Hey MLB, I've A Bone To Pick With You

There is very little Major League Baseball does that leads me to criticism. However, the deal that they have in place with streaming services such as Apple TV+ is a colossal failure.

For the most part, MLB.TV is a good service. But...

I say that based on this experience: At 1230 a.m., July 11, I put the game on through my subscription to MLB.tv. This is something that I have done for every game for many years. Only to find that the Cardinals-Braves game was in the seventh inning.

Clearly, a rain delay went down, and, knowing how the system works, there are two choices fans have available to them when they want to watch a game that has yet to end.

1. They can wait 90 minutes after the game ends for the rebroadcast to be posted to mlb.tv.

2. Fans can play the game from the beginning, a live DVR control known as Start from Beginning, as long as the proper box for that feature is checked,

   
   

It is the latter which has always been my choice.

But alas, I couldn't because it was on Apple TV+. MLB and its streaming partners have agreed to preclude games that the Netflix's of the world air from being seen anywhere but through the streaming service until the aforementioned 90 minutes have passed.

Granted, it is super rare for something like this to happen. But why should we the fans pay $149.99 for a yearly subscription that has one aspect, the ability to watch a live game from the beginning, taken from us?

That’s not “on demand”; that’s “on pseudo demand.”

Start from Begining is not an option on any MLB game that is broadcast via a streaming platform.

Allowing Start from Begining wouldn't stop streaming services from wanting to air MLB games. Because baseball is great programming. By creating pregame and postgame shows, the service has a consistent three to four hours of highly rated programming for the night. That is a win for them and wouldn’t change if fans are able to watch live games from the beginning as they typically are.

The other option is for MLB to offer a refund for games the streaming service airs.

So, what did I do? I waited for the game to end. Watched a whole bunch of news shows (sidenote, stick to sports, the news ain’t that great.) and around 3:00 – 3: 30 a.m. the game came on, in the fourth inning.

Instead of having the rebroadcast start with the first inning, I was “treated” to 80 minutes of the highlight show MLB Big Inning.

Luckily, the fast forward option worked. Unluckily, the rebroadcast began in the top of the fourth inning; the bottom of the fourth was never to be.

Not because the rain came again and the game was postponed; no, what I mean is the rebroadcast jumped to the end of the game after the top of the fourth inning. This was still the case 12 hours later, at 3:30 p.m.

What I saw when I clicked on the bottom of the fourth inning. Silver lining, Cardinals won!

MLB has completely screwed up the Start from Beginning feature vis-à-vis live streaming service.

I’m sure other leagues do similar crazy things. This issue rides right next to MLB.tv’s blackout restrictions, which must end. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred is vocal in his distaste for the blackouts.

Mr. Manfred, round up the owners, talk to the Major League Baseball Players Association and eliminate these restrictions. Move the sport to one where the fans can watch any game, anyplace, anytime, anywhere.

Charles I. Guarria is an author, reporter and host based in the state of Florida, USA, covering any topic, anywhere in the world. His career began in 2009. Mr. Guarria is a three-time winner of Emerald Group Publishing’s Highly Commended Award and host of The Opinion Guy Fun Friendly Informative. He is available for hire to write, research, or beta-read. 

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Photo Credit: Major League Baseball

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