SOURCE: TVPredictions.com, January 22, 2007
‘Washington, D.C. (January 20, 2007) — DIRECTV is close to landing an exclusive deal to carry Major League Baseball’s ‘Extra Innings’ package.
That’s according to an article in today’s New York Times.
The 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.
MLB Extra Innings permits viewers to watch approximately 50-60 ‘out-of-market’ baseball games for a set fee. The pay package has been available on cable, EchoStar and DIRECTV until now.
If DIRECTV lands the exclusive rights as expected, it would give the satcaster two exclusive sports packages. DIRECTV has had the exclusive rights to the NFL Sunday Ticket for more than 10 years.
As part of the deal, the Times reports, DIRECTV will also carry MLB’s new baseball channel exclusively in 2009.
The newspaper writes that DIRECTV will pay MLB $700 million for seven years for the exclusive rights to Extra Innings and the new baseball channel.’
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