Facebook expanding deal with Major League Baseball

[bing101]

https://www.fiercecable.com/video/facebook-expanding-deal-major-league-baseball

Yes 25 games are mentioned as part of the broadcast deal that facebook and MLB has for the 2018 season.

[jp the roadgeek]

Every game is a Wednesday afternoon game.  Don't know how to watch this on anything other than a tablet, PC, or Smartphone.  Roku doesn't have an app, and Facebook Watch doesn't give you an AirPlay option.  Just hope local RSN's are able to keep their broadcasts.

[triplemultiplex]

Clearly this is intended for people who want to watch at work.

[Henry]

I'm sure that this will make us Cubs fans smile, especially those who have no way of getting into Wrigley for obvious reasons.

[formulanone]

Clearly this is intended for people who want to watch at work.

I've never understood the economics of having sporting events at 1-2pm on a weekday.

[jp the roadgeek]

I've never understood the economics of having sporting events at 1-2pm on a weekday.

In the case of most teams, it's only done for travel reasons, such as if one (or both) of the teams have a game the next night at a distant location.  In the case of the Red Sox weekday day games at Fenway:

4/5: Opening Day (traditional)
4/16: Patriots Day (traditional, but Sox also happen to have a game in Anaheim the next night. O's play in Detroit next night.)
5/2: Game in Arlington the next night (and KC, oddly, has a 2:15 ET game the next day at home to open a series)
5/30: Game in Houston the next night (Toronto is off the next day)
8/23: Game in Tampa the next night (done more for Cleveland, who has a game in KC the next night)

[SP Cook]

I've never understood the economics of having sporting events at 1-2pm on a weekday.

Baseball has a lot of rules that date back to the era of trains.   One of this is weekday day games held the day before travel.  Oddly these are often called "businessman's specials" although most businessmen should be at work.  Probably should be "second shift worker specials" or "out of work bum specials".  Anyway, these made sense 6 or 7 decades ago when teams were facing long train trips and railroads had tight schedules.  They no longer do.  These games vary in live gate, doing OK in some places, but very poorly in more.  But the big issue is that they just are death in TV ratings.  Other sports do not have this rule and often travel late at night after games and do just fine. 

Another quirk of the ancient baseball contract is that both teams get a full buffet meal on travel days.  A remnant of long ago when finding a restaurant open after 9 PM was hard. 

Another rule requires the teams get a day off, coming or going, if they cross two time zone lines. 

[Alps]

Clearly this is intended for people who want to watch at work.

I've never understood the economics of having sporting events at 1-2pm on a weekday.

It seems to work for the one game a week (I'm used to it being on Thursday). There are people who work night shifts who would catch a day game, people with young kids who can only bring them to a day game, people who work weekends but have weekdays off... I don't know about the economics of it but I support the idea.

[jp the roadgeek]

Another rule requires the teams get a day off, coming or going, if they cross two time zone lines.

Only applies if they cross three time zone lines, and it's eastbound only.   Both times the Red Sox head to the west coast, they have a day game the day before: Patriots Day as discussed above, and a 3:05 ET start in Baltimore before heading to Seattle.  Both times they have an off day returning east.   The Yankees play a 1:05 home game on 4/26 before playing in Anaheim the next night, then play a 1:05 home game on 9/2 before playing a 4:05 ET game in Oakland the next day (Labor Day).  Later in the trip, they play a Sunday afternoon (4:10 ET) game in Seattle before playing in Minnesota at 8:05 ET the next night, which crosses 2 time zone lines. 

[cjk374]

The "businessman's special" could still be so. A Chicago-based company could bring in a client or vendor to discuss business and, as a perk, catch a Cubs or White Sox game during the day instead of doing supper that night. Imagine how much $$$ is made/spent in the seats at those games. Perhaps as much or more than 18 holes of golf?

[triplemultiplex]

If the team is doing well, folks will duck out of work to catch a day game.  We're not chained to our desks, yo.  We earned that PTO!

[roadman]

The reason the Red Sox originally had an early day game on Patriots Day was because of the Boston Marathon.  The game started at 11 and was usually over in time for the fans to leave Fenway so they could watch the front runners of the Marathon pass through Kenmore Square.

Of course, that "tradition" is totally irrelevant now ever since the Boston Arrogance Athletic Association dictated that the "elite" runners must have their own race separate from the "ordinary rabble."  This "entitlement" race happens while the Sox game is just getting underway.