rolling televised baseball rights thread

Next week, in a federal courtroom in New York City, the future of televised baseball will be at stake. On one side, attorneys representing baseball fans at-large will contend that MLB’s existing broadcast policies violate the Sherman Antitrust Act by illegally limiting competition and consumer choice, ultimately increasing the price we pay for televised baseball. On the other side, lawyers for Major League Baseball will seek to preserve the status quo by arguing that the league’s restrictions increase both the quantity and quality of games aired on television, to the benefit of fans.

The case — Garber v. Office of the Commissioner of Baseball — may not be the highest-profile lawsuit currently proceeding against MLB. But from the league’s perspective, it’s almost certainly the most important....

http://www.fangraphs.com/blogs/the-impending-battle-over-the-future-of-televised-baseball/

related podcast

http://www.baseballprospectus.com/article.php?articleid=28231

In a statement, Major League Baseball confirmed the settlement but said it could not comment further because "the process remains ongoing." A lawyer for the league did not immediately comment.

The trial had been scheduled to start Tuesday in Manhattan federal court, though officials indicated last week that it was unlikely to take place, as both sides and the judge ceased filing papers associated with the case.

MLB's lawyers also said recently they were planning to make the same changes to their television packages as the National Hockey League made when it settled its side of the lawsuit last year. The NHL also agreed to let fans buy single-team packages.

The new packages have not yet been publicly announced by baseball and pricing information about them has not been released.

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/14602728/settlement-reached-mlb-tv-dispute-just-prior-start-trial

so blackouts totally preserved