MLB All-Star Festivities Set to Boost Engagement for Fox and Comcast

Major League Baseball’s All-Star Week is underway in Philadelphia, running from July 10-14 at Citizens Bank Park. The event roster includes the All-Star Futures Game, the MLB Draft, the Home Run Derby, and the 96th MLB All-Star Game. The Philadelphia Phillies are hosting the All-Star Game for the first time since 1996, featuring five representatives on the National League roster, including Brandon Marsh, who is making his first career start in the outfield.

Broadcast and streaming arrangements for the event spotlight several major media players. The Home Run Derby is set for Monday, July 13, at 8 p.m. ET and will stream exclusively on Netflix. The All-Star Game is scheduled for Tuesday, July 14, at 8 p.m. ET and will air live on FOX and Fox Deportes, with streaming available via the FOX Sports app.

Viewers looking for comprehensive coverage through traditional pay-TV and streaming bundles will impact several distributors. The AT&T DirecTV Entertainment package, priced at $90, provides access to Fox for the game as well as NBC for coverage of the Futures Game and the first hour of the draft. Hulu’s live TV package, also priced at $90 per month, offers access to Fox, MLB Network, and NBC. Fubo’s entry-level sports plan at $56 provides access to Fox, though the $84 Ultra tier is required to include MLB Network for full draft coverage. Additionally, MLB+ is offering access to the MLB Network feed for $5.99 per month.

Fox Corporation is currently trading at $55.90, up 3.23% from the previous close, giving the company a market capitalization of approximately $23.46 billion. Comcast Corporation, the parent company of NBCUniversal which owns NBC, is trading at $23.97, up 1.4% from the previous close, with a market capitalization of roughly $83.52 billion.

What to watch

• Viewership numbers for the Home Run Derby on Netflix compared to traditional cable broadcasts.
• Advertising revenue reports from Fox Corporation for the third quarter, reflecting the All-Star Game broadcast.
• Subscriber retention trends for live TV services like Hulu and Fubo during major sporting events.

Source: original release