What's happening with the proposed monopoly by direct tv for mlb extra innings?

Question

I have ordered the MLB extra innings package through my cable provider... heard that I may not be able to do that this year.

Answer 1

It's not a PROPOSED monopoly, it's already a monopoly...

You see, since Bud Selig and the owners care one billion times more about their income than about their fans (the primary source of their income), and since DirecTV is doing a very poor attempt of attracting customers by offering a $700 million deal to MLB that is not convenient at all to cable operators (and to its consumers) in order to have exclusive rights (let's drop the de facto part of the term - to me, this was the intention of DirecTV all this time) to broadcast MLB Extra Innings, then the owners will of course jump at the opportunity that DirecTV is offering.

Sadly, this hurts us baseball fans now. But it will hurt them a hell of a lot more when MLB realizes that their former customers are opting to keep their current cable providers and opt to invest their money in other sports packages (for example, NFL Sunday Ticket and NHL Center Ice)

If the time ever comes that Selig and the owners see that they made the most stupid business decision of their lives and that the fans have stopped bringing in money to the teams' coffers, it will most likely be too late to change things.

Answer 2

Basically you have to be a Direct TV subscriber to get it. The controversy is that there are probably 50 cable subscribers for every one Direct TV subscriber, so allot of people are getting locked out.

Direct TV is not available everywhere either

Answer 3

Cable companies can carry this package, but they have to pay for 7 years at $700 million to do so. They have to match DirecTV's rate they paid.
So basically, unless you have DirecTV like me, you probably are screwed.