Can't believe someone else hasn't started a thread for this yet. I'm so tremendously proud of what the Rapids have done on the pitch the last half or so of the season. IMO, they've developed into one of the top tier teams in the league. Don't know what to think is going to happen today. My guess is this match will end in a draw. But I know the Rapids will fight all the way through. In theory they have a bit more to play for as the playoffs are on the line.
Win or lose, I love my 'Pids. After the horrible start to the season and despite having three coaches (maybe two as the jury is still out on Hudson), they've been amazing. LAFC and Bob Bradley away is a VERY tough final game but I believe. GO RAPIDS!
It all comes down to this. Here's what's at stake on @MLS #DecisionDay tomorrow 👀 pic.twitter.com/Wc1SWdzS12— FOX Soccer (@FOXSoccer) October 5, 2019
Put him in your pocket, Sam Vines. #Rapids96 https://t.co/ezzMuAoMQP— Soccer Rabbi (@soccer_rabbi) October 6, 2019
This game very much has the feel that it could go to a 1-1 slugfest or a 5-3 shootout. Let’s go Rapids, get those three points!
Our group to try to lead us into the @Audi #MLSCupPlayoffs.#Rapids96 | #DecisionDay— Colorado Rapids (@ColoradoRapids) October 6, 2019
Thread probably not started at this point (for what is admittedly a huge game) likely because no one can watch the damn thing. Extremely impressed by the squad, the coach and everything they have done. Extremely unimpressed (but not surprised) by KSE allowing things to get to this point. Would love nothing more then to be able to watch. It’s unbelievable the depths a cheap owner is willing to literally sabotage his own teams and fan bases in order to further line his very deep billionaire pockets. Go Pids! F KSE!
If the Rapids start a season winless in their first 11 and still make the playoffs on the very last day and no one is able to watch it, do they still make the playoffs? Game is working on ESPN+ for me in Commerce City!!!!!!
If this is just because all the various stuff, carry on, but if this is due to the TV situation, I don't agree. They're not a charity and the Disappointed I can't follow...for a few games I'm not going to deal with VPN's, etc. Seems like altitude radio (isn't that 92.5) is not even carrying the game. I wish the Rapids luck though.
In my opinion, it’s not DirecTV/Comcast/Dish’s job to ensure or even care whether or not YOUR fans get to see or follow YOUR hometown teams. These pro teams are your million dollar investment, making it incumbent on you to ensure they can be consumed, in some manner, by your home town fans. This continues to be far more of KSE’s problem than the major providers. The “DontTakeMyAltitude” campaign is embarrassingly transparent and will very likely be largely ineffective. KSE is willfully allowing their multiple teams to not be broadcast, in the hopes their fans building outrage will turn against the providers in some meaningful way instead of them. My guess it will continue to backfire as the DirecTV/Comcast/Dish hold the majority of the cards and have no real tangible incentive to blink. The fans are very clearly being used as leverage by both sides, with KSE having much more to lose. It is their job to figure a way to deliver their content. In the absence of that, the providers hold all the cards and are highly unlikely to fold. This is KSE’s problem to solve.
And (unfortunately) with Dallas up 2-0 early, the prospect of more games this season just got tougher.
Agreed and why in this day and age of cord cutting are channels like AltitudeTV not offering this as an alternative to the money gouging dinosaurs??
Well, Denver is up 17-0 in the Galaxy's stadium in LA over SanDiego Hard to see Dallas losing, us winning at this time, but who knows? "There is always next year" R
Because it doesn't make as much money. If Altitude or the individual teams offered a separate streaming option *now*, they water down the value of of the cable/satellite contract for the games. Again, none of these companies are charities. They all want to gouge money. If cable and satellite providers lose subscribers over this, or if they're not in actual collusion with each other and one signs Altitude, that's plenty of reason for those companies to blink.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m definitely NO fan of big cable. Once DirecTV inevitably loses their NFL exclusivity, I will be first in line to kick them to the curb.....but for KSE to attempt to paint themselves as a victim in this whole thing is really really weak. From what I have heard, this is about the providers wanting Altitude to be a part of the relatively minor $5/month sports package (thus driving up their dwindling subscription fees). KSE wants Altitude to remain on basic cable (which increases viewership and, subsequently, advertising fees). Make no mistake, this is about multi-billion dollar corporations posturing over subscription versus advertising fees, and both are attempting to leverage fan outrage to get the other side to blink. My issue is that KSE 100% has the means to solve this problem. But they don’t care in the least about the fans. They care about every dime and nickel they can squeeze out of everything. Again, this is their right as owners. But as fans, we should understand that this is very much what is happening. There are three types of owners in sports: Those that own for the love of the team and their franchise and spare no expense (Mark Cuban, LAFC, the Golden State Warriors, Jerry Jones and the Cowboys, etc) Those that inherited the team from their family (Steelers, Bears, James Dolan and the Knicks, Jim Irsay and the Colts). And those that run their franchises solely and exclusively as a money making business, of which Stan Kroenke is literally the prime shining example. This is an indisputable fact. So any attempt on their part to “rally the fans” in support of what is 100% a contractual business decision rings as a very typical hollow and disingenuous move, picking and choosing when fan opinion “matters” and all the other times when it doesn’t matter at all (just ask Arsenal fans....or St. Louis Rams fans) from a historically callous and tone deaf billionaire sports conglomerate. Sorry for the rant. This has been simmering with me for weeks.
I’m really really tempted to reduce my viewing bills going forward. It would mean I drop ESPN maybe keep FS1 and 2 But drop altitude for good. Looking at AirTV maybe so I can get a cheaper dvr that way. Not sure yet
KSE is in a no win situation here. The big providers aren't going to give KSE want they want. Best case is they agree to keep general transmission at a reduced rate. KSE keeps the numbers for advertising, but aren't making as much from carriage, while the cable companies pay less and make more after the inevitable rate increase. If KSE agrees to their asked terms, they take a huge subscriber loss, so advertising revenue tanks, and make a lot less from carriage. If they try to go online, they lose virtually all the ad revenue and carriage fees, plus have to pay to either stream or partner with someone. Meanwhile, people like to forget it does cost money to pay employees, manage broadcasts (even with the awful interns), etc. Ultimately this is probably the death knell of Altitude unless they manage to keep general carriage. I'm no fan of KSE, but as a Rapids fan, does anyone think we get better coverage under any other option besides a league mandated move to ESPN+? As it is, they Pids don't get any mention in the articles covering the blackout, it's all avs and nuggets. Anyways, it's all Hudson's fault. A few more wins this season, and the team would have been a heck of a playoff story.
First, unfortunate loss for the Rapids, would have felt worse if KC had pulled a win out. Since that didn't happen... meh? Would have liked a win but the turnaround was still nice and realistically the dream wasn't going to pan out anyways. On the TV front, dream scenario for me involves looking to the new TV deal for (either) 2020 or 2021 for MLS to negotiate. I've read here and elsewhere that MLS has asked teams not to negotiate contracts beyond then. Hypothetically, I could see Disney/ESPN purchasing the whole league's rights and put games on local ABC affiliates a la NFL. What else is there really to air during the summer? Odds of this happening are probably minuscule, but would solve this whole regional rights fiasco (rest of the games on ESPN+, teams don't try to get rights on dumb services like Flo) and would still allow cord cutters to watch OTA.
Going to summarize all my responses to the TV discussion in one post. Altitude is asking for the exact same deal as they have now. That's crazy in this day and age. DISH and DirecTV are fighting the big hitters of FOX and ESPN to reduce carriage rates, a RSN like Altitude has no chance to get the same deal as they had. KSE should know this. Now I fully support them going to bat to avoid being put in the sports package, but they have to be willing to take a rate cut. They're never going to get the same number as they've got now. Altitude can't create a stream because, AIUI, Altitude doesn't have the streaming rights for the Nuggets and the Avs, the leagues hold those rights (they do have Rapids streaming rights). So any streaming option would either have to buy the streaming rights from the NBA/NHL or they would have to black out the games on their stream. Neither are a good business model unless the NBA/NHL want to really cut their rates for Altitude to acquire them (a bad precedent for those leagues to set). The current MLS TV deals go through the 2022 season and yes, they've asked the teams not to do any local deals beyond 2022. So in 2023 I expect some kind of large package deal (though the idea of games on the local ABC affiliate is a pipe dream). But that's still 3 seasons we need to get through.