YouTube TV may be working hard to refine and improve its user experience, but like all other subscription TV services, its customers are always at risk of suddenly losing channels. MLB Network is the latest to disappear from service with little warning. YouTube TV emailed subscribers yesterday to remind them that the channel will disappear by the end of the same day. It’s February and MLB Network is gone.
Subscribers make the usual complaints, ask the right questions, and threaten to cancel. Shouldn’t the price drop each month? (Sadly, it never works that way.) Will they figure things out in the regular season? (Maybe, but I won’t hold my breath.)
Any cloud DVR recordings from MLB Network will be lost due to channel deletion. In a statement sent to Deadline, MLB Network said: “As spring training approaches, we regret that YouTube TV has been reluctant to negotiate a fair transportation agreement. MLB Network offers the same distribution terms that nearly 300 other U.S. providers have agreed to.” It’s the same story and the same talking points. Each. The two sides said they would continue to work towards a new agreement.
This isn’t the first time YouTube TV has taken the scalpel on sports programming: It dropped YES Network and NESN (New England Sports Network) a few years ago, as did several other regional sports networks owned by Sinclair. going offline. YouTube TV subscribers can still watch the game on ESPN, Fox and TBS. But if you’re a fan of MLB Network shows like MLB Tonight, you’re out of luck unless there’s a new deal.
This Reddit comment really sums up the frustrating cycle some people find themselves in when they lose their favorite channel and peruse other services – only to end up back where they started Place:
YouTube and the Major League Baseball has looked like an affable working relationship with the outside world in recent years, with the former sponsoring the World Series and streaming several games exclusively in 2022. But that wasn’t enough to prevent another shipping dispute.
While baseball fans voice their frustrations, NFL diehards have more to get excited about. In football, Apple today launched MLS Season Pass for $14.99 per month or $99 for the entire season.
