Microsoft confirmed that it will offer audio and video of Major League Baseball games via its MSN service, and AOL will offer live audio streams and 20-minute video clips for each game. The Microsoft deal,
- worth as much as $40 million over two years, according to sources, is one of online sports programming's most expensive to date. MSN will offer these streams as part of MSN Premium, a $9.95-a-month software package that offers Net services and content. MSN's dial-up customers will only have access to MLB's live audio streams.
In addition, the software giant will sell MLB subscription packages through its MSN Web portal. MSN visitors can subscribe to MLB.com All Access, which includes live video and audio, for $19.95 a month or $99.95 a season; MLB.TV, a video-only subscription, for $14.95 a month or $79.95 a season; or MLB.com Gameday Audio, for the live radio broadcasts only, for $14.95 a season.
"We can now drive our subscriptions business in a way we were unable to drive it before," Yusuf Mehdi, MSN's corporate vice president, said in a telephone interview. Mehdi declined to comment on the terms of the deal but expressed confidence that it will be profitable.
Microsoft isn't the only company expected to soon strike a deal with the baseball league. America Online plans to announce a two-year, $9 million deal with MLB Advanced Media (MLBAM), the league's Web business, to offer live audio streams and 20-minute video clips for each game, the sources added. AOL will offer the games free of charge to its AOL for Broadband members, most of whom pay $14.95 a month on top of their broadband bills for the service.
....Microsoft in recent months has made streaming video a priority. The company in October unveiled a free, ad-supported streaming-video initiative called MSN Video. The service launched with video clips from its MSNBC joint venture, as well as other programming from NBC's news and entertainment shows. As with MSN Video, Microsoft will sell advertising on top of all live video feeds. Microsoft's Mehdi, however, was unsure if ad spots will appear on MLB's March 28 opening day, when the New York Yankees face the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in Tokyo.
Article comments
1 - Mac Diva
Acronym soup! One of these days, let's try to write a headline that includes nothing but-:).
An underside to Microsoft and AOL's streaming deal in regard to video is that none of the ones I've encountered will run on a Macintosh.
2 - Eric Olsen
Good one about the acronyms! I don't understand why they haven't figured out how to make all Internet products and services complatible with all platforms - it seems stupid to put limits on your customer base.
3 - Mac Diva
It sometimes seems that Bill Gates' disdain for Steve Jobs knows no bounds, and we poor Mac users pay the price for that. One would think it our fault that Steve is a cool guy who can dance and Bill still wears pocket protectors and unclean undies.
4 - TDavid
Nice to see the price drop for the live MLB radio. $14.95 for the entire season is a great deal for baseball fans (like me) who enjoy listening to internet radio. This had been one of the few reasons I used the Real player.
5 - Eric Olsen
TD, I agree that $14.95 for the season sounds pretty good. Live is good enough for me anyway, I don't need an archive.