If Baseball is suppose to be America's game then why can't we watch it online for free? A recent article on thebusinessofsports.com stated that allfacebook.com is reporting that Major League Baseball will no longer be streaming live games online for free through its Facebook page. The main reason that this approach is no longer in action is because while this idea was to draw interest for spring training baseball games it was not generating enough subscription to MLB.TV. MLB.TV is the official online network of MLB to garner new subscriptions to catch all regular and post season games. Just like Directv has the MLB Extra Innings package where fans can watch all regualar and out of market games for $128, MLB.TV has the deal but for $29.95. While you might say that the price of both is alarming they are offered on two different mediums.
The first approach that went wrong was MLB was showing spring training games. Most fans do not watch the spring training games because they are all waiting for Opening Day to arrive. The best approach to take to reach more people, is to start streaming select national matchups such as a "game of the week "which does not interfere with Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN. Then as the regular season winds down then I would show the playoffs on online streaming to boost ratings and bring more site traffic to the page.
A lot of baseball fans were not disappointed with the result because it initally drove site traffic to MLB.COM. Most sports fans do not use the Facebook to check the latest stats or updates on games through Facebook but rather through MLB.COM. Bob Bowman Advanced Media Director of Media stated in a press release that this was another reason why they were not going to continue.
I also think they are completely missing the point the with the social media networking tool of Facebook. Facebook is the most powerful social networking medium on the planet and there are more than 650,000,000 people on. This tool could have helped reached a new audience from a global perspective. The casual fan who does not go on MLB.COM would have looked at the MLB page and decided to watch the game.
Another missed opportunity with this is to reach the casual and sports audience since right now it must compete with NBA Playoffs and the Masters Tournament. From the national sports landscape outlook, baseball is right behind football as the number 1 sport in North America. I believe that this would have been a strike the kettle moment because the NFL is in lockout mode and there might not be a season. ( I still believe that there will be a season for 2011). But the American sports audience has a short attention span and must cease the moment.
I believe that MLB is completely missing the strike zone on this opportunity and made a bad move. Next time take a poll question like the Nationally Syndicated Dan Patrick Sports Radio Show and let the fans decide. I am Mr. Zome and I am out.
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