MLB: Cable Companies' Offer for 'Extra Inning' Falls Short

IN Demand cable customers hoping to subscribe to Extra Innings this year had a brief glimmer of hope earlier today that MLB's out-of-market baseball package wouldn't be exclusive to DirecTV:

In Demand, owned by affiliates of the companies that own Time Warner, Comcast and Cox cable systems, said Wednesday it was agreeing to the terms and that its partners would carry The Baseball Channel when it launches in 2009 to at least the same number of subscribers who will get the channel on DirecTV.

Unfortunately, that rosy announcement from the cable companies wasn't met with the same enthusiasm in the MLB offices, as MLB COO Bob DuPuy (pictured right) indicated that iN Demand's proposal fell far short of the terms originally set forth in the proposal:

"The communication sent to our office today by iN Demand is not responsive to that offer," he said. "In spite of their public comments, the response falls short of nearly all of the material conditions (among them requirements for carriage of The Baseball Channel and their share of the rights fees for Extra Innings) set forth in the Major League Baseball offer made to them on March 9."

How exactly iN Demand failed to meet the terms isn't clear at the moment, just like it isn't clear why MLB is bending over backward to alienate potential customers who want nothing more than to pay $189 to watch more games this year.

If the prospect of not being able to watch your favorite team from afar is upsetting to you, one FanHouse commenter has pointed out that you don't just have to sit there and take it. No, you can sign an online petition. I'm not sure that the 30 seconds or however long it takes to type your name will actually make you feel any better, so you might want to follow that up by placing a call to your local cable provider, letting them know one last time that you're not satisfied with the prospects of losing baseball this year.

Previously on FanHouse:
Cox Offers Free MLB.TV to Past 'Extra Innings' Subscribers
MLB's Extra Innings Deal Isn't Exclusive to DirectTV ... Yet
Senators Love Talking About Baseball
Is MLB's Exclusive DirecTV Deal Falling Apart?