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As an out of state fan, this concerns me. As a kid, it seemed most of the games were on WGN and it was always easy to catch one. If the majority/most of the games are moved to local TV that will make viewing a game for an out of state fan much more difficult. I don't see me disposing of extra income to purchase MLB Network, but who knows, it would be hard not to watch the games. The Cubs not on WGN? Just sounds and feels weird.
Who's your daddy?
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Quote:As an out of state fan, this concerns me. As a kid, it seemed most of the games were on WGN and it was always easy to catch one. If the majority/most of the games are moved to local TV that will make viewing a game for an out of state fan much more difficult. I don't see me disposing of extra income to purchase MLB Network, but who knows, it would be hard not to watch the games. The Cubs not on WGN? Just sounds and feels weird.
You know, I would have said the same thing 4 or 5 years back, but the Cubs just need to take the most money at this point. WGN helped to build the brand in an amazing way for several decades, but the Cubs were also shorted for years on TV money because the Trib owned both. Plus, you may end up with Cubs Net or whatever it eventually becomes as part of your cable or sat package regardless.
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Hey Poppa, what's shakin?
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Comcast to buy Time Warner Cable:
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/02/1...5A20140213
Naturally, my first thought was how might this impact a Cubs TV deal, since I'm sick of the team being "poor". My first thought was I sort of doubt the FCC lets this happen since Comcast owns NBC/Universal which is already suspect. But as the article points out, TWC and Comcast don't compete now, and if they already let Comcast take over NBC, so this might not change things.
I don't like entities getting this big for multiple reasons, but from a purely baseball TV rights perspective this might mean less competition and urgency for these sports rights.
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But they are competitors. They're not only agents of content delivery, they're content producers as well and fewer suitors for the rights to package and resell Cubs baseball or anything else is anti-competitive and a bad thing.
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TWC I don't believe was ever an option for the Cubs, so this doesn't change much IMO.
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What are the current cable option in Chicago? Currently, I can choose from Dish / DirecTV / ATT Uverse / and Time Warner Cable.
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Same except switch out TWC for Comcast. I get your point Straw, but I was only commenting on the Cubs situation. The pro-competition stance is one I share with you, but in terms of distribution of cable programming is a little different as you can't just lay more cable wherever you want. It's as much a local/municipal/infrastructure issue with respect to cable as it is a "market" issue. The controlling content argument is one I'm more sympathetic to, but I'm not sure what can be done about it now.
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Quote:Same except switch out TWC for Comcast. I get your point Straw, but I was only commenting on the Cubs situation. The pro-competition stance is one I share with you, but in terms of distribution of cable programming is a little different as you can't just lay more cable wherever you want. It's as much a local/municipal/infrastructure issue with respect to cable as it is a "market" issue. The controlling content argument is one I'm more sympathetic to, but I'm not sure what can be done about it now.
That's the point I'm making. Whether they go head to head for delivery in the same markets isn't the whole issue with regard to competition. If I'm a producer of content trying to sell it to distribution networks, a lack of competition in that sector is a bad thing.
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Quote:Same except switch out TWC for Comcast. I get your point Straw, but I was only commenting on the Cubs situation. The pro-competition stance is one I share with you, but in terms of distribution of cable programming is a little different as you can't just lay more cable wherever you want. It's as much a local/municipal/infrastructure issue with respect to cable as it is a "market" issue. The controlling content argument is one I'm more sympathetic to, but I'm not sure what can be done about it now.
From a competition standpoint the issue I see is one of less urgency for one dominate US cable operator to pay for content, particularly if you don't have another large cable entity (whether you're in the same markets or not) helping to establish prices for content. Meaning the Yankees and the Dodgers aren't in the same market, but the deals they sign players to have ramifications for one another and the league as a whole. If Comcast gets too large the power starts to shift from content producer to delivery system operator, the delivery system has more power over the price structure. If you're say AMC or Cartoon Network or whoever, and if you need Comcast to reach nearly 40% of the market, suddenly they have a lot more hand in the relationship. And as Straw said, they're making content too and at 30-40% market share you start to look more big picture and go after less regional specialties and focus on mass consumer product and prop up your own content. Meaning NBC sports probably has less issue than Fox Sports in getting the prices they want for their content.
A Cubs Channel isn't much of a draw on the west coast (TWC) or the East Coast (Comcast), plus Comcast would now have LA and NY if they get TWC. Obviously Comcast will want a Cubs Network for Chicago and the midwest, but the price they're willing to pay might be lower if their footprint is so large that Chicago and the midwest isn't as much of a concern as it used to be when it represented a higher percentage of their subscribers.
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Quote:A post-merger Comcast operating in a marketplace in which the courts have ruled against network neutrality would be immensely powerful, able to dictate bandwidth consumption fees to consumers and content providers at will. That’s not good for consumers, content providers or Comcast’s competitors. It’s hard to imagine a more obvious antitrust disaster. Tom Wheeler, the newly installed chairman of the FCC — and former cable industry lobbyist! — is facing a major test.
<p style="font-size:16px;color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:'Times New Roman';">But it shouldn’t be a hard decision to make. The potential negative consequences for the future of content delivered via the Internet could not be any clearer.
Some men are born mediocre, some men achieve mediocrity, and some men have mediocrity thrust upon them.
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I can't wait until we can talk more about the team instead of the business side of things again...
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Quote:I can't wait until we can talk more about the team instead of the business side of things again...
Unfortunately, after the season begins, you may be hoping for a return to more business discussions.
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Sorry if someone posted this already. Sounds like an announcement about a move to WBBM may be coming soon.
http://www.bleedcubbieblue.com/2014/5/30...wbbm-radio
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