NEW YORK -- Just as a trial was to begin, Major League Baseball and a group of its fans who had sued reached agreement Tuesday to expand the menu of online packages for televised games and lower prices.
The deal came weeks after baseball's lawyers said for the first time the league was going to let fans buy single-team online TV packages. In the past, viewers who didn't live in their favored teams' home markets had to buy access to every televised MLB game included in the national plan.
Lawyers for fans who filed the class-action lawsuit in 2012 said MLB will offer unbundled Internet packages for the next five years, including single-team packages for $84.99 next season. They said that's a 23-percent drop from the cheapest version previously available.
The deal also calls for the cost of a league-wide package to drop to $109.99. The agreement provides other options to cable subscribers to regional sports broadcast networks. The league will let a subscriber buy access to a visiting team's broadcast online. MLB also agreed to provide live local team broadcasts over the Internet for cable subscribers by the start of the 2017 season.
In most instances, a subscription to a team's cable outlet is necessary to view games online, though the agreement contemplates eventually enabling some fans to watch games online without traditional cable subscriptions.
"We believe this settlement brings significant change to the sports broadcasting landscape," said Ned Diver, a plaintiffs' lawyer. "It is a big win for baseball fans."
Major League Baseball confirmed the settlement but said it could not comment further because "the process remains ongoing."
NBC Sports Regional Networks said in a statement it was pleased with the deal.
Patience with agent
pays off for Marlins
MIAMI -- Wei-Yin Chen posed in his new Miami Marlins jersey, flanked on one side by his agent, Scott Boras, and on the other by team executives as everyone smiled for the clicking cameras.
If the Marlins win this year for a change, it will be partly because they made peace with Boras.
Chen's new contract is a dividend of the truce. The former Baltimore Orioles left-hander signed an $80 million, five-year deal announced Tuesday.
"Baseball is like a family -- you have disagreements," Marlins president David Samson said. "But there was never an issue during the negotiations."
Samson's feud with the agent involved two other Boras clients, Marlins ace Jose Fernandez and outfielder Marcell Ozuna. In November, when Boras criticized the Marlins' handling of Ozuna last season, Samson responded by saying Boras should buy a team if he thinks he knows how to run one. Samson also said Boras would be excluded from any talks about an innings limit for Fernandez, who returned last season from Tommy John surgery.
Boras' participation in the news conference for Chen suggested the agent and team are eager to show they've bridged their differences.
"Yes, there are times we're going to have disagreements," Boras said. "But to have a player of this talent be in a place where he has an opportunity to succeed at the highest level, we've done well by the game and for the Marlins."
Boras said he pitched the idea of Chen in Miami to team owner Jeffrey Loria, mindful his client is a flyball pitcher who should fare well in spacious Marlins Park.
Boras also represents Marlins right-hander Jarred Cosart, meaning he has four of their players, including three starting pitchers.
"I think Scott represents more players on our team than any agent," Samson said.
Sports on 01/20/2016