3 ms·

The key caveat is buried in one sentence in the second-to-last paragraph: > I know a lot of folks who keep cable for live sports, but cable surviving as a spor

The key caveat is buried in one sentence in the second-to-last paragraph: > I know a lot of folks who keep cable for live sports, but cable surviving as a sports-only service is hard to fathom. As long as sports are not available live anywhere else, cable will continue to rule. Because of the bundle packages people are forced to buy, they'll keep buying everything else as well.

techsupporter 16y ago
Yep. Since MLB won't let customers subscribe to in-market games without being tied to a cable provider (shocking?), as long as my local team is primarily on cable[1], I'll be a cable subscriber. 1- They show approximately 30 games on broadcast TV, but many observers expect that to disappear with the next contract renewal.
- sp332 16y ago
  So, you can watch MLB over IP with a Roku (http://www.roku.com/mlb-partner http://www.roku.com/mlb-partner), but in order to sign up for local games, you have to have a cable contract anyway?
  - techsupporter 16y ago
    Some teams (notably the Yankees, but I think the Athletics as well) have made deals with MLB where in-market streaming is allowed. This typically means you sign in to MLB.tv using credentials from your cable provider, but don't pay extra or pay a smaller fee than the normal MLB.tv rate. Otherwise, MLB.tv is solely for viewing out-of-market games (i.e. watching the Rangers in Ohio).
chaosmachine 16y ago
Here in Canada, hockey (the only sport that really matters) is broadcast live in HD on the CBC's website. The quality is not perfect, but it gets better every year. Our tax dollars at work. :)
- jamesteow 16y ago
  You can also pay the NHL directly to get a live online feed and watch multiple games at once.
InclinedPlane 16y ago
Why is sports available live on cable instead of just over the air broadcast? Because that's where the viewers are. Certainly there is feedback in that viewers subscribe to cable because of the live sports offerings, but the feedback goes both ways. If a substantial user base moves off of cable, live sports offerings will show up wherever the users are.
- goatforce5 16y ago
  No - live sports coverage will show up on whatever platform has the deepest pockets to buy the rights to show it. Youtube's already done some large scale live events. They might find it amusing to come in and drop a huge stinking pile of cash to have your favorite sporting event be available only on Youtube Live/Google TV.
  - AdrenGarage 16y ago
    I agree. I think this is the only way we'll see live pro sports on the internet in the near future. The networks know that live sports is the goose that laid the golden egg. NFL US TV contracts are worth $3 Billion each year, NBC paid $800MM for the Olympics, and don't forget the Super Bowl commands the most expensive ad rates of any programming of the year, followed by the NBA Championships, World Series and NCAA Basketball Tournament. That's certainly an investment the Networks will protect until their last breath. Until online advertising markets mature, they won't want to do anything that could possibly undercut their revenue. That's exactly why NBC, CBS and ABC blocked access to Google TV, but this is only more true in live sports. My experience as a TV Producer is that the networks still look at the internet as a worse version of TV: less profitable, less quality and more unworthy competition cluttering the space. They occupy a shrine-like position in almost every household in the world. Why should they share it? They want to use the internet to supplement to their current offerings rather than use it to replace their business model. They certainly aren't going to aid anyone else to do otherwise. Google TV, IMO, is doomed to "hobby" status unless it gets quality content either better or altogether not available on TV. I would argue that Apple succeeded with the iPod because they created a content ecosystem (iTunes) around the device that no other device had. Content was the ultimate deciding factor in a number of technological innovations: Beta v. VHS, HDVD v. Blu-ray, etc. You Tube alone is not enough. If Google really wants their TV to succeed, they may have to get into the content business in a serious way. Live sports, as the most valuable programming on TV, is the most obvious target.
tomjen3 16y ago
But why in the world shouldn't sports be available online? Each large telco could have a box that picked up the sports streams then broadcasted it to its subscribers (so that it doesn't require as much bandwidth as sending from one place to everybody, and so that it runs on their own connections which is very cheap). The delays wouldn't be more than a couple seconds, which should be enough even for live sport.
- jamesteow 16y ago
  I thought most sports are available online. At least with the NHL, you can subscribe to Gamecenter and watch multiple games at once.
  - adestefan 16y ago
    Except local markets are blacked out. So if I want to catch the Caps games in the DC market that means I must subscribe to cable. To make it even better, the Caps games are shown on Comcast SportsNet which means I need to subscribe to the premium cable tier. $60 a month just to watch some local hockey games. The same is true for baseball and basketball. The local broadcaster is premium cable only. It's MASN in the case of the Nationals and CSN for the Wizards. The good news is that most NFL games are on NBC and CBS which is OTA. The only games you really miss are MNF on ESPN and the handful of games on NFL Network towards the later half of the season.
    - jamesteow 16y ago
      To be frank... argh that blows.
MaysonL 16y ago
Check out MLB.com [Major League Baseball]. Streaming HD, live.
- adestefan 16y ago
  And blacked out in local markets.

techsupporter 16y ago

Yep. Since MLB won't let customers subscribe to in-market games without being tied to a cable provider (shocking?), as long as my local team is primarily on cable[1], I'll be a cable subscriber. 1- They show approximately 30 games on broadcast TV, but many observers expect that to disappear with the next contract renewal.

sp332 16y ago
So, you can watch MLB over IP with a Roku (http://www.roku.com/mlb-partner http://www.roku.com/mlb-partner), but in order to sign up for local games, you have to have a cable contract anyway?
- techsupporter 16y ago
  Some teams (notably the Yankees, but I think the Athletics as well) have made deals with MLB where in-market streaming is allowed. This typically means you sign in to MLB.tv using credentials from your cable provider, but don't pay extra or pay a smaller fee than the normal MLB.tv rate. Otherwise, MLB.tv is solely for viewing out-of-market games (i.e. watching the Rangers in Ohio).

chaosmachine 16y ago

Here in Canada, hockey (the only sport that really matters) is broadcast live in HD on the CBC's website. The quality is not perfect, but it gets better every year. Our tax dollars at work. :)

jamesteow 16y ago
You can also pay the NHL directly to get a live online feed and watch multiple games at once.

InclinedPlane 16y ago

Why is sports available live on cable instead of just over the air broadcast? Because that's where the viewers are. Certainly there is feedback in that viewers subscribe to cable because of the live sports offerings, but the feedback goes both ways. If a substantial user base moves off of cable, live sports offerings will show up wherever the users are.

goatforce5 16y ago
No - live sports coverage will show up on whatever platform has the deepest pockets to buy the rights to show it. Youtube's already done some large scale live events. They might find it amusing to come in and drop a huge stinking pile of cash to have your favorite sporting event be available only on Youtube Live/Google TV.
- AdrenGarage 16y ago
  I agree. I think this is the only way we'll see live pro sports on the internet in the near future. The networks know that live sports is the goose that laid the golden egg. NFL US TV contracts are worth $3 Billion each year, NBC paid $800MM for the Olympics, and don't forget the Super Bowl commands the most expensive ad rates of any programming of the year, followed by the NBA Championships, World Series and NCAA Basketball Tournament. That's certainly an investment the Networks will protect until their last breath. Until online advertising markets mature, they won't want to do anything that could possibly undercut their revenue. That's exactly why NBC, CBS and ABC blocked access to Google TV, but this is only more true in live sports. My experience as a TV Producer is that the networks still look at the internet as a worse version of TV: less profitable, less quality and more unworthy competition cluttering the space. They occupy a shrine-like position in almost every household in the world. Why should they share it? They want to use the internet to supplement to their current offerings rather than use it to replace their business model. They certainly aren't going to aid anyone else to do otherwise. Google TV, IMO, is doomed to "hobby" status unless it gets quality content either better or altogether not available on TV. I would argue that Apple succeeded with the iPod because they created a content ecosystem (iTunes) around the device that no other device had. Content was the ultimate deciding factor in a number of technological innovations: Beta v. VHS, HDVD v. Blu-ray, etc. You Tube alone is not enough. If Google really wants their TV to succeed, they may have to get into the content business in a serious way. Live sports, as the most valuable programming on TV, is the most obvious target.

tomjen3 16y ago

But why in the world shouldn't sports be available online? Each large telco could have a box that picked up the sports streams then broadcasted it to its subscribers (so that it doesn't require as much bandwidth as sending from one place to everybody, and so that it runs on their own connections which is very cheap). The delays wouldn't be more than a couple seconds, which should be enough even for live sport.

jamesteow 16y ago
I thought most sports are available online. At least with the NHL, you can subscribe to Gamecenter and watch multiple games at once.
- adestefan 16y ago
  Except local markets are blacked out. So if I want to catch the Caps games in the DC market that means I must subscribe to cable. To make it even better, the Caps games are shown on Comcast SportsNet which means I need to subscribe to the premium cable tier. $60 a month just to watch some local hockey games. The same is true for baseball and basketball. The local broadcaster is premium cable only. It's MASN in the case of the Nationals and CSN for the Wizards. The good news is that most NFL games are on NBC and CBS which is OTA. The only games you really miss are MNF on ESPN and the handful of games on NFL Network towards the later half of the season.
  - jamesteow 16y ago
    To be frank... argh that blows.

MaysonL 16y ago

Check out MLB.com [Major League Baseball]. Streaming HD, live.

adestefan 16y ago
And blacked out in local markets.