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DUPUY FEELS MLB HAS RIGHT PRODUCTS FOR ROBUST ONLINE PIECE

          MLB Exec VP Robert DuPuy discussed the league's
     strategy of consolidating its Internet and interactive
     rights on last night's CNNfn "Digital Jam."  DuPuy: "We're
     actually excited about our Web site
     [majorleaguebaseball.com] as it exists.  Forbes magazine was
     nice enough to name us one of the best sports Web sites and
     the best league site, and there are lots of things that I
     think distinguish our site from others.  We have video, we
     have audio, and we have the ability.  We've been radio
     broadcasting all of the games now for three years so you can
     listen to any game, [and the site includes] ... a thing we
     call Game Center, which is a pitch-by-pitch animation of any
     game that's played."  DuPuy, on possible conflicts between
     MLB's Internet plans and its current TV partners: "We're not
     sure and no one is entirely sure how fast ... broadband is
     going to get here and what it's going to mean for the fan. 
     But we're poised to take advantage of that when it does
     come.  Historically, we've given all of our broadcast
     rights-holders the unknown.  Beginning with our negotiation
     with ESPN in December, and continuing to the negotiations
     we're going to do this year with respect to the over-the-air
     contracts, we want to control the unknown.  So, we'll be
     giving out certain rights, we'll be giving the rights to
     broadcast the games, but we will take the unknown in the
     future."  DuPuy, on participation of the MLBPA in Web
     development: "We've had meetings with the Players'
     Association already about partnering with them because we
     think they bring exciting content" ("Digital Jam," 4/10). 
          LOOKING TO GAIN EXPERTISE FROM WITHIN: The
     SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's John Rofe reports that MLB execs
     said that they "plan to tap the expertise" of Disney, Fox,
     the Tribune Co., AOL Time Warner, the four companies "with
     major new-media holdings that own major league teams," as
     well as Microsoft Corp., where top execs own a stake in the
     Mariners, "as they try to mine the Internet for revenue to
     help cash-strapped franchises."  DuPuy said that MLB is
     "looking for as many as a dozen partners" for the site and
     expects to have the main site "firing on all cylinders by
     spring training 2001."  DuPuy: "We're emphasizing the
     contacts we have in the industry.  We feel we have
     tremendous expertise already."  While MLB is  exploring an
     Internet spin-off, DuPuy said it was too early to make a
     decision on an IPO (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 4/10).

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