Washington, D.C.
(February 1, 2007)
--
DIRECTV is close
to landing an exclusive deal to carry Major League
Baseball's 'Extra Innings' package. But Sen. John Kerry
still hopes to knock the plan out of the park.
The Massachusetts Democrat had planned to raise concerns about the proposed deal today during a Senate subcommittee hearing in which FCC Chairman Kevin Martin will testify. However, the session was abbreviated due to a floor vote and Kerry never had a chance to question the agency chief.
"I am opposed to anything that deprives people of reasonable choices. In this day and age, consumers should have more choices -- not fewer," Kerry said in a statement Wednesday. "A Red Sox fan ought to be able to watch their team without having to switch to DIRECTV."
The Massachusetts Democrat had planned to raise concerns about the proposed deal today during a Senate subcommittee hearing in which FCC Chairman Kevin Martin will testify. However, the session was abbreviated due to a floor vote and Kerry never had a chance to question the agency chief.
"I am opposed to anything that deprives people of reasonable choices. In this day and age, consumers should have more choices -- not fewer," Kerry said in a statement Wednesday. "A Red Sox fan ought to be able to watch their team without having to switch to DIRECTV."
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The DIRECTV-MLB deal is expected to begin this season and will likely allow DIRECTV to air a large number of games in High-Definition TV. The satcaster is planning to expand its high-def capacity in the second half of this year and has been searching for programming partners to fill the space.
DIRECTV has offered regional MLB high-def broadcasts in the past as part of its Extra Innings package. However, the greater HD capacity should allow the satcaster to deliver those games nationally.
The 'Extra Innings' pay package, which includes dozens of out of market baseball games each week, has been available to 75 million cable subscribers for several years. But if DIRECTV gets the exclusive rights, it will only be available to the satcaster's 15 million viewers.
Click TVPredictions.com to see today's Swanni Sez.
© TVPredictions.com
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The DIRECTV-MLB deal is expected to begin this season and will likely allow DIRECTV to air a large number of games in High-Definition TV. The satcaster is planning to expand its high-def capacity in the second half of this year and has been searching for programming partners to fill the space.
DIRECTV has offered regional MLB high-def broadcasts in the past as part of its Extra Innings package. However, the greater HD capacity should allow the satcaster to deliver those games nationally.
The 'Extra Innings' pay package, which includes dozens of out of market baseball games each week, has been available to 75 million cable subscribers for several years. But if DIRECTV gets the exclusive rights, it will only be available to the satcaster's 15 million viewers.
Click TVPredictions.com to see today's Swanni Sez.
© TVPredictions.com
____________________________________________
Phillip Swann is president and publisher of
TVPredictions.com. He has been quoted in dozens of
publications and broadcast outlets, including CNN,
Fox News, Inside Edition, The New York Times, The
Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Financial
Times, The Associated Press and The Hollywood
Reporter. He can be reached at
swann@tvpredictions.com
or at 703-505-3064.
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