MLB debuting MLBPlus, a data-driven online broadcast during NYY/BOS series

soxhop411

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Dec 4, 2009
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On Friday, MLB.com will debut a new way to watch baseball: MLB Plus, a data-driven online broadcast that will feature Statcast™, powered by Amazon Web Services, as well as a variety of other advanced analytics and broadcast enhancements.

It will debut on Friday and Saturday with a pair of Yankees-Red Sox games, both of which begin at 7:10 p.m. ET. You may have some questions about how this will work. We have answers.

1. What is MLB Plus?
Orchestrated from both MLB.com Studios and correspondents as well as technical resources at the ballpark, MLB Plus is a new way to enjoy baseball.

MLB Plus will place a real-time emphasis on the numbers and metrics used by many of the game's current decision-makers, from spin rate and outfield positioning to exit velocity and lead distance. In addition, MLB Plus will supplement the action with videos explaining the technology used and in-depth prospect reports.

2. Who will appear on MLB Plus?
MLB Plus will have a rotating cast, each bringing his or her own strengths. From nationally known play-by-play broadcasters to MLB.com stats analysts to former Major League players and general managers to team-specific expertise from MLB.com beat writers, MLB Plus will have every angle covered.

MLB Plus broadcasts will feature a combination of the following voices:

• Fernando Perez (former Rays outfielder, VICE.com Contributor)
• Alyson Footer (MLB.com national correspondent)
• Will Leitch (Sports on Earth senior writer)
• Mike Petriello (MLB.com stats analyst and host of the Statcast™ Podcast)
• Jim Duquette (MLB.com analyst, host of MLB Network Radio's "Power Alley," former GM of Mets and Orioles)
• Daron Sutton (Former play-by-play voice of the Angels [radio, 2000-01], Brewers [television, 2002-06] and D-backs [television, 2007-12])

3. Which games will MLB Plus cover?
MLB Plus will be available as a companion to each MLB Network Showcase game, starting with the Yankees against the Red Sox at Fenway Park on Friday. A list of upcoming MLB Network Showcase game may be found here.

4. How can I participate in the MLB Plus broadcast?
We invite you to join in during the MLB Plus broadcast using the #MLBPlus hashtag, and your tweets and questions may be asked live on-air.

5. How can I watch MLB plus?
MLB Plus is available via a Web media player and on MLB.TV, as well as the following devices: All iPhones, iPads, Android handsets and tablets, select Amazon devices, Windows 8, Apple TV 4/tvOS and Apple TV 3, Xbox One and Xbox 360, PlayStations 3, 4 and Vita, Fire TV/Android TV, HTML5 (LG, Sony, Samsung, Panasonic and TIVO). It is subject to MLB blackout rules.
http://m.mlb.com/news/article/175133530/mlb-plus-an-advanced-analytical-way-to-watch
Im tempted to give this a test drive for todays game
 

Seels

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It says it's available on devices. How? I have the MLB app and don't see this. The only place I see this is at the link you have.
 

Seels

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Oh it says I can't even use it because of MLB blackout rules. The fuck. Why do these even exist
 

derekson

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Horrible camera angles and they don't show the pitch speed or location plot. I liked the analysis stuff but it needs to use conventional broadcast angles.

I bailed after one inning because I couldn't follow the game pitch to pitch without that data or the CF camera angle.
 

Seels

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Horrible camera angles and they don't show the pitch speed or location plot. I liked the analysis stuff but it needs to use conventional broadcast angles.

I bailed after one inning because I couldn't follow the game pitch to pitch without that data or the CF camera angle.
Where do you see it
 

uncannymanny

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Fucking blackouts. Wasn't my "premium" mlbtv sub supposed to eliminate blackouts?

Is it cool? I was really excited to watch this.

Edit: I see the "Follow Your Team" is a $10 add on that they haven't released yet.
 
Agree that the commentary was generally pretty insightful and that the camera angles were atrocious. I would add that the shrinking of the screen (why?) and muting of crowd noise made the game seem distant. You don't feel like you're immersed in the action the way you do with a conventional broadcast. I completely missed JBJ's double off the wall because there was no crack of the bat, no roar of the crowd, and no camera following the trajectory of the hit. On another occasion, one of the talking heads was going on about a particularly nasty Owens pitch ("That was a big-boy changeup"), but the camera was, I think, looking down from the roof of the ballpark at the time.

I don't see why the Plus broadcast can't use the standard game feed and go to its own cameras only when the need arises to illustrate something with StatCast. Evidently there are copyright or competitive issues issues involved with piggybacking on the game feed.
 

Flunky

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Fucking blackouts. Wasn't my "premium" mlbtv sub supposed to eliminate blackouts?

Is it cool? I was really excited to watch this.

Edit: I see the "Follow Your Team" is a $10 add on that they haven't released yet.
follow your team will only work if you also subscribe to your RSN. basically just lets you watch NESN via the MLB app if you're in the Sox home market area.

being in ffld county this game was blocked in the MLB app for both teams. I watched on my iPad using my cable company's app. but I can't do that while mobile.

I kind of dislike always having to watch sox/yanks on YES but I just turn the volume down.
 

whatittakes

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Well if you can get it sync'd up, there's always EEI. I've had to do that on occasion when the national broadcast was intolerable. Not ideal, but as long as it's only off by a few seconds either way you can live with it and the EEI broadcast is usually very good.
 

Sprowl

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Agree that the commentary was generally pretty insightful and that the camera angles were atrocious. I would add that the shrinking of the screen (why?) and muting of crowd noise made the game seem distant.
If they must shrink the screen, the least they should do is to use the wide border for data display. For a purportedly data-driven broadcast, they were awfully thin on actual data. Instead, they have nerds with bad radio voices talking about conclusions they drew from the data. Sad.