Despite popular belief that paid content is a new phenomenon, MLB.com celebrates 12 years this week of offering subscription-supported live streaming of Major League Baseball games.To honor that milestone, MLB.tv has created a special $12/year promotion, which site visitors can purchase for themselves or as a gift.
We like the fact that MLB.tv is taking advantage of its anniversary to offer a catchy promotion (this would be less enticing for a high-priced site trying to offer a $1200/year promotion — unless, of course, their subscription price was so high-priced that $1200 seemed like pennies).But we also like it because it’s well timed in the anniversary year. For those unfamiliar with MLB.tv, the site offers subscriptions by seasons. That means that, as the baseball season progresses, the subscription price drops. Furthermore, all post-season play (playoffs, the World Series) is an additional upsell and not included in their “annual” subscription price.So by offering a $12/year (really it should be $12/season) subscription on August 26, and only for one-day, MLB.tv doesn’t lose that much in annual subscription revenue.However, it also risks some consumer backlash as the “/year” is definitely deceiving. More direct copy — “Just $12 to watch the rest of the season live online!” — might be better for those retention rates down the road.What do you think? Is this smart marketing? Or a sneaky promotion that gives marketers a bad name?
