MLB Extra Innings

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MLB Extra Innings is an Out-of-Market Sports Package distributed by most cable and satellite providers in North America. The package allows its subscribers to see up to 60 out-of-market Major League Baseball games a week using local and national television networks.

1 Availability
2 New contract and controversy
3 New features for 2007
4 Blackout restrictions
5 External links

[edit] Availability

MLB Extra Innings is available with these cable and satellite providers:

United States:
- DirecTV
- iN DEMAND
Canada:

[edit] New contract and controversy

On March 6, 2007, DirecTV signed a new seven-year carriage contract with the MLB. At first, it was to be an exclusive deal worth $700 million. However, as a result of viewer complaints and antitrust concerns - voiced by, among others, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry - MLB agreed to offer the package for renewal by cable systems and Dish Network. By March 9, negotiations had begun to try to settle the dispute, with a deadline of April 1, the first day of the MLB regular season.[1] MLB demanded that the cable systems bundle the renewal of the Extra Innings package with The Baseball Channel, a proposed 24-hour network in the vein of NFL Network or NBA TV that MLB hopes to launch by 2009. Furthermore, these systems were asked to place the channel on an expanded digital tier. At least one major system, Time Warner Cable, balked at the terms.[2]

The offer from the cable consortium to MLB would have matched the financing portion, but cable was only willing to put The Baseball Channel on a premium tier. It should be noted, however, that the cable systems did guarantee to reach at least as many viewers of The Baseball Channel as DirecTV will reach. MLB was not satisifed with the offer, and publicly claimed that the cable companies failed to meet more of the criteria for the deal than they had actually met.[3] However, while MLB wanted the cable systems to match the same offer as DirecTV, MLB would be providing more generous benefits to DirecTV for the very same offer: DirecTV would be receiving a stake in The Baseball Channel, thereby barring cable systems from receiving the telecasts. Hence, MLB is publicly claiming that cable would not meet the same terms as DirecTV, but from the outset was not offering the same deal to the cable consortium.[4]

As of the start of the season on April 2, only Charter had agreed to those terms and was able to retain Extra Innings. It was not be available on any other system until after the deadline was extended and agreements were reached.

On April 4, MLB and iN DEMAND finally reached an agreement similar to the one that MLB reached with DirecTV. Cable companies that carry iN DEMAND will resume carrying MLB Extra Innings, effective immediately, and also agreed to add the Baseball Channel. [5]

[edit] New features for 2007

MLB Extra Innings on DirecTV has launched a "Superfan" premium package similar to that available from NFL Sunday Ticket. This includes a "Game Mix" with eight games on the same channel, and a "Strike Zone Channel" with cut-ins to the night's highlights.