Global Brand My @#$

So this is my first full weekend back. What does this mean?

It means I get to pick up my favorite pastime of last year, griping about how many freakin’ games I am not going to be able to watch.

I’ve done my part. I’ve forked over not only my $79 for Direct Kick (which my cable rep had never heard of and had to spend five minutes researching), but also my $19.99 for MLSLive.tv. (They show the same games, but with the MLSLive broadband package you have access to the archives.) So what more are they expecting me to do to see my team?

Here’s the thing. I know I put myself at a disadvantage by not actually living in the area my team plays in. If I lived in SoCal, I’d at least have access to Telefutura, which isn’t carried in my area except as part of a special, extra-cost Spanhish-language package. So I know I am partly to blame for this.

But not having any access whatsoever to NINE games?!? NINE freakin’ games?!?!?

When I look at the schedule, I’m counting thirty games, total, in the Galaxy’s season. I don’t have access to any that are on Telefutura, FSN-W or HDNet. And if they’re shown on these channels, they’re not shown elsewhere, and specifically not shown on Direct Kick. This means that I don’t have access to 30% of the games.

THIRTY PERCENT.

I understand that TV rights are an important revenue source. And I understand that exclusive rights are part of what MLS dangles in front of TV channels in order to get them to pay for these broadcast rights.

But when you sell off these rights to channels that serve only a portion of your audience, it’s the consumer (read: Fan; read: ME) who gets screwed.

Are you listening, MLS?

(P.S. Even though tomorrow is a Telefutura game, I have high hopes because it’s against Toronto. Since I live in a Canadian border state, I’m hoping I’ll be able to find a Canadian channel showing it. Cross your fingers for me.)

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Category: 2008 Season, MLS Money Matters, MLS News