The biggest impact the XFL has made this season is the transparency the league is providing when it comes to instant replay. Fans get to see Dean Blandino make decisions on whether or not to overturn a call on the field in real-time. Many have focused on the NFL, asking why that league doesn’t adopt the same procedure, but MLB is the first of the four major American sports leagues to adopt the practice.
Major League Baseball has announced a new partnership with Zoom that will overhaul its replay system. Instead of having only an audio connection to the replay center when a call is challenged, the crew chief will now connect with the league office via Zoom.
Now that video is part of the process, the league is going to put it on TV, but only on MLB Network and Apple TV+.
“During national broadcasts on MLB Network and Apple TV+, fans will also see the Zoom Replay Operations Center in action live during replay reviews and hear from an expert rules analyst who will discuss replay reviews with the broadcast team,” the league said in a press release. “MLB’s goal with this new setup is to create a more transparent and engaging review process.”
There is no mention in the press release of future plans for the partnership with Zoom when it comes to baseball on television. If there is a positive fan response, it is a safe bet that other MLB media partners will want TV access to the replay reviews.
