MLB Playoffs On TBS

The MLB playoffs start today, and for the first time, TBS will have exclusive coverage of the Division Series. TBS also has coverage of the National League Championship Series, alternating between NLCS and ALCS with FOX for the next seven years.

I’m curious to gauge public sentiment on how the TBS exclusive deal is going to mess with TV viewers who don’t have cable. There’s no over-the-air coverage of games on TBS, even for teams’ local markets. So imagine you’re a Cubs fan (hurts, I know) and they’re in the NLCS. You don’t have cable TV, so you’re going to have to go to a bar (which would probably be a lot of fun) or suffer through Ron Santo on WGN radio.

For me personally, because I almost always let my wife watch Project Runway or whatever on our cable TV during primetime, I won’t be able to watch the Division Series or the NLCS on the over-the-air TV in my room (The “man space,” or is it “man cave”? Whatever). I’ll likely have to listen to ESPN Radio for a lot of games, which is fine. (ESPN Radio, by the way, airs all the MLB playoff games.)

[Update: I checked out the TBS Hot Corner on MLB.com last night, and while I applaud TBS/MLB for trying to bring interactive online content to supplement their broadcast, what we really needed was a live online simulcast of TBS game coverage. The four-panel video thing gives you 1) Pitcher/Batter Camera, letting you see all the game pitches (but no hits), warmup pitches, batboys retrieving bats and Carlos Zambrano adjusting his junk. 2) Dugout Camera, which is like watching paint dry 3) Stats, which gives only the most basic baseball info 4) A Studio Show, with hosts who yammer endlessly and annoyingly. Plus, all this is so severely delayed from the TV and radio broadcast that it doesn’t work as a supplement to the coverage. It’s just not good.]

[Update 2: A Washington Wizards blog, of all things, has excellent analysis of the TBS Hot Corner’s lack of hotness.]

Here’s the MLB postseason schedule:

AMERICAN LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES (All games on TBS/TBS HD. In case of overlap, some games may move to TNT/TNT HD.)

Los Angeles Angels vs. Boston Red Sox

Game 1: Wednesday, Oct. 3, Los Angeles at Boston, 6:37pm ET

Game 2: Friday, Oct. 5, Los Angeles at Boston, 8:37pm ET

Game 3: Sunday, Oct. 7, Boston at Los Angeles, 3:07pm ET

Game 4: Monday, Oct. 8, Boston at Los Angeles, 6:07pm ET (if necessary)

Game 5: Wednesday, Oct. 10, Los Angeles at Boston, 5:07pm ET (if necessary)

Cleveland Indians vs. New York Yankees

Game 1: Thursday, Oct. 4, New York at Cleveland, 6:37pm ET

Game 2: Friday, Oct. 5, New York at Cleveland, 5:07pm ET

Game 3: Sunday, Oct. 7, Cleveland at New York, 6:37pm ET

Game 4: Monday, Oct. 8, Cleveland at New York, 6:07pm ET (if necessary)

Game 5: Wednesday, Oct. 10, New York at Cleveland, 5:07pm ET (if necessary)

NATIONAL LEAGUE DIVISION SERIES (All games on TBS/TBS HD. In case of overlap, some games may move to TNT/TNT HD.)

Arizona Diamondbacks vs. Chicago Cubs

Game 1: Wednesday, Oct. 3, Chicago at Arizona, 10:07pm ET

Game 2: Thursday, Oct. 4, Chicago at Arizona, 10:07pm ET

Game 3: Saturday, Oct. 6, Arizona at Chicago, 6:07pm ET

Game 4: Sunday, Oct. 7, Arizona at Chicago, 1:07pm ET (if necessary)

Game 5: Tuesday, Oct. 9, Chicago at Arizona, 10:07pm ET (if necessary)

Philadelphia Phillies vs. Colorado Rockies

Game 1: Wednesday, Oct. 3, Colorado at Philadelphia, 3:07pm ET

Game 2: Thursday, Oct. 4, Colorado at Philadelphia, 3:07pm ET

Game 3: Saturday, Oct. 6, Philadelphia at Colorado, 9:37pm ET

Game 4: Sunday, Oct. 7, Philadelphia at Colorado, 10:07pm ET (if necessary)

Game 5: Tuesday, Oct. 9, Colorado at Philadelphia, 6:37pm ET (if necessary)

AMERICAN LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES (All games on FOX/FOX HD)

Game 1: Friday, Oct. 12, Cleveland at Boston, 7:07pm ET

Game 2: Saturday, Oct. 13, Cleveland at Boston, 8:21pm ET

Game 3: Monday, Oct. 15, Boston at Cleveland, 7:10pm ET

Game 4: Tuesday, Oct. 16, Boston at Cleveland, 8:21 ET

Game 5: Thursday, Oct. 18, Boston at Cleveland, 8:21pm ET (if necessary)

Game 6: Saturday, Oct. 20, Cleveland at Boston, TBA (if necessary)

Game 7: Sunday, Oct. 21, Cleveland at Boston, TBA (if necessary)

NATIONAL LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES (All games on TBS/TBS HD)

Game 1: Thursday, Oct. 11, Colorado at Arizona, 8:37pm ET

Game 2: Friday, Oct. 12, Colorado at Arizona, 10:18pm ET

Game 3: Sunday, Oct. 14, Arizona at Colorado, 8:37pm ET

Game 4: Monday, Oct. 15, Arizona at Colorado, 10:18pm ET

Game 5: Wednesday, Oct. 17, Arizona at Colorado, 8:37pm ET (if necessary)

Game 6: Friday, Oct. 19, Colorado at Arizona, 8:37pm ET (if necessary)

Game 7: Saturday, Oct. 20, Colorado at Arizona, TBA (if necessary)

WORLD SERIES (All games on FOX/FOX HD)

Game 1: Wednesday, Oct. 24, Colorado at Boston, 8:35pm ET

Game 2: Thursday, Oct. 25, Colorado at Boston, 8:29pm ET

Game 3: Saturday, Oct. 27, Boston at Colorado, TBA

Game 4: Sunday, Oct. 28, Boston at Colorado, TBA

Game 5: Monday, Oct. 29, Boston at Colorado, TBA (if necessary)

Game 6: Wednesday, Oct. 31, Colorado at Boston, TBA (if necessary)

Game 7: Thursday, Nov. 1, Colorado at Boston, TBA (if necessary)

Photo: Charles Fox/Philadelphia Inquirer/MCT

2 Comments

  1. I think this was a very stupid decision on the part of TBS. Not allowing a local station to broadcast games free from participating cities is ridiculous. There are people who can’t afford cable, so is that the idea that cable-less people suffer during the playoffs?

  2. I can’t watch in HD. That is my complaint. This is 2007; people have paid a lot of money for flat screen TV’s, and we’re used to the clearer picture. This was another bad move by Bud Selig, allowing TBS to control a whole round of the playoffs. I’m sure, as usual, he based his decision on greed, not fans concerns.
    The Sultan on Sports

    http://www.tsos20.wordpress.com

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About Ryan Berenz 2166 Articles
Member of the Television Critics Association. Charter member of the Ancient and Mystic Society of No Homers. Squire of the Ancient & Benevolent Order of the Lynx, Lodge 49, Long Beach, Calif. Costco Wholesale Gold Star Member since 2011.