Q. I saw your stories about DIRECTV and Dish’s Extra Innings plans. Has Comcast set a price yet? I hope it’s cheaper because $90 is ridiculous. I think it should be at least $25 less than that because the season is so short. — Barry, Bowie, Maryland.
Barry, you’re right. DIRECTV is now charging $90 for the pandemic-shorted MLB Extra Innings plan while Dish has undercut its satellite rival by just one penny with a $89.99 deal. (Note: The 2020 season is scheduled to start July 23 with two games while the rest of the league will begin on July 24. Extra Innings will offer the out-of-market games; local blackouts apply.)
The satcasters’ price has triggered some consternation among baseball fans who have noted that it’s 49 percent of the regular 162-game rate although the season is now only 37 percent as long.
But what about Comcast, you ask? Will the nation’s largest cable operator save the day and offer a bigger discount than Dish’s one cent.
Yes!
In fact, the discount is…two cents.
That’s right. Comcast today posted a notice on its web site saying the 2020 MLB Extra Innings plan can be purchased for $89.98, which is two cents less than DIRECTV and one cent less than Dish.
The payments must be made in two $44.99 installments, and you must have an X1 set-top and HD service to subscribe.
But at least Comcast can now argue that it has the cheapest MLB Extra Innings plan in town!
By the way, like DIRECTV and Dish, Comcast is including MLB.TV for free in its Extra Innings offer. MLB.TV, the online edition of the league’s out-of-market games, costs $59.99 if purchased separately.
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvpredictions.com. Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
— Phillip Swann
@swanniontv
