MLB is expanding the number of outlets that carry its games, and at least one big leaguer thinks it’s at the expense, literally, of the fans.
ESPN is scaling back its MLB coverage, meaning some opportunities opened for national game coverage. So, earlier this week, MLB announced that Apple TV would carry two national games on Fridays and Peacock would have Monday and Wednesday national games.
If you’re keeping track at home, that means MLB games can been seen on ESPN, Apple, Peacock, FOX and TBS – plus the local regional sports networks that carry teams’ broadcasting rights for all other games.
It puts viewers in a weird spot. Even if you have cable or a streaming service like YouTube TV, you still have to pay for Apple TV and/or Peacock. Basically, baseball fans have to pay for multiple things in order to get complete access to MLB games.
Chicago White Sox reliever Liam Hendriks took issue with that, and made his frustrations clear Thursday on 670 The Score’s “Parkins and Spiegel.”
“Don’t get me wrong, I love Apple. I have an iPhone, we have Apple TV, we have all of that,” Hendriks said. "I don’t like that deal because it means it’s a different streaming service that fans have to pay for to be able to watch the game, and I don’t think that’s right.
"I think there should be a unilateral one that goes over everything that if you buy this package you get every single game of every single team, no matter blackout, no matter what, no matter anything. That should be how it’s done, and I don’t like anything other than that, I don’t like anything that deviates from that. It’s unfortunate that’s what the world is coming to with different pieces here and there.”
It most certainly will take time for fans to get used to. NHL fans already have gone through something similar with ESPN and Turner taking over the broadcast rights, so, right or wrong, this is becoming the norm for accessing sports.
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