In what would be a landmark move, Major League Baseball is in serious negotiations with TBS Sports to put a portion of baseball's league championship series exclusively on cable television for the first time, sources have told The Post.

 

If baseball pulls the trigger on an agreement with TBS, Fox is the favorite to re-up for the majority of league championship series games and baseball's crown jewel, the World Series. There is a chance NBC could be involved.

 

Announcements could come as early as next week.

 

This past week, MLB executive vice president for business Tim Brosnan and TBS executives held serious negotiations and moved toward a deal that would provide the cable network with games during the regular season, divisional series games and Game 1 of both the ALCS and NLCS starting next year. It is possible the two sides could expand the package in a final agreement.

 

Reached last night on his cell phone, Brosnan declined comment.

 

Brosnan was very busy this week. He also progressed, in talks with Fox Sports President Ed Goren, toward a renewal with that network.

 

In an effort to match or exceed the $2.5 billion, six-year deal with Fox Sports that expires after this year's World Series, MLB seems to be following the model setup by the NBA.

 

In its last deal, the NBA decided to take the most money and moved its conference finals to cable, placing them on ESPN and TNT, the sister station of TBS.

 

In recent years, Fox has regionally telecast league championship games. In New York, for example, an ALCS Yankee game would be on Fox, while the NLCS would be shown on Fox Sports Net.

 

Now, TBS - which has been broadcasting Braves games since 1973 - could be the new home of part of the league championship series.

 

"We have been partners with major league baseball for more than three decades and we look forward to being in business with them for many years," said TBS spokesman Jeff Pomeroy, who declined further comment.

 

TBS already has a contract with MLB to broadcast Braves games nationally through 2012. TBS is in nearly 90 million homes, close to the reach of ESPN.

 

If MLB moves part of the league championship series to cable, they not only will be following the NBA, but also other leagues. Starting this season, Monday Night Football will be on ESPN instead of ABC. And the first two games of the Stanley Cup Finals were broadcast on OLN before the series moved to NBC for the remaining games.

http://www.nypost.com/sports/tbs_may_air_p...ew_marchand.htm

if they do that... thats dumb.

Probably just posturing to get a better deal from Fox.

Turner Sports is serious I hear, but MLB may leave them last minute for a sweeter deal at FOX or another broadcast network.

 

Turner Sports went after the Division Series when it first was added and was similarly left at the alter by MLB.

 

This could however happen to allow MLB to continue and encourage Turner Sports to carry more MLB than just the Braves.

This is like the NHL putting the Stanley Cup on OLN .

This is like the NHL putting the Stanley Cup on OLN .

 

or like putting Sunday Night Baseball on the Entertainment & Sports Programming Network in 1990 instead of forcing CBS to air a Saturday Game of the Week every week of the season?

 

Oh, NL East teams can expect TBS to be very friendly in selecting them to air their games.

 

I expect this rumor to kinda come true with FOX helping MLB go in favor by keeping FOX Saturday Baseball with less restrictions on MLB.tv and MLB Extra Innings.

This is like the NHL putting the Stanley Cup on OLN .

 

Kind of, except that pretty much all cable networks carry TBS.

 

(yeah, I'm still bitte at my cable company for not carrying OLN and forcing me to miss the playoffs except for random Comcast internet broadcasts for the whoel f***ing playoffs)

TBS better get an HD feed on Bright House if this crap actually happens.

TBS better get an HD feed on Bright House if this crap actually happens.

 

WTBS-DT in Atlanta is HD already, all they need to do is get the cable and satellite companies to carry TBS-HD.

whoa , does this mean if you have satelitte you can't see the game????

whoa , does this mean if you have satelitte you can't see the game????

 

Huh? TBS is a channel carried by almost every cable and satellite system in existence.

Alright he it is. This is from Lance McAlister a talk show host in Cincy.

 

http://lance1360homer.com/blog.asp

 

Wow....what I'm told this afternoon

MLB TV CONTRACT: 2007 - 2013

 

FOX: 26 SATURDAY BASEBALL WEEKS (WHOLE SEASON NOW)

ALL-STAR GAME ALL 7 SEASONS

1 LCS ALL 7 SEASONS

WORLD SERIES ALL 7 SEASONS

 

TURNER: ALL DIVISION SERIES GAMES (2007 - 2013) Looks like TNT will be the outlet.

1 LCS ALL 7 SEASONS

 

ESPN GETS SHUTOUT OF ALL POSTSEASON PLAY!

Turner Sports is serious I hear, but MLB may leave them last minute for a sweeter deal at FOX or another broadcast network.

 

Hopefully that's the keyword.

Alright he it is. This is from Lance McAlister a talk show host in Cincy.

 

http://lance1360homer.com/blog.asp

 

Wow....what I'm told this afternoon

MLB TV CONTRACT: 2007 - 2013

 

FOX: 26 SATURDAY BASEBALL WEEKS (WHOLE SEASON NOW)

ALL-STAR GAME ALL 7 SEASONS

1 LCS ALL 7 SEASONS

WORLD SERIES ALL 7 SEASONS

 

TURNER: ALL DIVISION SERIES GAMES (2007 - 2013) Looks like TNT will be the outlet.

1 LCS ALL 7 SEASONS

 

ESPN GETS SHUTOUT OF ALL POSTSEASON PLAY!

 

 

 

 

 

If this is true then it truly blows.

 

 

 

7 years of Joe "Slamma lamma ding dong" Buck and Tim "Captain Obvious" McCarver and video game graphics that make a mockery of our national pastime.

 

:thumbdown

Yeah, it sucks that Tim McCarver will still be calling the World Series. I hate that guy.

 

On a positive note, hopefully this means no more Joe Morgan in the postseason.

Alright he it is. This is from Lance McAlister a talk show host in Cincy.

 

http://lance1360homer.com/blog.asp

 

Wow....what I'm told this afternoon

MLB TV CONTRACT: 2007 - 2013

 

FOX: 26 SATURDAY BASEBALL WEEKS (WHOLE SEASON NOW)

ALL-STAR GAME ALL 7 SEASONS

1 LCS ALL 7 SEASONS

WORLD SERIES ALL 7 SEASONS

 

TURNER: ALL DIVISION SERIES GAMES (2007 - 2013) Looks like TNT will be the outlet.

1 LCS ALL 7 SEASONS

 

ESPN GETS SHUTOUT OF ALL POSTSEASON PLAY!

 

I also hear that TNT or TBS may also get some regular season games.

 

Yeah, it sucks that Tim McCarver will still be calling the World Series. I hate that guy.

 

On a positive note, hopefully this means no more Joe Morgan in the postseason.

 

FOX appears to be making it a 3-man booth for their postseason games....Lou Pinella will join McCarver to tone him down this season most likely.

 

Overall, I like the deal because FOX devotes all resources to MLB and Turner Sports has been at it much longer than ESPN and deserves a shot to do postseason. The NBA has a deal with ABC/ESPN and TNT/Turner Sports for their postseason. Not having ESPN do post-season means nothing for MLB as they have been reluctant with ESPN having postseason baseball.

Lou Pinella did a Braves - Sox game this year for Fox. He was down right horrid.

whoa , does this mean if you have satelitte you can't see the game????

 

Huh? TBS is a channel carried by almost every cable and satellite system in existence.

i know but in superman's post it said MLB may be making a move to put the LCS on cable television exclusively for the first time..that's what made me unsure

whoa , does this mean if you have satelitte you can't see the game????

 

Huh? TBS is a channel carried by almost every cable and satellite system in existence.

i know but in superman's post it said MLB may be making a move to put the LCS on cable television exclusively for the first time..that's what made me unsure

cable/satellite television :mischief