In S.F., Bruce Jenkins wrote MLB seems to “have an identity crisis, balancing what’s best for the fans -- say, having your favorite team on the same channel all season -- against making a lot of money.” Jenkins: “You know how that turns out. You lose.” To watch every Giants game, fans “need to be signed up for mlb.tv, Apple TV, Prime Video, Peacock and eventually Netflix, because those people are just getting started.” The Opening Night stream on Netflix was “reasonably acceptable” but the service “dressed it up in a dreadful display of self-importance” (S.F. CHRONICLE, 3/27).
FOR WHO? In Boston, Tim Healey of the game on Netflix wrote, “Who was that for? Did it make non-fans more likely to watch baseball? Or persuade baseball fans to watch any of the many Netflix shows wedged into the production?” The game served as the debut of Netflix’s new baseball commitment and the partnership “might lead to a bigger deal with MLB down the line.” Healey: “I at least can understand some kiss-up-ery, but they took it to an extreme degree.” Netflix hopefully “gets comfortable showing us baseball, as opposed to something that is painfully Baseball Being Watched On Netflix” (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/27). Also in Boston, Chad Finn wrote the game was an “obnoxious mess.” Finn’s reasons include the involvement of former MLBer Barry Bonds as an analyst, comedian Bert Kreischer “screaming nonsensically, and a scorebug in which players’ names were so small you’d swear it was made by Fanatics.” There are nine different channels or streaming services that will carry a Red Sox game this season. Finn: “If you aim to watch every one of them, I wish you well, and I dread your bill” (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/28).
JUST GOOD: SI’s Jimmy Traina wrote it was “refreshing to see NBC give us solid, enjoyable broadcasts on Thursday.” NBC “showed us a ballgame” and “covered the game properly.” It “catered to the people who tuned in to watch the Pirates and the Mets.” NBC’s presentation from a visual standpoint “couldn’t have been slicker, either.” The graphics were “sharp and the scoreboard was easily digestible” (SI, 3/27).
