The Major League Baseball season opener sparked significant backlash on Wednesday as fans discovered that the highly anticipated New York Yankees vs. San Francisco Giants game was available exclusively on Netflix, bypassing traditional cable channels and national networks.
One social media commentator voiced the sentiment on X, describing the situation as “an absurd marketing stunt” by Netflix to broadcast a baseball game to the entire nation at the start of the MLB season.
This exclusive streaming arrangement was part of a promotional strategy by Netflix, showcasing various programs, including the new season of its Addams Family spinoff, “Wednesday.”
Baseball enthusiasts joined the ranks of NFL and NBA fans, who have increasingly been required to subscribe to additional streaming platforms on top of their already costly cable packages. The prospect of another monthly expense did not sit well with many, leading some to boycott the broadcast rather than pay subscription fees ranging from $7.99 to $24.99.
One disgruntled fan took to X to express frustration, noting, “Looking forward to NOT being able to watch my Giants play the Yanks on opening day tonight thanks to Netflix, despite paying the annual fee for the baseball app.” This sentiment reflects the growing discontent among fans who feel forced to juggle multiple streaming subscriptions, including the $29.99 monthly MLB.TV plan, just to catch all the games.
MLB’s opener was met with widespread criticism on Wednesday as scores of fans came to realize the New York Yankees-San Francisco Giants game was being streamed on Netflix
NFL quarterback and former Florida State pitcher Jameis Winston interviews New York Yankees slugger and Bay Area-native Aaron Judge during Netflix’s broadcast
Another long-time subscriber chimed in, stating, “I’ve paid for an @MLBTV subscription for over 15 years now. @MLB fans pay $150 per season for a subscription to @MLBTV. And now the regular season opener is exclusive to @netflix.”
That fan then took aim at commissioner Rob Manfred.
‘Hey Manfred,’ they wrote, ‘quit f***ing the fans.’
Others were not only upset by the added paywall, but the presence of the Yankees as well.
‘Boy the MLB sure knows what they’re doing,’ one fan wrote on X. ‘First, have the season opener on everybody’s favorite paid platform, Netflix.
‘Second, make sure the game features America’s favorite team, the New York Yankees.’
As is often the case when a network or streaming platform tries its hand at sports, fans were initially confused by the scorebug, the digital icon that displays the game’s pertinent details
The complaints didn’t end there.
As is often the case when a network or streaming platform tries its hand at sports, fans were initially confused by the scorebug, the digital icon that displays the game’s pertinent details.
‘What on God’s green Earth is this Netflix scorebug,’ asked one fan of the icon at the bottom of the screen.
‘That Netflix scorebug is irritating me,’ another added.
Another critic seemed to have an issue with the minuscule pitch count at the bottom of the icon: ‘This scorebug has me squinting.’
Others offered some fairly technical suggestions.
‘Relax on the zoom with the cameras,’ read one suggestion. ‘Can’t see much of anything when the balls in play.’
Elle Duncan landed a joke about Jameis Winston’s 2014 arrest for shoplifting crab legs
Hosted by former ESPN broadcaster Elle Duncan, the Netflix pre-game show included Giants legend Barry Bonds, legendary St. Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols, retired Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo, and CC Sabathia, the dominant former Cleveland Indians and New York Yankees pitcher.
But beyond the strictly baseball folks, the broadcast also included contributions from WWE legend John Cena, shirtless comedian Bert Kreischer and Jameis Winston, the NFL quarterback and former Florida State pitcher.
Interestingly, with Winston doing a segment from a seafood stand at San Francisco’s Oracle Park, Duncan cracked a joke about his 2014 arrest for shoplifting crab legs from a Tallahassee grocery store.
‘I’m gonna address the elephant in the room,’ Duncan told Winston. ‘Jameis, did you pay for the crab legs?’
Winston leaned into the joke.
‘I may or may not be plotting to find ways to get some fresh crab legs,’ he said, later adding: ‘Folks my history with crab legs.’
