The Yankees and Giants will start the season in San Francisco. It’s opening day, and today’s game is a Netflix exclusive.
Netflix made MLB an offer it couldn’t refuse. It’s a reported $50 million over three years. The agreement includes three opening-day exclusives, Home Run Derbies, and occasional special events, like the Field of Dreams game and WBC games in Japan.
An Overstuffed Broadcast Team
The desire to make the game feel like An Event results in an overstuffed broadcast. Not a single second is allowed to pass without some recognizable face on screen.
The broadcast team has eight guys, which is too many. Baseball broadcasts need three guys, four max. More ominous even than the lack of a dedicated color commentator, however, is the blank space threatening a special guest.
Netflix aims to find out just how many special guests this thing can take before it loses structural integrity.
Special Guests Abound
Barry Bonds will be there. Jameis Winston will be there. WWE’s Jimmy and Jey Uso will be there.
- Barry Bonds will be there.
- Jameis Winston will be there.
- WWE’s Jimmy and Jey Uso will be there.
Those are just guys from another Netflix property. It’s a crummy commercial.
There are still more special guests, even though we’re getting dangerously replete on guys.
It’s all part of what happens when a company with too much money decides it wants to get into live sports.