MLB agrees to offer single-team streaming to settle class-action suit

Bob Hille

MLB agrees to offer single-team streaming to settle class-action suit image

Major League Baseball on Tuesday reached a deal with fans to settle an antitrust class action lawsuit over how out-of-market game broadcasts are sold, law360.com reported, adding that the side settled only moments before the trial was due to start in Manhattan.

Under the agreement, MLB will offer single-team packages next season for its online streaming service MLB.tv for $84.99, a 23 percent cut from what previously had been the least expensive version of a leaguewide subscription, law360.com reported, citing a statement from the plaintiffs.

Also of note from the agreement, according to the plaintiffs:

— MLB will reduce the cost of its leaguewide MLB.tv package to $109.99. 

— MLB will implement by the All-Star break a new product that costs an additional $10 but will allow consumers who are subscribers to a Regional Sports Network to watch a chosen away team's broadcast for "in-market" games that previously would've been blacked out.

— MLB will work with DirecTV, Comcast and 21st Century Fox to offer live-streaming of in-market games by 2017 or MLB will be prohibited from increasing the price of its MLB.tv packages.

MLB already had said in a pretrial brief that it planned to start offering single-team packages later this year at a price similar to what the NHL agreed to offer in its own settlement of a parallel case in June. NHL's Gamecenter single-team offering was priced at $105.99 for the 2015-16 season.

The long-running antitrust battle — dubbed the "Garber case" for the name attached to the class of fans suing — dates to 2012 with fans focusing their complaints on being forced to buy leaguewide subscriptions rather than being able to choose a la carte what team or teams to follow.

Bob Hille

Bob Hille Photo

Bob Hille, a senior content consultant for The Sporting News, has been part of the TSN team for most of the past 30 years, including as managing editor and executive editor. He is a native of Texas (forever), adopted son of Colorado, where he graduated from Colorado State, and longtime fan of “Bull Durham” (h/t Annie Savoy for The Sporting News mention).