ESPN To Use MLB To Stream All Their Events, Drops Support For Move Networks

Yesterday, ESPN announced that when ESPN360.com relaunches on April 4th as ESPN3, Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM) will take over all of the technical support and infrastructure requirements for the new site. EPSN3 plans to broadcast more than 3,500 games this year and will now rely on MLBAM to handle all of the video workflow using the same platform used for MLB.TV.

In a call yesterday with John Kosner, SVP of ESPN Digital Media, John said the deal with MLBAM is a straight services contract with no sharing of ad revenue of any kind. For ESPN, this ends their reliance on technology from Move Networks and now gives them access to all of the functionality that MLB.TV has in their video player. This is a smart deal for both companies as ESPN goes from having to use multiple vendors to stream their events to one provider that handles everything and as a result, John said ESPN's costs will go down. In addition, users will no longer be required to have to download a Move Networks plugin and can now rely on Adobe's Flash platform. And for anyone who has used MLB.TV, they know that MLB has some of the best quality video and technology hands down.

This isn't the first time the two companies have worked together and John pointed out that ESPN and MLBAM have worked on projects with one another over the past seven years. It's also a good example of two companies that some say compete with one another, actually working with one another.

ESPN3 is only available to consumers if their ISP has licensed access to it from ESPN and John said ESPN3 will reach 50M households in the U.S. this year. While I asked if ESPN plans to offer any kind of subscription based service for consumers who ISP hasn't licensed the platform, John says ESPN has no plans to do so.

Another interesting aspect here is that many of the pro sports leagues now seem to be moving to the same video platform, that being Flash. MLB.TV use to use Silverlight and moved to Flash some time again. ESPN is now moving from Move Networks to Flash, the NBA already uses Flash and I hear rumors that the NFL will be moving away from Move Networks this year and over to Flash. I've asked the NFL for an official comment on this and will update the post if they give me one.

Comments

[Robert Clark]

This has to be devastating news for Move and their new CEO. It also suggests a continuing struggle for proprietary video player vendors who have always had the plug-in download hurdle to overcome with consumers who tire of downloading specialized players.

[Dan Rayburn]

I don't think it is devastating news, I'm sure they knew it was coming and they are moving away from this kind of customer to focus solely on the TV Everywhere platform.

[In The Know]

Not sure why you say Move is doing TV Everywhere - that is false. According to their WSJ article linked from MoveNetworks.com, they are going to launch an over the top cable service which sounds more like Sezmi. On Contentinople last year, it was well publicized that Move Networks cut their staff who were working in the field on TV Everywhere deals.

Move has an identity crisis: first it was internet streaming, then they said they were going to do IPTV (http://videonuze.com/blogs/?2009-06-25/Unveiling-Move-Networks-s-New-Strategy/&id=2222) middleware then they go to over the top cable (http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704022804575041070405958514.html).

No matter what anyone says, Move has now lost all of their major customers drying up their primary revenue stream. Given the ESPN360 announcement and change in the companies direction, wouldn't surprise me to see Comcast leave as well in favor of Adobe Flash.

[TheRealInTheKnow]

While I agree with your post, and guess I should feel flattered, I do want to let the readers know that you stole my screen name.

Move's only place in TVE is being the player for Comcast's trial. thePlatform handles all the content. Move must be down to zero revenue by now, and rumors swirl that more management has been let go recently. The prevailing opinion is that the Inuk team completely took over Move Networks. Somehow, a company that had never done business in the US, led by a young exec team that is pretty green in terms of the US TV market stole the darling of adaptive bit streaming right out from under everyone's nose. The current CEO, and I feel for her, is likely battling that Inuk crew at this very moment, in my opinion.

[Holzster]

Yet again people in the country get shafted

[blendahtom]

I tried nfl's stream last year and it was the worst professional based stream I have expierenced. Espn3 stream has been phenemonial so far for the world cup...they just need inventory now!