One might say this is all a bid by MLB and MiLB to maximize revenue, but that makes no sense given that the cracking down on non-ad-generating video content is accompanied by . . . the virtual non-functionality of baseball’s ad-generating video platform. I mean, you see the videos we post here: they almost all have pre-roll ads. Far be it from us to deny MLB its money, but why not even make ad-fronted videos available? Why crack down on BA’s scouting film when it’s super unlikely that you’re ever going to produce a similar product yourself?
More broadly, why the overall hostile approach to video in general? As the NBA, NHL, NFL, MMA and WWE have learned, fans being able to share clips, highlights, GIFs and the like is a great way to generate interest in your product. Fans texting and tweeting cool and exciting moments is free advertising. Heck, if you slap ads on them, it’s people paying you to advertise.
Yet it’s almost impossible to do that with baseball highlights at the moment. Why?
Source: Craig Calcaterra, NBCsports.com