It may be the offseason for Major League Baseball, but in television terms, they pulled off a comeback reminiscent of the 2004 Boston Red Sox.
After 16 seasons, MLB Network planned to cancel Intentional Talk, the network’s longest-running talk show. The announcement came on October 19th. For baseball fans, the news came as a shock, given the show’s longevity; it now features former MLB players Kevin Millar and Ryan Dempster alongside host Sierra Santos. The show started in 2011 with Millar and Chris Rose. Rose departed in 2020, with Stephen Nelson replacing him from 2021-23 before Millar took over the lead chair.
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On the day of the announcement, Millar, Dempster, and Santos addressed the cancellation emotionally.
Reversals on programming decisions are rare, but top league officials saw what was happening on social media after the announcement and heard it directly.
According to sources briefed on the decision that were not authorized to speak publicly, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, Noah Garden, the league’s Deputy Commissioner for Business & Media, and other top execs attending the World Series heard directly from fans, players, and club personnel, both publicly and privately to the trio at Intentional Talk, as well as senior leadership, about the disappointment in the show being canceled.
After the World Series, that fostered the discussion that led to the reversal. The reversal was first reported by The Athletic.
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“We sincerely appreciate how much MLB Network and Intentional Talk mean to the baseball community, and we are grateful for the show’s relationship with its loyal following,” said MLB Network in a statement to me for Forbes. “After listening to the outpouring of feedback from viewers, players, and people across the game, we are very pleased to announce that Intentional Talk with Kevin, Ryan and Siera will return in 2027 for its 17th season.”
The Strength Of MLB Network’s Studio
The response that led to the reversal resonates on more than one level. It clearly showed that Intentional Talk‘s brand power is strong. Additionally, over the years, the network has served its core base of dedicated baseball fans. MLB Network aired more than 1,400 live studio hours during the 2026 regular season, including at least one live hour every day.
And unlike other league-owned networks, Major League Baseball is continuing to invest in MLB Network, as evidenced by not only pre- and post-game shows, but studio shows like MLB Central, MLB Now, Quick Pitch, Intentional Talk, as well as documentaries such as MLB Network Presents, which just released its 50th episode.
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The league continues to use its Secaucus, New Jersey facility as a production house for all of its content partners such as MLB Local Media, which produces team broadcasts, the national games on Netflix, NBCUniversal, and more.
To highlight the growth of the Secaucus media facility, they are moving to new headquarters in Elmwood Park in 2028.
The Power Of Fans
Maybe the biggest takeaway from the reversal on Intentional Talk is that fans really do matter. As jaded as some can be, the variety of voices that came to the league and MLB Network voicing their displeasure with the decision to shutter the show struck a chord with league and network officials.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
