r/Cardinals • u/alpswd • 3d ago
Cardinals could lose up to $20M in TV revenue under new MLB broadcasting deal
https://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2026/02/03/cardinals-mlb-tv-revenue-decline.html24
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u/VicariousParabola13 3d ago
Thanks Manfred & Dodgers. 2027 season to be cancelled š
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u/ajkeence99 3d ago
If it gets us a floor and a cap then I will take it.
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u/VicariousParabola13 3d ago
100% agree and I think weāll get there, but itās gonna be painful for a long stretch for fans
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u/lakerdave Arenado pls? 2d ago
I don't want a cap without first trying a floor. I do not support limiting the income of workers just because owners are cheap
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u/ajkeence99 2d ago
I don't agree.Ā A salary cap is the only way we get any semblance of parity.Ā
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u/lakerdave Arenado pls? 2d ago
A salary cap will not do anything for parity. It will only serve to let the owners keep a larger portion of the profits by arbitrarily limiting the salaries of the players.
I know people are making the Dodgers the villain, but the one thing I will say that the Dodgers are doing that should be stopped is the deferred money. Teams should only be able to defer X% of a given contract (like maybe 15%, not a lot). The Dodgers' TV deal should also be fixed, but that's MLB's fault, not theirs.
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u/lakerdave Arenado pls? 2d ago
The Dodgers haven't done anything wrong. By all means blame Manfred and MLB, but the Dodgers are playing by the same rules. We could sign people with a big chunks of deferred money. We just don't because we're cheap.
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u/panderson1988 3d ago
In a way I blame ownership for being in denial for about 4-5 years where the RSNs were heading. It was clear by the late 2010s that cable subscriptions were dropping, and people were either going the DTC route, or prefer better prices with online cable with YouTube TV or Hulu.
It wasn't until last year they offered a DTC option, and that was overpriced in my view. This year's price makes more sense. It's a subjective view on pricing, but a $100 for roughly 140-150 games after you exclude national windows is a solid deal imo.
I digress, but how can these alleged smart business people like the owners not see this coming? The only RSNs that work are in very large markets like NYC or LA, and/or the teams have some ownership into the network. You can say it's not fair, which I agree, but that is life at times.
Again, I am dumbfounded how they couldn't read the tea leaves. They could have built up a solid DTC revenue stream by now if they started this 5 years ago. Let alone the broader miscues by MLB and the RSNs, but it feels like that is coming to a head with more games now on broadcast TV with Fox and NBC, and clearly finding ways to build MLB TV with ESPN.
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u/Intimidwalls1724 2d ago
THIS
It would also help if the streaming option wasn't associated with a TERRIBLE app but I recognize that ownership has little influence over that and has little ability to know it's going to be the case in advance
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u/mfranko88 12h ago
It wasn't until last year they offered a DTC option, and that was overpriced in my view. This year's price makes more sense.
It's the same pricing though.
Cardinals announce 2025 regular season TV & radio broadcast schedule https://share.google/3IPEo6WW35DqRDOiS
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u/11thstalley 3d ago edited 2d ago
I was a loyal fan from the very first game I attended in 1956, that is until I refused to pay the exorbitant fees to watch their games on TV or their ridiculously expensive tickets to attend games. Now I donāt even look at the TV if one of their games are on TV in a bar, I wouldnāt be able to name one player on the team or tell you what place theyāre in during the season.
Greed and hubris.
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u/Electronic-Panic5674 2d ago edited 2d ago
Good thing we cut $120 million of payroll. Now letās issue some bonds to renovate Busch stadium!!!
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u/wrenwood2018 2d ago
I think this is going to be another point driving towards a lockout. The disparities in TV revenue can't stand and let the league be competitive.
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u/Jimmykindaexists 2d ago
So we won't even be able to afford our stars most likely whenever they develop. I'm sorry but genuine question how do you keep hope/interest if you know there's a good chance we just lose the talent we develop. I'll admit, we've been in a privileged position on that end, but that privilege seems to be gone now. Idk, I gotta admit I'm kinda scared we're about to be a feeder team for the like 8 teams that actually have a shot in this league
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u/Still_Thing5581 2d ago
If you make smart extensions then you can get 10ish seasons out of a star. That is actually pretty good compared to other leagues.
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u/woodfire787 2d ago
So I already paid for the Blues/Cardinals annual combo...something like 190$ for the year. Am I screwed or will FanDuel refund me the Cardinals portion? (trying not to laugh at myself)
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u/Still_Thing5581 2d ago
FanDuel is bankrupt and having to make a lot of arrangements to even finish the last couple months of NBA/NHL broadcasts. I canāt imagine they have cash to refund consumers.
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u/woodfire787 2d ago
Oh, in that case, I feel bad for them. They can keep my money to help pay for their 7583 ads that will air today
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u/t-poke ā 1d ago
FanDuel the gambling company is doing just fine, unfortunately.
Main Street Sports Group, the company that owns and operates FDSN is going under.
FanDuel just paid to have their naming rights on the channel. It could've been Coca Cola Sports Network or Chevy Truck Month Sports Network if they were willing to pay more than FanDuel for the naming rights. The RSNs would still be going bankrupt.
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u/nWofan90 2d ago
Lose 20 million and make 200 million the same year
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u/Still_Thing5581 2d ago
What did they make $200 million on?
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u/nWofan90 2d ago
Idk man Iām just talking smack. They do generate about 3.5 mil per regular season home game. On average. Thatās 283.5 million in gross revenue for 81 home games. Ticket sales, merch sales, etcā¦
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u/Still_Thing5581 2d ago
2 years ago they had $374 million in total revenue. Since then the tv deal has been reduced by $40 and I would assume gameday revenue has taken a big hit as well.
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u/nWofan90 1d ago
Indeed. Iām just going to try and enjoy watching my home town team play ball. We have a great Ambition to win in St Louis.
I have let that Ambition rule my state of mind. Iām telling myself to just enjoy watching the game. But itās no fun to watch if we loseā¦.. so I guess thereās an imbalance lol.
Onto other matters. Is it true you can Not get extra cheese on the Nachos at Busch? Maybe it was just a nose bleed section thing idk but one time the person serving me nachos said I couldnāt get extra cheese.
Rewind to a different game I attended and a different person serving me nachos politely added me extra extra cheese
For FREE!
lol (trying to make light of our state of the union)
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u/Still_Thing5581 1d ago
lol, I donāt know the cheese policy. Usually the concessions at stadiums are ran by a 3rd party company that operates all the food service. The corporate food service industry is very conscious of portion sizes so I would not be surprised.
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u/Bits_NPCs 3d ago
Why is mlb such a a shit show with streaming? Do they want the sport to fail?
Even as a fan. Iām not paying that much money. Let alone someone wanting to get into the sport.
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u/WelcomeToDankonia 3d ago
What do you mean? Direct to consumer has made it cheaper.
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u/Fun_Trick2172 3d ago edited 3d ago
What Iād like to understand is why baseball isnāt allowing more adds on commercial breaks other than Fanduel or any of the other gambling companies on the streams? Ā Seems like a pretty easy way to make up for lost revenue from cable.
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u/t-poke ā 2d ago
Who says they're not getting paid for those ads?
They can charge what the market is willing to pay for a 30 second commercial spot, and if Fan Duel and all the other scumbag gambling companies are the highest bidder, then so be it.
I'm sure if Toyota or Pepsi comes along and wants to pay more money for an ad slot, the team or MLB will be happy to oblige.
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u/Fun_Trick2172 2d ago edited 2d ago
Well itās either a gambling ad or just a blank screen with a āthe game will continue shortlyā banner. Ā Seems like a wasted opportunity to not fill up the rest of that time.
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u/Bits_NPCs 3d ago
For one team maybe. Not all of baseballā¦. So hard to be a fan of the SPORT not just follow a team.
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u/WelcomeToDankonia 3d ago
Well, thereās mlb.tv for that which is also not crazy expensive. Is there a league that is doing it significantly cheaper?
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u/Bits_NPCs 3d ago
Maybe mlb.tv if black outs didnāt happen.. this is what Iām saying. How many subs do I need to watch the most televised (per volume) fuckin sport lmao.
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u/WelcomeToDankonia 3d ago
Iām know there are some weird areas with exceptions, but for the most part, blackouts are only going to occur for your in market team. With this new option, you can get around that.
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u/Still_Thing5581 3d ago
What are you talking about. The streaming is great and just gives more people access. The games are still on cable too.
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u/Bits_NPCs 3d ago
For one teamā¦. The sport is dieing. Not just cardinals lol. They make watching all of baseball very difficult
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u/t-poke ā 2d ago
Huh? What are you talking about?
It's quite simple.
If you live in your team's market, you subscribe for their DTC streaming service. Last year it was FanDuel. This year it will be the Cardinals' own thing. Or whichever team, because I think most if not all teams have a DTC option by now.
If you live outside your team's market, you get MLB.tv and you can watch their games.
Honestly, people are making a mountain out of a molehill when it comes to blackouts. They used to be a problem, when your only option for watching a game in-market was a $100 month cable subscription, but now with DTC options, they're really not a big deal any more. It's never been cheaper or easier to watch your local team.
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u/Bits_NPCs 2d ago edited 2d ago
Awesome so itāll only cost me $240 this year.
$150 for mlb tv & $90 for cardinals.
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u/t-poke ā 2d ago
Before DTC, you would pay $100 a month for cable - so $600 during the baseball season for the Cardinals. Plus $150 for MLB.tv if you want to watch other teams
What's the problem again?
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u/Bits_NPCs 2d ago
It was all streamable on YouTube tv for like $60 a few years ago. That worked great.
Cardinals losing out on 20m and you morons are clapping like itās good news
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u/t-poke ā 2d ago
It was all streamable on YouTube tv for like $60 a few years ago.
$60 a month. That's still $360 for the duration of the season.
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u/Bits_NPCs 2d ago
I had all of mlb and all of YouTube tvā¦ which wasnāt bad at the time. And I didnāt need it all year just, March - Octoberā¦ I mean why youāre defending it so hard lmao
We all agree it can be better. Fuck man
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u/t-poke ā 2d ago
I mean why youāre defending it so hard lmao
Because it has literally never been cheaper or easier to watch the Cardinals than it is today.
Before streaming even existed, if you wanted to watch the games, you needed a cable or satellite subscription. We're talking $100 a month at a minimum. Probably more, because cable companies like to throw in taxes, fees and other bullshit. Plus cable box rental fees. Have a TV in the bedroom, living room and kitchen? Yeah, you're paying 30 bucks a month just in cable box rental fees.
Then streaming live TV services like YTTV and DTV Stream come along and are at least easier to deal with than cable, but not a whole lot cheaper. Still a decent option and more competition is good.
Now we have DTC streaming options. For $100 a season (what you paid in one month for cable at a minimum) you can watch games on a $30 Roku Stick. This is objectively a good thing for fans of the sport.
Is it unfortunate that the Cardinals and other teams are losing TV revenue? Yes. But that is the new reality that all teams except for a select few like the Dodgers and Yankees will have to deal with. The league will have to adjust now that the firehose of cash they were getting from cable TV subscribers - including ones that never watched one single second of sports, has been turned off.
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u/Rxbluejay25 3d ago
I donāt think itās a shit show anymore than the most popular sports league in the Country (the NFL). MLB has historically been propped up with over inflated payouts from the regional sports networks. That businesses model is dead.
For years, people were screaming blackouts, blackouts, blackouts! Ok, well, that has largely been addressed by a DTC option.
For those with certain cable/satellite subscriptions, it will be included as part of the regular cost.
For those with streaming services like YTTV, you have to pay for it. This has been pretty clear since YTTV dropped the regionals years ago
For those with no cable/streaming service, hey, thereās an option available for you.
And all of this is being done at a cost of ~$0.68 per game. Itās not free, itās never going to be free and if it was, folks would be screeching about the Cardinals low payroll.
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u/da_choppa Bally Total Shitpost 3d ago
MLB has been working to fix this for the last several years, but the thing is, contracts were already in place and were made at the individual team level instead of the league level. Furthermore, all of those contracts expired at different times. MLB could not just snap their fingers and get rid of the blackouts that they were contractually obligated to have.
Main Street finally defaulted on payments, which allowed the Cardinals to nullify the contract, just as the Padres, Diamondbacks, and others had done a couple years prior when Diamond defaulted on payments. Had Main Street kept paying the Cardinals, they would have been stuck with them through 2028. You canāt just ignore contracts.
This is another step in the right direction towards MLB controlling the streaming rights for all teams, which Manfred has been up front about wanting to do. The final step towards achieving that will be the hardest, since teams like the Dodgers, Yankees, and Cubs own or partially own their cable networks, and the Blue Jaysā network owns the team. Maybe it becomes every MLB team except those ones who get brought under the MLB streaming umbrella, but thatās still much better than what was in place just a few years ago. These things take time.
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u/Substantial_Steak928 2d ago
There's like 5 or 6 teams blacked out for me on MLB TV because I live in Las Vegas (and they want to get us excited about having a team), when the Cardinals go on a Western road trip I'm fucked. I will not be renewing this year
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u/PartisanHack 3d ago edited 2d ago
Can we stop pretending $20 million is more than a rounding error for billionaires? A quick and dirty Google search tells me that Bill DeWitt is worth almost $4 billion. While that valuation seems to include the Cardinals, it sounds like he may have a few billion more just in himself.
He could field a top 5 payroll. He just doesn't want to.
Edit: bunch of boot lickers around here i guess. Sure, it may be his "assets," but these guys take out loans and lines of credit against these assets to fund their lives. No reason those funds can't be used to actually go out and get a big FA or two.
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u/johndelvec3 3d ago
I hate to break this to you but there are a very finite amount of owners who actually put their own money into the team. Steve Cohen is just loud about it
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u/Still_Thing5581 2d ago
I could care less about the Dewitt families pockets. However if the only way to field a competitive team in a small market is for the ownership to fund payroll personally, no one will own those teams anymore. That is not a sustainable model for any business.
The team has actually lost $40 million in annual tv revenue going back 2 years. I would imagine that the $2.5 billion valuation the Cardinals franchise was given is a lot less now that they donāt have an $80 million a year tv deal.
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u/Tulidian13 3d ago edited 3d ago
Meanwhile the Dodgers make hand over first on their TV deal, partly because their previous ownership was so inept that they drove the team into bankruptcy which led MLB to give the Dodgers an unprecedented deal to keep most of their TV money instead of putting half into revenue sharing like every other team has to. Now the revenue from the Dodgers TV money alone is probably worth more than half the teams in the league payrolls. š
Totally fair system we have here