MLB TV for Free?

by Zonis on Apr 5, 2008 10:53 AM PDT

I've noticed that MLB.TV appears to require a registered account to access archived MLB.TV Games, in other words, games that have already been played, even if they were just finished (pending archiving the game itself). The account is free, and I already had it since I had MLB Gameday Audio before (though my account expired, and since my cc had been changed apparently since I registered, they wern't able to auto-subscribe me).

The account is also required for Chat, if I remember correctly, and contests, and so on.

But if this is not just a special limited-time thing, I love it. It means that if I miss the game, I can go back and watch it, and I suspect that MLB.TV gets most of their users for real-time games, and not archives. It reminds me of something that MLB.TV did the last 2 months of 2007, which was offer MLB.TV for free for games, but now with Advertisements.

So I wonder, is this a new route for MLBAM? Are they doing this on purpose? Making the game more accessable to fans, perhaps trying to clear up their reputation? Is it a prelude, perhaps, to a new MLB Channel and they are trying to cover the MLB.TV subscription fee with advertising revanue? Or is this all something that has just slipped through the cracks because of one or two good guys behind the scenes and MLB hasn't yet noticed that they've 'messed things up and have forgotten to screw the customer quite as much as possible'.

All I know is, as a now NRaf, though with Slingbox, this does make me happier. Now if they can just crack down and fix the Blackouts (or get rid of them), perhaps by requiring a team/station to show the game there, live, for the game to be considered blacked out for that area, then everything will be fine.

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I'm an audio subscriber

and I just checked this out, and sure enough, I get the video of archived games.

I'm almost certain that this is either a limited time thing or a mistake by MLB, because I don't see this benefit advertised anywhere.

I've done gameday audio for several years, and I vaguely remember one season where, for the first month or so, I still had access with a regular MLB user account even though I hadn't paid for that year. This eventually stopped.

I'd have to think that if MLB really intended to offer this, they'd be promoting it, but who knows? Stranger things have happened. Maybe it's supposed to be a secret, like an one of those video game levels you have to unlock.

Anyway, I'll enjoy it while it lasts

The glare was not practiced. I would get into the game situations, and when that happens, there comes a level of concentration that most can only imagine but can never achieve. You become what you are doing, and that is what you see on my face. -Dave Stewart

by Hegenberger Road on Apr 5, 2008 11:46 AM PDT reply actions