World Series Sponsored By Who???

What is the biggest digital platform around?  Looks like TV to me.

If you’ve been watching this wild World Series between the Dodgers and Astros, you’ve likely seen a new MLB partner and sponsor of the Fall Classic.  It’s a little strange to hear Fox play-by-play man, Joe Buck tell us, “Tonight’s broadcast of game 7 is brought to you by YouTubeTV.”  Wait, what?

This partnership certainly marks a breakthrough for a network not affiliated with cable or satellite, (that have previously had an exclusive relationship with MLB and other college and professional sports leagues) to now be a primary sponsor.  But that is the case, and now you can stream the World Series and other live sports via YouTube TV.  You’ll also get MLB.com produced videos featuring major league players, inside looks at the stadiums and general “deep baseball geek” type stuff. YouTubeTV even incorporated a 2-minute ad into Game One to promote its premium TV platform.

Is this sign of bundling and un-bundling working together? Or battling for territory? Well, we’ll have to wait and see. Sports had always been a big reason for many to continue paying satellite and cable providers sometimes up to $100 a month for the basic package. So stay tuned. Wait, that’s a TV expression, right? Maybe it’s all just TV.