• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, April 8, 2010

DirecTV, which owns a portion of the MLB Network, will be the sole sponsor of one of its shows that will air without commercials. "Solid 60 presented by DirecTV," with a mix of highlights and interviews, will air Fridays for an hour.

The show will also offer live look-ins on games going on in the 9:30 p.m. EST hour. It is slated to run for the full season, although it will be pre-empted when MLBN has a live game on.

DirecTV and several other distributors own a stake in the channel, which allowed it to launch last year in some 50 million homes. (It is now in 55 million.)

"Solid 60" will be a commercial-free hiatus, but still a part of the "MLB Tonight" live block, which starts at 6 p.m. each Monday-Friday and runs until the final game is over.

Tony Petitti, head of MLBN, said the new show "demonstrates our commitment to providing comprehensive coverage of all 30 MLB clubs."