The Business of Emotion/Baseball

[Sodboy13]

Starting a topic for MLB in the vein of the long-standing NHL Best Business Practices Thread.

 

I've watched a lot more baseball over the past couple of years, both in person and on TV, in no small part because our boys have really gotten into the sport. And I really think the game itself is pretty good, in fact, better than what was on offer pre-COVID at the major league level. You're seeing less of the three true outcome consultant garbage, the pitch clock and batter minimums have helped with pacing, the disengagement rules have brought back stealing, and shift restrictions are encouraging strategic hitting instead of constant swings for the seats.

 

But the World Series just ended, and everyone's gonna bemoan the ratings. (I remember this from 2005, where there seemed to be an inference that the White Sox's win didn't count as much because not enough people watched it happen.)

 

For me, the ratings aren't the big concern: Broadcast ratings for everything that isn't football are either stagnating or declining, and that's just how it is in the 5,000-channel universe. But what does concern me is what I saw between innings this postseason. To wit: This is the biggest event programming of the year for MLB, and Fox, its biggest broadcast partner, seemed to have profound difficulty selling the advertising space in it. I started noticing a shortage of true ads during the playoffs, and it stunned me that the shortage only seemed to grow during the World Series, which should be the biggest sell. There were a ton of Public Service Announcement/charitable-type ads (which the broadcaster may get some money out of, but definitely not at full market rate,) and plenty of promos for Fox programming. In fact, during Game 4, there was at least one break that led off with a PSA about storing one's gun away in a safe to reduce the risk of committing an impulsive murder-suicide, and then nothing but promos for the NFL on Fox and other network programming for the remaining 90 seconds. This is during prime time.

 

I also listened to a good bit of the playoffs on ESPN Radio, as the boys wanted to listen to the games as they went to bed. ESPN actually went as far as to shorten their between-innings breaks, filling up to a minute of each one with studio content from some over-caffeinated Kevin. As for what was in those breaks, well, one from Game 5 had back-to-back "donate your car for the tax write-off" ads from Heritage For the Blind and some vaguely shady "stop our children from getting abducted outfit." Another was a 30-second promo for an ESPN podcast, then a :30 promo for the MLB Postseason, not even with a title sponsor or anything that might be revenue adjacent. No money was made on a national scale for that break, in the dang World Series.

 

Combine this with the popping of the regional sports network cable free money bubble, and the news from this week that the Padres had to go loan-sharking for $50 million during one point in the season to make payroll. The canaries are still flying and chirping down in that coal mine, but man, you don't send them down there without a reason.

[infrared41]

1 hour ago, Sodboy13 said:

There were a ton of Public Service Announcement/charitable-type ads (which the broadcaster may get some money out of, but definitely not at full market rate,) and plenty of promos for Fox programming. In fact, during Game 4, there was at least one break that led off with a PSA about storing one's gun away in a safe to reduce the risk of committing an impulsive murder-suicide, and then nothing but promos for the NFL on Fox and other network programming for the remaining 90 seconds. This is during prime time.

 

It's possible that those breaks were local avails that didn't sell. I don't know where you live, but if it's outside the Dallas or Phoenix markets, my guess is this World Series match up didn't have much appeal to the local advertisers outside those markets. Joe-Bob's Billiards Hall and Hot Tub Emporium in Detroit isn't going to advertise on a World Series game that no one is watching when it can buy time on Pistons or Red Wings games for half the money. This World Series was two "stuff" teams that no one outside their markets cares about. I wouldn't read any more into it than that.

 

Quote

I also listened to a good bit of the playoffs on ESPN Radio... ESPN actually went as far as to shorten their between-innings breaks, filling up to a minute of each one with studio content from some over-caffeinated Kevin. As for what was in those breaks, well, one from Game 5 had back-to-back "donate your car for the tax write-off" ads from Heritage For the Blind and some vaguely shady "stop our children from getting abducted outfit." Another was a 30-second promo for an ESPN podcast, then a :30 promo for the MLB Postseason, not even with a title sponsor or anything that might be revenue adjacent. No money was made on a national scale for that break, in the dang World Series.

 

That may have been a clock thing. If memory serves, World Series TV breaks are longer than regular season breaks. To accommodate that on radio means changing ESPN Radio's clock. That means stations all across the country either have to reprogram their automation or bring in board ops to do the games live for a week of programming. It was probably easier for ESPN and its affiliates to just throw in the studio content to fill the extra time.

 

[Sodboy13]

I don't think the TV breaks were locals, because there were other breaks that popped some local ads and news promos. Also, in the case of the Fox station in Chicago, it's an O&O, so different slice, same pie.

 

It is entirely possible that the radio breaks I mentioned were built for local and there simply was not any inventory for it. But again, they whittled down those breaks to a minute of available ad space from the 2-ish that would normally be available.

[infrared41]

1 minute ago, Sodboy13 said:

I don't think the TV breaks were locals, because there were other breaks that popped some local ads and news promos. Also, in the case of the Fox station in Chicago, it's an O&O, so different slice, same pie.

 

Local ads popping up in some local avails while other avails run empty isn't unusual. I suppose for a World Series it might be, but this match up had almost zero appeal outside Dallas and Phoenix.

 

Quote

It is entirely possible that the radio breaks I mentioned were built for local and there simply was not any inventory for it. But again, they whittled down those breaks to a minute of available ad space from the 2-ish that would normally be available.

 

Did they actually whittle down the available ad space or was the studio stuff simply filler like the PSAs are?

 

[Sodboy13]

19 minutes ago, infrared41 said:

 

Did they actually whittle down the available ad space or was the studio stuff simply filler like the PSAs are?

 

It was almost certainly whittled down. They'd start it up with the theme music stinger, run the bed underneath it, Kevin Monster Energy would toss it to the booth, and the booth would acknowledge Kevin and anyone else who was with him as the bed music faded. There was no cut or beat to indicate it as optional spot space, and there may have even been crosstalk at times. I mean, it could have served as filler, but it would have been an extremely awkward return to programming with Boog Sciambi saying "Thank you, Kevin" or whatever.

[The_Admiral]

My mom used to do traffic & continuity. I am fully in my element listening to talk about clocks and avails, bump sheets and affidavits. A computer in the guest bedroom that had DOS without Windows and only ran CBSI. Those were the days. Anyway, I hope next year Fox can sell some inventory before they have to resort to spots about why your business should buy spots.

[Sodboy13]

2 hours ago, infrared41 said:

 

 this match up had almost zero appeal outside Dallas and Phoenix.

 

And this is part of the problem, right? The seeming lack of interest on MLB's part to develop a national fanbase outside of NYY/BOS/CHC/LAD, and instead be content with a bunch of fans who aren't interested unless it's their team that's playing. (And if it is their team playing, blackout restrictions may apply, but that's another part of the decline to address.) Put it this way, no one's going to look at the numbers and spot loads for, like, a Kings-Bucks Final and say, "Well, you can't expect that to draw and sell, it's Sacramento and Milwaukee."

[BrySmalls]

There appear to be numerous fundamental concerns that MLB must tackle in the future, particularly when it comes to promoting its top athletes and postseason contests to generate more public enthusiasm for the World Series. This postseason serves as a clear example: when all the favored teams are eliminated, will the World Series still draw viewers?

I can honestly say that I couldn't even name eight players in total from the Rangers and Diamondbacks teams. I'm skeptical that a different World Series matchup would have fared better to enhance mass appeal, such as Houston vs. Philadelphia or Texas vs. Atlanta.

On a personal level, my only allegiance lies with the Nationals, and I find it challenging to root for about three-fourths of the League when it comes to watching or supporting a specific team in the World Series.

[OnWis97]

As playoffs have expanded over the years, it gives more fanbases to pay attention well into the season, which is good for getting people to the games.

However, the World Series ended up giving us a couple of teams that I think were not very well known to many fans. Given the somewhat random nature of who wins a short series, by enlarging the playoff field, the likelihood of a team that didn't spend much of the season on the radar going to the World Series increases. It's a bit of a double-edged sword I suppose. I suspect Atlanta, who is known as being really good and has more notable players, would have bumped the ratings some.  Maybe even a Baltimore, who isn't as well known but was recognized as having had a great year, may have helped. 

 

I know there's a chance that I'm projecting here as it is probably the World Series for which I knew the fewest players since I was about eight years old. I did not find the matchup particularly compelling.

[The_Admiral]

15 hours ago, Sodboy13 said:

And this is part of the problem, right? The seeming lack of interest on MLB's part to develop a national fanbase outside of NYY/BOS/CHC/LAD, and instead be content with a bunch of fans who aren't interested unless it's their team that's playing. (And if it is their team playing, blackout restrictions may apply, but that's another part of the decline to address.) Put it this way, no one's going to look at the numbers and spot loads for, like, a Kings-Bucks Final and say, "Well, you can't expect that to draw and sell, it's Sacramento and Milwaukee."

Hasn't this been a longtime problem for MLB, though? like, pre-cable? The old NBC Game of the Week was usually whatever involved New York, Los Angeles, or Chicago, maybe Detroit. I think we had a golden age of national baseball with ESPN in the '90s and 2000s just because of the sheer amount of baseball they covered relative to the networks, but it seems like that was an outlier. 

 

I don't have a solution. It's not the NFL, where fantasy and betting are so big that everyone can't help but be conversant with the whole league on some basic level. It's can't be the NBA, either, because people actually like their baseball teams and usually have it passed down across generations; we all log too many hours with our teams to sit and objectively "behold greatness" or think deeply about what it means to be Mike Trout. 

[GDAWG]

One of the issues the MLB has is the lack of stars in national ads.  There's Derek Jeter in commercials for Jeep Wagoneer and he even appeared in an ad for Geico, but Jeter's been retired for a while now.  Recent ads for Subway have zero current MLB players.  You have NFL players like Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert, NBA players like Steph Curry and Jayson Tatum and even people like Tennis legend Rafa Nadal and Gymnast Simone Biles and former NFL players Peyton Manning and even Chad Henne.  Curry even does CarMax commercials with WNBA player Candace Parker and former WNBA player Sue Bird.  Looking at these national commercials, I wonder "where are the baseball players?" and no Derek Jeter doesn't count anymore.  

[The_Admiral]

You gotta be careful not to put the cart before the horse with athlete endorsements. I still remember Geico commercials with the line "after all, you ARE Brian Orakpo." Having to be like "isn't that right, all-star third baseman Alex Bregman?" is a Krusty the Clown bit. (They're doing it again on Thursday nights with Andrew Whitworth, by the way, who I had never thought about and for all I know is just your office's cool in-house software developer who you wouldn't guess is a software developer.)

[Sec19Row53]

The title of this thread threw me off. Isn't it the Business/Emotion of Baseball, not the Business of Emotion/Baseball?

[The_Admiral]

Just now, Sec19Row53 said:

The title of this thread threw me off. Isn't in the Business/Emotion of Baseball, not the Business of Emotion/Baseball?

 

 

Gentlemen, we are in...the business...of emotion.

[BrySmalls]

Speaking of emotion, PSA:
 

 

[Sodboy13]

2 hours ago, Sec19Row53 said:

The title of this thread threw me off. Isn't it the Business/Emotion of Baseball, not the Business of Emotion/Baseball?

 

It's an offhand reference to "The Business of Emotion," an old song by Big Data I happen to like.

[maz]

When you see a station running an abnormally high amount of promos for its own programming, a former broadcast professor of mine always said, "you have to sell something. When you can't sell anything else, sell yourself."

 

I didn't watch the World Series, and in school I was focused more on the nuts and bolts than the marketing side, but I'd guess that the majority of ad time during primetime broadcasts of a major league professional sports championship being promos and PSA's (which are often buried in off-hour blocks and not given more time than the FCC mandated minimum) means there's straight-up nobody offering to buy that space.

 

I also doubt the matchup has much to do with it when the teams competing in any given final aren't known until a few days, sometimes even a day, before the competition begins. I'd be inclined to believe that ad space is sold well in advance, and you'd see the same ads during a TEX vs ARI series as you'd see during a NYY vs LAD series.

 

[Sec19Row53]

44 minutes ago, Sodboy13 said:

 

It's an offhand reference to "The Business of Emotion," an old song by Big Data I happen to like.

Thanks. It's out of my wheelhouse, like most references that aren't old or MLB/NFL based.

[RyanMcD29]

I think the new rule changes have been a big win, as I've watched more non-Mets postseason baseball in a long while with how the pace of the game's been. But the playoff system, as much as everyone wants to argue otherwise, is a bit too borked. People who go all "But you guys all like March Madness with the random upsets, right?!" have failed to realize the big diminishing returns the NCAA Tournament has had from the Sweet 16 onward in recent years and that's showing up now with this new MLB format. And the NFL, NBA, and NHL all have more teams, but things tend to work out in the end with the champs usually being towards the top anyway. The Wild Card round's clearly giving an advantage to the teams that win it, and it hasn't exactly given us too much drama with 7 out of the 8 series being 2 game sweeps. I think if you recalibrate that back to one game playoffs, things even out a bit while still providing two extra markets the excitement of postseason ball.

 

The bigger concern, though, is probably the TV partner end. ESPN floating around that 2025 opt-out isn't a good sign, and nor has this past month where ESPN has hyped up NHL Opening Night and the 16 game night about 8 times more than they had their own exclusive window of the Wild Card round. It screams NHL on ESPN circa 2003 and buddy, that isn't going to end well. Combine that with Fox's comments this week on how baseball's... there while lauding the NFL/BiG nOOn SaTurDaY/NASCAR side of things and the RSN bubble bursting and, boy, that could get real ugly across the board in a few years. The RSN mess is already set in stone, but if you get ESPN opting out and Fox pulling a USGA contract on MLB that's gonna be a tough sell to find a taker for those national packages.

[infrared41]

On 11/2/2023 at 6:29 PM, Sodboy13 said:

It was almost certainly whittled down. They'd start it up with the theme music stinger, run the bed underneath it, Kevin Monster Energy would toss it to the booth, and the booth would acknowledge Kevin and anyone else who was with him as the bed music faded. There was no cut or beat to indicate it as optional spot space, and there may have even been crosstalk at times. I mean, it could have served as filler, but it would have been an extremely awkward return to programming with Boog Sciambi saying "Thank you, Kevin" or whatever.

 

It's been a while since I had to pay attention what radio does, but aren't baseball breaks at least 1:30? Maybe 2:00? Either way, if ESPN cut the avails down to 60 seconds then, yeah, that's not a great sign.

 

On 11/2/2023 at 9:18 PM, Sodboy13 said:

And this is part of the problem, right? The seeming lack of interest on MLB's part to develop a national fanbase outside of NYY/BOS/CHC/LAD, and instead be content with a bunch of fans who aren't interested unless it's their team that's playing. (And if it is their team playing, blackout restrictions may apply, but that's another part of the decline to address.) Put it this way, no one's going to look at the numbers and spot loads for, like, a Kings-Bucks Final and say, "Well, you can't expect that to draw and sell, it's Sacramento and Milwaukee."

 

It's a huge problem and it has been for years now. I used to joke that right here on these very boards that any time a team outside NYY/BOS/CHC/LAD did anything of note, the people at ESPN would ask "when did (insert team outside NYY/BOS/CHC/LAD here) get an MLB franchise?" Anyway, there are a multitude of reasons for why MLB is where it is.

 

Before the rule changes, games had become insufferable four hour slogs. Then you have ESPN's now decades long obsession with airing nothing but the Red Sox and Yankees, ESPN's lesser obsession with the Dodgers and Cubs, local and regional networks showing every game - which does nothing but make national broadcasts focus on the big markets even more, MLB Network, TBS, and FOX all showing what feels like 45 games a week, and so on. There's no longer anything special about watching baseball. It's everywhere.

 

Then there's the matter of an aging demographic that isn't being replaced by new fans. Hell, I used to be a baseball fanatic, but I doubt I've watched 20 games in the last five years. The rule changes managed to bring me a little way back, but to be honest, I was so far gone that I think it might be too late. I'm sure I'm not the only older fan who just gave up and moved on.

 

Long story short, MLB is a bit of a mess and I don't have the first idea of how to fix it.