MLB and Slingbox
Major League Baseball and Slingbox - two of my most favorite things in the world. And they’re made for each other. If I’m at work or traveling, I can “sling” my cable tv baseball broadcast to my PC. I can take my baseball wherever I go.
Unfortunately, MLB doesn’t get the perfect match. As CNET states, “MLB Aims Brushback Pitch at Slingbox”. MLB believes the whole thing is illegal:
MLBAM’s General Counsel Michael Mellis called the popular set-top box’s place-shifting feature illegal.
“Of course, what they are doing is not legal,” said Mellis. “We and other leagues have formed a group to study the issue and plan our response. A lot depends on ongoing discussions. Plus, there’s no guarantee that Slingbox will be around next year. It’s a start-up.”
I love it - “Of course what they’re doing is illegal.” Geez. MLB thinks that if you take the cable signal and scootch it over the Internet, that the change in transmission media makes the whole thing illegal. What this is about is that MLB wants you to pay twice for the same content - once for your cable TV and again for their broadband product, MLB.TV.
Of course, this is the same MLB that entered into an controversial exclusive deal with DirecTV for the out-of-market package, “Extra Innings” that was slapped down by the US Senate and the FCC. And the same MLB that claims ownership of player statistics.
MLB has the most broadband and marketing savvy of any of the major professional sports leagues. However, they do seem to suffer from a nasty case of RIAA disease. And like the RIAA, they just don’t get it.
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It has to do with retransmitting the games. This is going to be another Betamax decision. The question as to which it goes is the only thing in question.