There’s less than a month to go before the start of the regular season, and you still can’t watch Los Angeles Angels game on TV, not unless you happen to have a streaming package with the opponent’s feed.
The Angels are one of the teams trapped in the broadcasting debacle that happened when FanDuel’s network, Main Street Sports, almost went under completely and started missing payments to some of the teams whose games they’re contractually required to televise.
Now the Angels are trying to implement a unique solution--they’re starting their own network. The Angels aren’t alone in this endeavor, as the Atlanta Braves and Detroit Tigers are also doing their version of this broadcasting power play.
This isn’t as crazy as it sounds when you first hear it, as there’s a precedent for it in multiple markets. The Angels’ version will also involve the Los Angeles Kings of the NHL, with the Halos purchasing a portion of Main Street Sports as part of the launch. Final details of the purchase are still being worked out, so an announcement isn’t expected until next week.
The price won’t be cheap. It will cost $99.99 to get Angels’ games, which sounds like a gouge if ever there was one, and the full league experience will cost $199.99. That’s pricier than the full MLB.TV package, which is currently being sold for $149.99.
Atlanta’s version of this will be called BravesVision, and it was described by Darragh McDonald of MLBTradeRumors.com as “a team-owned entity which will sell streaming rights to fans and work out TV deals in the future."
The Tigers announced DetroitSportsNet earlier this week, and MLB is expected to be heavily involved in that entity. In addition to Tigers’ games, the network will also broadcast NHL games of the Detroit Red Wings. Both Tigers effort and the Angels new entity are expected to rely heavily on MLB to handle the streaming side of the broadcasting.
The on-air talent is expected to stay the same, and blackouts will be eliminated, which will be one issue for fans who have formerly struggled with this in different markets. According to McDonal, the Angels were getting $125 million a year from their deal with Main Street, which was then known as the Diamond Sports Group. This transition will make up for some of that money, but not all of it.
Angels owner Arte Moreno mentioned this in his recent comments about the team, saying “we’ve got to get our TV thing worked out.” Whether some of that money gets funneled back into the business in terms of a higher payroll is another matter entirely, however.