Local News

Thursday's Giants-Phillies Game Will Only Air on Facebook

May 8, 2018 / 2:55 PM PDT / CBS Sacramento

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PHILADELPHIA (KPIX) – The Giants and Phillies wrap up their four-game series Thursday in Philadelphia – first pitch is set for 10am local time. If you're interested in watching during morning coffee or a lunch break, grab your smartphone, not the remote.

In the offseason, MLB partnered with Facebook Watch for an agreement to broadcast 25 games throughout the season exclusively on Facebook Watch and the Giants game Thursday is a part of that package.

It's an independent production geared for user interaction with elements for a social media audience. Game announcers will address comments as the action is happening to accompany a special graphics that are smartphone friendly.

It is not a simulcast of NBC Sports Bay Area's broadcast because there will be no NBC Sports Bay Area broadcast. In a press release from March, Facebook and MLB touted the agreement as "historic."

Recently there have been concerns about baseball losing the younger generation of sports fans. Commissioner Rob Manfred pushed to speed of pace of play by tightening the amount of time between innings, and restricting spontaneous meetings on the mound that can make the game feel endless.

Broadcasting on social media appears to be the best solution when trying to engage a younger audience, while not upsetting baseball purists that resist rule changes. Facebook reportedly paid MLB $30-35 million for the rights in 2018.