Deal to bring live Yankee baseball to Internet

CHICAGO, USA: Cablevision Systems Corp, Major League Baseball and the New York Yankees cable network said on Wednesday they reached a multiyear deal for live streaming of online Yankees games in the team's home market.

Under the agreement, Cablevision Internet customers who receive the Yankees' YES Network will be able to buy a package to see the games live on the Internet, the companies said.

Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

It will cost fans a one-time fee of $49.95 for the remainder of the season or $19.95 for any 30-day period. A price for a full season for next year has not been set.

Baseball fans have been able to watch games live online at MLB.com since 2003, but could not view games of teams in their home markets. MLB said it has delivered more than 250 million live video streams since the online streaming was launched.

MLB's out-of-market package costs $109.95 for a full season, and is currently being sold for $89.95.

The Yankee product is due to launch for the July 8 game against the Minnesota Twins on YES, the companies said.

YES Network Chief Executive Tracy Dolgin said on a conference call that the network is negotiating with other cable operators and distributors, including Time Warner Cable Inc, for similar deals.

The Yankee network serves about 7.5 million households in the states of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania.

MLB said a second live-streaming product is expected to be announced next week, and MLB President Bob DuPuy said he hopes most of the sports league's 30 clubs will have similar deals by next season.