. (EDT) on June 9. Following the live broadcast of the first round, MLB.com will be the exclusive destination for every pick through the final round on June 11, streaming each of the nearly 1,500 selections live. Here are highlights of MLB.com’s content offerings: - Up-to-the-minute reporting leading to the Draft’s first pick
- On-demand Draft recap video programs for all 30 Clubs
- Live video look-ins to Draft ‘war rooms’ of select Major League clubs
- Live audio-only simulcast of entire Draft
- Interviews with Hall of Famers, Club dignitaries and 2009 draftees
- More than 150 original stories, including behind-the-scenes perspectives from all 30 Clubs
- Enhanced video scouting reports for 100 of the top Draft-eligible prospects
- Scouting video for over 700 Draft-eligible players
- Complete history of the Draft, including full Draft listings dating back to 1965
- Photo galleries capturing the event
Source: MLB Advanced Media
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network. Don't forget to register and log in on The Biz of Baseball site to get updates via your in-box, and see information only logged in members can see. Follow Maury Brown and the Business of Sports Network on Twitter |
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Written by Maury Brown
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Wednesday, 03 June 2009 08:59 |
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As I reported last month, Twitter may be one of the greatest tools available for social networking. But, as I also reported, the capacity to have impostors is very real. In the first day, I decided to follow “Peter Angelos” and “Theo Epstein” who are not, in fact, the real individuals. Both had images of the baseball execs, but when reading through the Tweets, it was clear that neither were the real deal. Now, a court case may eradicate such impostor profiles. The case is La Russa v. Twitter, Inc. and deals with one Anthony (Tony) La Russa and an imposter profile on the popular social networking site. As the case description outlines: Anthony La Russa, manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, sued Twitter after an unknown Twitter user created an account at twitter.com/TonyLaRussa and pretended to post updates as La Russa. The fake Twitter page included La Russa's photo and a handful of vulgar and apparently Cardinals-related updates. One line of the "profile" suggested it was all a fake: "Bio Parodies are fun for everyone." La Russa's complaint alleged that the fake Twitter page constituted trademark infringement and dilution, cybersquatting, and misappropriation of name and likeness. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, La Russa's attorney tried to contact Twitter before filing the lawsuit, but got no response. Hours after the lawsuit was filed, Twitter removed the fake La Russa page and its postings. According to the Superior Court docket, the case is still pending.
As mentioned, Twitter is a fantastic networking tool for those that follow sports, and sports business. You can follow the REAL Maury Brown and the Business of Sports Network on Twitter. Tip of the hat to Will Leitch via (you guessed it) Twitter
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network. Don't forget to register and log in on The Biz of Baseball site to get updates via your in-box, and see information only logged in members can see. Follow Maury Brown and the Business of Sports Network on Twitter |
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Written by Maury Brown
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Thursday, 21 May 2009 14:42 |
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 As I’m finding out all too quickly on Twitter, masking ones identity can lead to all kinds of interesting story angles, whether they might be true, or not. It seems obvious now that Theo Epstein on Twitter is not THE Theo Epstein.
But, when it comes to commentary online, anonymity can mask individuals in high place... or not. Take Atlanta Journal Constitution reporter Kristi Swartz and Atlanta Hawks and Thrashers minority owner, Bruce Levenson. Levenson, a journalist by profession, mind you, was tracked down my Swartz to deal with a matter that was said to be so sensitive that a meeting in person needed to take place. I’ll let Levenson take it from here via this week’s edition on the SportsBusiness Journal online: Her earth-shattering topic: She wanted to know if I was “Whammer.” She produced a stack of printouts from “Whammer.” It seems “Whammer” has been e-mailing the AJC frequently in recent years in response to sports columnist Jeff Schultz’s articles critical of my teams, our management and our ownership. Whammer’s rambling rants attack Schultz, while defending the Hawks and Thrashers organization. In one of his many posts, Whammer echoes the oft-stated but ridiculous notion that Atlanta fans are bad fans who do not support their teams. This notion first surfaced, as best I know, when the Braves failed to sell out some playoff games in the 1990s. I explained to Swartz that I was not Whammer. I have responded to AJC articles and others, but always in my own name. It’s one of the values I’ve stressed to the journalists at my own company: You lose credibility with anonymity.
The op/ed then goes on to say that Shwatz did not believe him and that the AJC had traced Whammer’s e-mail address to Levenson’s company internal network. It gets better. Levenson has said that he considered legal action in the matter, and then, online commentary has come into play. In the comments section of the SBJ op/ed, Shawn McIntosh, the AJC public editor chimes in: AJC reporters were curious about the identity of the commenter, believing it would be newsworthy if someone in a leadership position in the Spirit organization was criticizing Atlanta fans. They did what journalists do – reported the story by asking questions, including asking Mr. Levenson whether he was the person anonymously posting as Whammer, or whether someone was doing it at the ownership group's behest. Once Mr. Levenson denied that he or other owners were behind the Whammer postings that criticized fans, there was no story. AJC reporters frequently pursue newsworthy angles that don't prove true. They don't write every story they report.
McIntosh then goes on to explain that the one error that the AJC made was looking up the IP address of “Whammer” to see if they could track it down to an individual. The exchange outlines how traditional media and the world of social networking are intersecting. It’s a delicate dance that is being done, but one thing is certain: either Whammer is sweating bullets today, thinking that they may get fired at Sprint, or is doing virtual high-fives with others on some forum at the moment, while baiting others.
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network. Don't forget to register and log in on The Biz of Baseball site to get updates via your in-box, and see information only logged in members can see. Follow Maury Brown and the Business of Sports Network on Twitter |
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Written by Maury Brown
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Monday, 27 April 2009 12:05 |
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 After three weeks of the 2009 baseball season, it is evident that fans are interacting with MLB.com in record numbers.
Below are highlights at MLB.com since Opening Day: - MLB.com has delivered 127.2 million video streams, representing an increase of 136 percent over the 53.8 million video streams delivered over the season’s first three weeks in 2008.
- Over 400,000 subscribers have signed up for MLB.com’s premier live game products, MLB.TV and Gameday Audio, through April 26, a 45.7 percent increase of sales over the comparable time period in 2008.
- MLB.com has totaled 2.2 billion page views, an increase of 73 percent over the 1.3 billion page views accumulated over the first three weeks of the 2008 season.
- MLB.com has averaged 9.4 million visitors per day, representing an increase of 30 percent from the comparable daily average over last year’s first three weeks.
- The MLB.com network of mobile sites recorded 31.1 million page views on April 25, 2009, setting a new record for a single day. It marks the seventh day this year that it has surpassed the 20 million page view mark, including the previous record of 26.2 million established on April 25, 2009.
- MLB.com's mobile sites have totaled 381.7 million page views across all internet-enabled devices, a 254 percent increase from the 2008 comparable time period.
- MLB.com has delivered more than 4.1 million video streams to mobile devices over the first three weeks, including real-time highlights to team alert subscribers. Compared to 2008, team alert subscribers are up 35.5 percent.
- Fans have downloaded more than 1.1 million MLB.com and Club icons to their BlackBerry smartphones for easy one-click access to the MLB.com network of mobile sites.
- MLB.com At Bat 2009, an application built exclusively for iPhone and iPod touch, remains the top-selling sports application in the Apple app store. It also has retained its ranking among the top 20 overall paid applications nearly a month after becoming available.
Source: MLB.com BUSINESS OF SPORTS NETWORK FEATURE ARTICLE:
Former Pacers GM, D-League Owner David Kahn Considered for T’Wolves GM Position
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network. Don't forget to register and log in on The Biz of Baseball site to get updates via your in-box, and see information only logged in members can see. Subscribe to The Biz of Baseball, and follow the Business of Sports Network on Twitter |
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Written by Maury Brown
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Wednesday, 22 April 2009 10:57 |
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 MLB Advanced Media (MLBAM) announced today that it has hired anchor, sportscaster and journalist Keith Olbermann as an at-large columnist. Olbermann’s columns, currently available three times per week at keitholbermann.mlblogs.com, will provide fans with his “Baseball Nerd” perspective of the game across various platforms. He also is the first national journalist hired as part of MLBAM’s digital newspaper initiative, currently scheduled for a May launch.
At his request, Olbermann’s full salary for his work as an at-large columnist will be split equally among three charitable organizations. They will be: the Baseball Assistance Team, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital and the Jayden Braden/Ariana Marzano College Fund, established in support of the late John Marzano’s grandchildren. Marzano, a former Major Leaguer and MLB.com host, died just over one year ago in a home accident in Philadelphia. “I've long respected MLB.com's editorial independence and I'll be delighted to test it,” said Olbermann. “Seriously, it's an honor to be able to write about all the obscure things I love inside the game I love, and to help some worthy causes in the process, and to honor an old friend. Not to mention that it will be my politics-free oasis. Unless another cat jumps up at another Governor.” “We are delighted by Keith’s actions in every aspect of this endeavor, from his wonderful writing to what he is giving to honor the legacy and family of John Marzano,” said Dinn Mann, Executive Vice President, Content, MLBAM. “Keith is not just a student of the game, he is an unmistakable personality who combines punch line instincts with journalistic drive. This is an exciting step in the landscape of sports commentary and MLBAM.” Olbermann is currently the host of “Countdown with Keith Olbermann,” an hour-long nightly news and commentary television program on MSNBC. Starting with the 2007 NFL season, Olbermann also has served as a co-host of NBC's Football Night in America. He spent the first 20 years of his career in sports journalism as a sports correspondent for CNN in the 1980s, winning the Best Sportscaster award from the California Associated Press three times. Olbermann later co-hosted ESPN's SportsCenter from 1992 to 1997. After leaving ESPN, Olbermann became a sports anchor and producer for Fox Sports Net from 1998 to 2001, during which he hosted several World Series broadcasts. A New York native, Olbermann graduated from Cornell University. Source: MLB Advanced Media
Maury Brown is the Founder and President of the Business of Sports Network, which includes The Biz of Baseball, The Biz of Football, The Biz of Basketball and The Biz of Hockey. He is contributor to Baseball Prospectus, and is available as a freelance writer. Brown's full bio is here. He looks forward to your comments via email and can be contacted through the Business of Sports Network. Don't forget to register and log in on The Biz of Baseball site to get updates via your in-box, and see information only logged in members can see. Subscribe to The Biz of Baseball, and follow the Business of Sports Network on Twitter |
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