I have never been one to give up something I enjoy to make a point. I'm a logical person and if I get more benefit from using something than the cost of the frustration resulting from whatever I would be making a point out of, I stick with it. However, I may cancel my MLB tv subscription just to make a point. MLB tv blacks out games in local networks, blacks out the playoffs, and blacks out games on Sat 1-8pm and Sun after 5pm.
The service is specifically marketed to people wanting "to watch out of market games" so I could deal with the first restriction. I think the MLB is making a mistake by missing out on the trend of consumers detaching themselves from cable, but whatever.
Blacking out playoff games is annoying, because they dont really black them out (they just make you pay more for them). Again, I don't agree with this (they should at least change the name from 'full season' to 'regular season') but I can't hate for them wanting to make money. I could deal with this.
The weekend blackout is something I cannot deal with. The purpose behind the blackout is that Fox has been granted Saturday afternoon exclusivity. This means they pick a couple of games to play on TV (sometimes local, but typically its a Yankees, Red Sox or Dodgers game) and tells everyone else to go screw off. Dont want to watch the Yankees play the Angels? Too bad, its that game or its nothing.
Baseball games are not identical goods. If I cant watch the cubs play, I wont automatically sit down on the couch and watch the Yankees play because baseball is baseball. There are a few people who might do this, but they are far from the majority. I realize Fox is making more money this way, and this means the MLB is making more money, but they are hurting so many fans and potential fans in their pursuit of a small bump to their profit line. Its a travesty, and I just dont know if I can stand for it.
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