Well, if you were hoping and praying Congress would nix baseball's eminent deal with DirectTV which is effectively taking non-local games off cable's Extra Innings pay package and hosting them over at the dish company, it looks like they lost the battle.Senators spent two hours urging Major League Baseball and TV executives not to let the Extra Innings pay package land exclusively on DirecTV's satellite system. But despite congressional brush-back pitches - warnings of legislation and even the oft-repeated threat to review baseball's anti-trust exemption - MLB President Bob DuPuy didn't flinch.And later:
For that same reason, DuPuy also dismissed an offer made Tuesday by In Demand, a pay package provider owned by Comcast, Time Warner and Cox cable companies, that would allow Extra Innings to be on cable and Dish Network for two years. Questions about distributing the Baseball Channel could come closer to its launch.John Kerry tried for you out there, really he did.
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.), who convened the Commerce Committee hearing, supported the offer. DuPuy balked.
"We believe that DirecTV has the right to begin to help us build the channel," DuPuy told Kerry.
Well, at least if you are a Cubs, White Sox or Braves fan, don't live locally and can't get a dish at your place, you can still see some games on WGN and TBS, right? Right?
Sigh.
(HT: Deadspin)
Previously at FanHouse:
Politicians, CEOs Discuss MLB's 'Extra Innings' Deal
MLB: Cable Companies' Offer for 'Extra Inning' Falls Short
Cox Offers Free MLB.TV to Past 'Extra Innings' Subscribers
Senators Love Talking About Baseball
MLB's Extra Innings Deal Isn't Exclusive to DirectTV ... Yet
Is MLB's Exclusive DirectTV Deal Falling Apart?
Comments (Page 1 of 1)
THAT GUY DUPUY IS A F'N CAPITALIST A-HOLE.ID LIKE TO KICK HIS A.
Thanks Sen. Kerrey for the effort. It was great you were able to at least get the deal in the forefront of sports news.
I was under the nieve impression a portion of the money used for the Extra Innings programming was from the fees paid by the fans. You know, the people being excluded now. I didnt know I was helping the greedy to sell out what I was paying for. If I have to choose between subscribing to DirecTV and watching MLB on my 17" monitor... I'll choose hockey.
For those of us who don't have DirectTV...don't bother to get it. For those of you who do, consider cancelling. This is a big insult to all sports fans and to humanity. Greed is really ugly. Let's boycott the greedy.
I missed the last two summers of MLB due to deployments in Iraq in 05 and Afghanistan in 06. I am heading home in about 2 weeks but I will not be able to watch my Red Sox cause MLB is going to Direct TV. I will not change from my cable company, and I will not spend a dime on anything related to MLB. Yes I am even cancelling my families trip to Baltimore to watch the sox play in Camden yard.
I'm the fan who kept coming back, but I'm done. I guess baseball will be fine without me, and I'll have a ton of extra money to spend on the NBA.
This is nothing but grandstanding by Sen. Kerry and the Democrats to try and spin this to look good in the press. It also doesn't help that the wire service reporter assigned to this is a ultra left-wing liberal with a deep-seated resentment against baseball management and the GOP in general.
Anyone who thinks that Congress had a chance in hell to stop this deal is delusional and naive. Grow up. This is a f'n PPV baseball package, for crying out loud.
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