Dodgers Team News

Dodgers News: Rob Manfred Talks Dodgers TV Deal

The Los Angeles Dodgers’ television deal has rubbed a lot of people the wrong way since, well, a lot of people can’t actually watch the games because of it. It’s a deal that needs to be ironed out, and a whole host of fans are going to be missing Vin Scully’s last season because of it. It’s truly a shame.

Baseball has tried to expand their reach over the years, and one of the ways is this season when the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim will be showing their games online on the FOX Sports GO app to fans who want to watch. It’s smart, logical, and an easy way to grow viewership. Commissioner Rob Manfred talked about that, but also talked about the Dodgers’ own deal.




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The following is courtesy of FOX Sports dot com:

Despite the league’s wider access in many markets, Manfred did express his concern regarding the Dodgers ongoing TV troubles in which a large percentage of Dodgers’ fans have been unable to watch their team in the local market due to limited access to the team’s new cable channel. Calling the team one of the league’s historic franchises, the commissioner said the league had no problem getting involved in discussions between the team and cable providers but was quick to point out they were limited in their influence.

In the grand scheme of things, you hope that the actual league won’t have to get involved in the discussions because you’d hope that the two sides involved could actually get it done themselves. However, that might be what it ends up taking because freezing fans out is never good. And he knows it.

Cable companies, teams, and the league want all the viewers that they can get. Without viewers, there’s a loss of revenue, and revenue makes this whole thing go. Unfortunately, there doesn’t seem to be a deal being reached in the near future. Hopefully there is one, but this all just seems for naught right now.

It’s just a travesty and almost criminal that fans are still frozen out. We deserve to listen to and watch Vin Scully. Maybe the league will need to step in and see what they can do, but that won’t be happening anytime soon to allow viewers to actually watch the team this season.

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6 Comments

  1. Greedy team and greedy cable company. Neither of them give a rats behind about the fans.

  2. If been a dodger fan of 50+ years. I think the new owners are just a bunch of greedy bastard’s. They could care less about the fans. As long as theirs an ass in there seats that’s all that matters. I have lost total respect for the owners , and especially the guy magic Johnson. F_____em all

  3. No longer living in Southern Cal, I have not been subjected to this calamity.  This makes absolutely no sense.  Everybody is making too much money to not consider customer service in their profit equation.  TWC made $469 million last year.  What is the cost to them to resolve this?  What about DIrectTV?  The one organization that can help make this all go away is the Dodgers.  I am generally supportive of the organization, but that is related to baseball, not business.  New ownership engineered The Trade with Boston just as much of a PR move as a baseball move.  While it was a lackluster baseball move, it gave the fans a boost from the misery of the McCourt era.  New ownership also engineered the large salary proposals to Matt Kemp and Andre Ethier, again for the same PR reason, but consummated to also get tails in the seats. 

    It seems to me if the ownership truly believed in helping the Dodger fan, and be willing to walk away from a small amount of revenue, they can negotiate a deal that will make this all go away.  But the way a corporation would look at this is that, we already got our $$$ from the Network deal.  Plus, if the Network does not show the games to a large contingent of the fan base, maybe that will put more tails in the seats and we can generate even more profits from attendance, parking, food, and souvenirs.  There is no incentive for the business side of the Dodgers to enter meaningful negotiations.  I do not know how many members of the Cuban National team the Dodgers want, but to me they could spend less on their Cuban fantasy, and put more into who really drives the organization…the fans.  The fans have been shafted since O’Malley sold to Fox.  it’s time to bring back some semblance of fairness to the fans.  Mark Walter, make this happen, not for $$$, but because you care about the fans.  This year needs to be a tribute to Vin Scully.  Let every fan who has grown up to his voice enjoy it one more year.

  4. I am a 60ish long time fan and had the ability to switch off of Direct TV and get the Dodger channel on Time Warner. Now they have decided to NOT cover the games in the SPring so I am watching the Angel channel to see the Dodgers play today.
    Insane 
    Really ticked off at Kasten and the whole crew..

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