| Major League Baseball has a problem. It isn’t a problem of attendance, talent, or even excitement — it’s access. While fans in other professional sports leagues enjoy a growing number of options to watch their favorite teams, MLB clings to a fractured, outdated model of regional blackouts, limited streaming options, and a confusing array of broadcast rights that actively push fans away rather than draw them in. If baseball is serious about growing its audience, especially among younger fans, it must overhaul its television and streaming policies to make it easier — not harder — for people to watch their favorite teams. The Current System Is A Hot Mess Fans across the country have long struggled with MLB’s labyrinthine system of local blackout restrictions and Regional Sports Networks (RSNs). Consider Kyle Mace, a Houston Astros fan living in Austin, Texas — 167 miles away from Houston. He’s in the so-called “local” TV market of the Texas Rangers (despite the fact that they play in Arlington - nearly *200* miles away), meaning he can’t watch Astros games on his local cable system (Houston RSN Space City Home Network is only available in Austin via vMVPDs DirecTV Stream or FuboTV), or even through the league’s vaunted MLB.TV out-of-market package, which claims both Texas and Houston as “in-market” teams subject to local blackout. Mason Rebarchek, a Brewers fan domiciled in Winona, MN — just over the Western Wisconsin border — has an even worse experience. Even though he lives nearly four hours from Milwaukee (in the La Crossse-Eau Claire DMA), he is still considered within the team’s blackout zone. That means he’s blocked from watching Brewers games on MLB.TV while also being unable to watch via his local RSN (FanDuel North). The result? A dedicated fan who cannot reliably watch his team (though a new OTA announcement this week may help) unless he turns to illegal streams or a VPN to circumvent the system — neither of which should be necessary for a paying customer. This convoluted approach contradicts MLB’s stated goal of growing the game. Younger viewers, already reluctant to subscribe to cable, face unnecessary barriers to engaging with the sport. Every blackout, every streaming restriction, every contractual barrier reinforces the message that MLB prioritizes legacy TV deals over fan accessibility. … Continue reading Tim Hanlon’s full column here. |
