Sports-driven businesses, like bars and restaurants, leverage live sports programming as a way to attract and engage customers. Savvy operators know premium sports programming can play a role in their programming, so you need to find your MLB® fans and what games they want to see.
One such opportunity is coming up. DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS® subscribers: MLB EXTRA INNINGS® will be available as a free preview on Thursday, 3.26, through Thursday, 4.2.
This free preview week gives you a chance to experiment with daytime, primetime, and late-night West Coast baseball throughout the week.
Evaluating whether MLB EXTRA INNINGS® fits your business is easier if you use the free preview as a structured testing period, not just as a bonus show. Let’s dive into how.
Low-risk test window for premium sports programming
The MLB® regular season has thousands of games—far more than any other US pro sports league. America’s favorite pastime, indeed. And DIRECTV carries the most MLB® games (Claim based on offering of exclusive premiums; premiums are offered at an additional cost), available via national and combined local Regional Sports Networks,* with MLB EXTRA INNINGS® showing up to 90 games a week during the regular season.
One practical way to think about it: you’re not choosing the “best games” as much as you’re testing which audience shows up for which games. Then, you can see whether and how customer behaviors changed over the week.
*Claim based on total games carried on Nat’l and combined local Regional Sports Networks. RSNs avail. with COMMERCIAL XTRA™ PACK and BUSINESS XTRA ™ PACK. Avail. on RSNs varies by ZIP Code and pkg. Blackouts apply
The free preview scorecard
Like any strategic baseball fan or team manager, you’ve got to know the stats. You need to first identify and measure the customer behaviors that may impact your bottom line and evaluate whether those behaviors correlate with your programming choices.
During the MLB EXTRA INNINGS® free preview, fill out your benchmark “scorecard” with the following:
- Dwell time (average minutes’ stay): Did the MLB® games correlate with how long your guests stayed? Did food or beverage revenue increase with longer visits?
- Average check/tab lift: Did you observe any increase in guest spending for particular game times or big-hype games? Did this vary for any parts of the game (i.e., pre-game coverage, first three innings, later innings)?
- Peak-hour table turnover: Did seating capacity stay more predictable before, during, or after games? Table turnover can help you evaluate the pacing of game days so you know what your staffing and inventory needs could be in the future.
- Game-preference signals: How many customers asked for specific teams or games, and how many asked whether you’re showing the next game? Which jerseys appeared the most, or which games did people ask for higher audio volume?
So what result would justify the investment?
If dwell time at your business increases by, say, 20 minutes on a game night, it might warrant a full subscription, if that correlates with other metrics at your business. (Results will vary.) Your staff or point-of-sale systems might record the seating times and departure times of parties during the game times.
Keep in mind you’ll need to gather enough of a sample size because flukes happen (i.e., slow nights, power outages). One day’s worth of data doesn’t mean much, of course. You’ll want to record this data for the entire free preview week.
After the free preview, ask yourself:
- Which teams consistently drew fans or requests to show the game?
- What time windows or days drove the biggest tab lifts?
- If you promoted specific games, did any of them outperform a normal broadcast?
Your ROI framework could be something like this:
“If my average tab is $X, and game nights lift that by Y%, then Z is what MLB EXTRA INNINGS® needs to deliver to justify the cost.”
Example only. Actual results will vary by business.
How game times can affect guest behaviors
Unlike the NFL, where game schedules are fairly consistent and less frequent, MLB® times go throughout the week and across time zones. (Each team plays 162 games, so, there’s a lot of volume.)
MLB® time slots might attract distinct customer profiles who behave differently and have different expectations of their visit. This preview week is a chance to figure out which time windows work for your business goals.
Weekday afternoon games (roughly 12:30 PM–4:15 PM ET) are more common than most people realize. East Coast teams typically start afternoon weekday games between 12:30 PM and 1:10 PM ET, while Central and West Coast first pitches range from 2:10 PM to 4:10 PM ET. Afternoon games can be a hidden asset for lunch-hour venues, late-lunch crowds, or businesses with daytime foot traffic.
Weekday evening games (roughly 6:30 PM–7:10 PM ET) are the bread and butter of the MLB® schedule. This time slot aligns with the rush at most bars and restaurants.
Friday and Saturday night games are a step up in energy, typically featuring nationally broadcast games and marquee franchises. (Think about your Yankees, Red Sox, Cubs, and so on.) Use the free preview to see whether your weekend crowds respond to baseball as part of the nightlife atmosphere.
Late-night West Coast games (roughly 9:30 PM–10:10 PM ET) are a wildcard throughout the week. This time slot is late for most, but it’s prime time for venues with a night-owl crowd, or a Pacific or Mountain Time population.
Sunday games have their own rhythm. It’s another day for big broadcasts and MLB® Sunday Leadoff games that start around 12:00 PM ET. Sundays often produce a relaxed, all-day viewing atmosphere, a brunch-to-ballgame window that can be valuable for establishments that serve food earlier in the day.
Using your DIRECTV FOR BUSINESS features
MLB Game Mix (ch. 720–721): Let’s say you’re a business owner in Arizona showing the D-backs playing the Dodgers, but you’ve also got a large table of out-of-towners, or folks who moved in from another area. Keep the home-team game while you put on overlapping games with MLB Game Mix, which allows you to show up to 8 games on one TV. Perfect for casting a wider net.
MLB Network Strike Zone™ (ch. 719): In another instance, you’ve got some regular guests who are more casual fans. That’s when you turn on MLB Network Strike Zone™, a channel that provides a high-speed, highlight-driven look at every game in progress across the league. It’s ideal for viewers who aren’t committed to a single team but want to be in the middle of the action.
MLB Network (ch. 213): Maybe you need to create a sports atmosphere between games. That’s when you show MLB Network for studio programming, pre-game analysis, and shows like MLB Tonight, as well as games.
When you establish the metrics you want to measure, you start experimenting with the game times. Then, you can use this free preview as a structured experiment, not only as a bonus program.
Now is the time to find your audience and create natural moments for longer stays, repeat visits, and genuine customer connection.
Tune in to the MLB EXTRA INNINGS® free preview on ch. 721–749, on Thursday, 3.26, through Thursday, 4.2. Game details are on the DIRECTV Sports TV Schedule!
