Cable Giant Comcast Locks Out Baseball Fans, Sparking Debate over Piracy and Streaming Options

It appears that Comcast subscribers in more than a dozen markets are currently without access to watch their local Major League Baseball teams on television. This is due to the expiration of the carriage agreement between Comcast and Diamond Sports Group, which owns 18 regional sports networks. As a result, fans who want to catch the games are forced to listen to them on the radio instead.

Andrew Zimbalist, an economics professor at Smith, explained that this business model has changed significantly in recent years. With streaming options becoming more popular, consumers now have the ability to buy only what they want instead of purchasing a whole bundle. Some are opting for pirating the games instead of paying for cable TV. “There’s stations you can go to that are stealing the signals,” said Zimbalist. “It’s something that a lot of youth know how to access.”

Brian Wieser of Madison and Wall noted that some sports teams are now selling their rights to local broadcasting affiliates instead of regional sports networks. These can be accessed through cable or even with rabbit ears. This is a call back to the way we used to watch sports in the 70s and 80s, where it was possible for people without a subscription to see these games for free.

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