We’ve always said that replacing sports is the toughest thing to do as a cord cutter. But replacing sports is a little easier if you’re a big fan of one particular sport: Baseball. Major League Baseball’s streaming service, MLB.TV, is widely considered to be one of the best sports streaming services on the market. We decided to take a look at MLB.TV and see what all the hype is about. Here's what we thought.
5 Reasons to Choose MLB.TV
- You’re a fan of an out-of-market MLB team.
- You love baseball and want to watch other teams besides your favorite.
- You’d like to rewatch old games or see highlights.
- You’re interested in an “NFL RedZone”-style broadcast, but for baseball.
- You already like the MLB app and want to get more out of it.
Device Support
MLB.TV has a pretty comprehensive device support setup. It’s been around long enough to have decent apps for older gaming systems like PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 (we conducted a lot of our viewing on Xbox 360 and found the app very intuitive and reliable). Chromecast is integrated too, and there are apps for both Android and iOS (the mobile streams are provided through MLB At Bat, which also offers scores, audio, and a “Gameday” view that overlays pitch locations and stats on a virtual field).
Your laptop is an option as well, though MLB.TV's splash page remains marketing-focused even when you're signed in. You'll have to click on “CURRENT SUBSCRIBERS” in the top right to reach the menu of games. Stop trying to sell us something we already bought, MLB.TV! That small annoyance aside, we were quite impressed with all of the different interfaces.
MLB has made the key design choice to house the MLB.TV experience within the existing MLB apps. If you already have the MLB app and use it to follow your favorite team, then you’ll find that it’s seamless to jump to the live viewing or listening experience within the app.
The app feels more or less the same to use on different platforms, but there are a few quirks, and certain features have come and gone on certain platforms. I especially miss a personal favorite — the ability to combine the video broadcast with the audio from the radio stream — which seems to work only on certain platforms as of this writing.
MLB.TV has been pretty consistent since we first reviewed it years ago. The original product was great, so it has aged well, but it’s fair to say that some other sports league streaming services (most notably NBA League Pass) have finally closed the gap on the once-dominant MLB.TV. That’s not to say that MLB.TV hasn’t changed at all, though. We were happy to see that the service made certain minor league games available to stream beginning in 2023.
Streaming Quality
We were pretty impressed by the quality of MLB.TV's streams. We used the same internet connection that left us less than thrilled with USTVNow's quality, but we had very few issues with MLB.TV. MLB.TV's streams sometimes fluctuated in video quality, but they rarely got choppy or skipped. Unsurprisingly, streaming was better on devices connected by Ethernet cable (like the Xbox we used) and a little weaker on Wi-Fi devices (like our laptops). Mobile streaming was quite good wherever we had service (we used Verizon’s network in our review).
Content
MLB.TV includes every-regular season game, with two exceptions:
- You won't get nationally broadcast games, like ESPN Sunday Night Baseball, the playoffs, etc.
- You won't get broadcasts that are on cable in your local area, meaning that whatever team owns your local market will be blacked out all season long
The blackouts are the infuriating thing about MLB.TV. It's expected — virtually every league’s streaming service does this — but it's still awful.
Moving on to the good part: We're baseball fans, but we found ourselves watching even more games than usual when we tried out this app. It's wonderful to have so much selection, and the bonus content and little perks made things even better.
For instance, one of our favorite things about MLB.TV was the ability to put the radio audio over the video stream. It's a really cool touch, and it shows that MLB Advanced Audio really understands baseball fans. Listening to the radio while watching the TV broadcast is a classic baseball-fan move, but it's pretty much impossible to do now that TV networks operate on a delay. MLB.TV makes it possible again. We should note that we did on rare occasions run into streams that wouldn't allow us to use this feature. We're not sure why that was, and it was a bit disappointing.
The service also lets you go back and watch any game from the season, plus highlights and condensed games. You can find similar content for free online, so it's not a real selling point, but it's nice to have it all in one place if you're a die-hard fan.
MLB.TV lets you watch games from prior seasons too, but its support for that is pretty limited. The full season archive only goes back to 2013. It would have been nice to see classic games. We know MLB has them all — they're all on YouTube for free right now. It seems like MLB could afford to toss in a back catalog of classic games for a service that costs this much, especially if it’s dishing them out for free on another site.
The included MLB audio subscription was a real bonus, especially because the audio feeds have no blackouts. Fans of local teams should note that you don't have to get a full MLB.TV subscription to get the audio feeds.
The Price
MLB.TV Premium was $129.99 this year. That's a pretty good value for a league that has 30 teams playing 162 games a year. The NHL is a less popular league with about half as many games, and it charged fans $159.99 last year for GameCenter Live. NBA League Pass is an absurd $199.99.
MLB.TV isn't cheap by any means, but it's a better value than most sports streaming packages.
The Verdict
Believe the hype. MLB.TV offers very smooth streaming, great device integration, and some really great perks. If you're a baseball fan and live outside the TV market of your favorite team, MLB.TV is a no-brainer.
Unfortunately, we can't recommend it for fans of local teams. For now, the best option for local fans is Gameday Audio.
For other tips on how to catch baseball as a cord cutter, check out our complete how-to guide.
MLB tv app is awful! They switch the format every year and it just gets worse!! Fast forward option gives the game away. You can tell how many innings the game went!
Bet I could catch a Braves game if I went to Cuba or China. Can’t watch them in Atlanta! MLB app worthless!
The worst thing about the current version of MLB is that it no longer lets you watch a game that has been completed without first telling you which team won and who was the hero of the game. Yes, that is correct, a full-on spoiler is now unavoidably built in to all archived games. I’ve been streaming MLB for years and usually watched late-starting games on the following day, which was not a problem until now. As of a few days ago, some genius at MLB thought we customers would like them to spoil the game for us before we could watch it. As you select which game you want to watch, before you’re even able to hit “play,” a still image pops up showing the key player(s) involved, revealing who won and often how. I’ve no idea who this benefits but it certainly ruins the MLB experience for me and makes me wonder why I should keep my subscription.
The new update completely ruined the Apple TV app. The only choice for watching an ongoing game is “watch live”. The previous version allowed the viewer to start from the beginning of the game or even choose specific half innings, allowing you to skip to a part of the game you wanted to watch. You can also no longer hold FF to FF, only 10 sec skip and pausing and scrolling forward, which is very inaccurate on Apple TV. I’m incredibly disappointed. It’s unethical to charge $130 for a specific feature set and then remove features after taking the customer’s money. Don’t subscribe to Mlbtv until they change this back.
The newest version of the app for Apple TV is terrible. The only choice for watching an ongoing game is “watch live”. The previous version allowed the viewer to start from the beginning of the game or even choose specific half innings, allowing you to skip to a part of the game you wanted to watch. You can also no longer hold FF to FF, only 10 sec skip and pausing and scrolling forward, which is very inaccurate on Apple TV. I’m incredibly disappointed. It’s unethical to charge $130 for a specific feature set and then remove features after taking the customer’s money. Don’t subscribe to Mlbtv until they change this back.
The highlights between innings are very annoying, they repeat over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over
I should have read these posts before I purchased MLB TV. If you look hard enough in their fine print you can see all Seattle Mariners games, home and away, are blacked out since I live in the Seattle area. I thought I would see away games but that’s not true. So far I have been unsuccessful at getting a refund even though I just purchased this service two days ago. Save your money, MLB TV is a ripoff.
All I can say is if you try MLB. TV get ready for Amateur hour. Dead Air at the beginning of every break, last commercial is always cut in half, they cut back to the game and the batter will have three or four pitches on them already, commercials playing over the soundtrack to the game, repeating the same commercial over and over on the same break, etc, etc. I’ve seen better production values on first-time YouTube videos.
MLBTV is horrible but they DON’T CARE. Its 2021 and I can’t watch a team 14 hours away in a different state. Its even worse when you talk to them. Utterly incapable of giving a rat’s behind. They should die
I got the service to watch the Yankees. Every game, I miss several pitches/outs because the (repetitive) commercials run long. I called to complain. They did nothing and offered no compensation.
MLB.com on Apple TV 4K is a disaster. Charged 5 times for one month by restoring purchase, 316 dollars for one month! Double charging through I-Tunes and new Apple card. Worst app ever. PiP sucks, picture quality is no better than 4 years ago. 4 years of frustration with MLB.com is enough. 7 inning professional baseball WOW! Plugging in their adds between innings slows the continuity of the game. Found out the {live] game I was watching was in fact over 15 minutes earlier. Now MLB.com is trying to become ticketmaster? I can imagine the nightmare that is. Do the one thing fans want, LIVE BASEBALL. No need for 15 replay video clip apps. Networks are making a mockery of professional sports.
If you tune in late and want to watch any game from the beginning and skip ahead or fast forward, forget it. MLB TV forces you to sit through the commercials or promotions or whatever they are. It’s absolutely maddening. And many times if something goes haywire, and you want to go back and see what you missed. Good luck with that–they force you to watch all their ads and promotions again. Unless they change their policy, never again for me.
Worst paid service ever. The apps themselves are fine, but the service layer is unadulterated hot garbage. Usually, you have to navigate multiple “network errors” until the stream finally works. But it’s the only game in town. Probably couldn’t create a less reliable service if you tried. They should be ashamed. Get Unlocator to bypass blackouts.
The app has many bug issues. be prepared to get frustrated when the app tells you ‘the event will begin shortly’ and nothing happens. As others have said, this app is not worth the price for a fan who lives in their favorite team’s market. Those games get blacked out, even if your team’s road games. If you can get the app to start, the stream quality is good. If you live outside your team’s market and your team is expected to be near the top of its division and you have patience getting the app to start a game, I say go for it. Otherwise don’t.
I am an avid fan of The Boston Red Sox, as well as, just baseball in general. MLB.TV to me gives the everyday fan the opportunity to watch whatever team their heart desires. Living in New Jersey the only games I can not watch them play on the website is when they are playing in Philadelphia against the Philadelphia Phillies. Which for us, all you have to do is turn on the Phillies broadcast and voila you have the capability to watch these games. My issue with this however is for the people who are not able to afford the $130 price tag associated with a season’s worth of baseball. If you can, then you are able to go about your day as you please. Luckily enough I get free MLB.TV by using the T-Mobile Tuesdays deal associated with the app. I love this app because it gives you game day quality as if you have the ability to tune into your local station to watch the games. It gives me the ability to have NESN, the New England Sports Network, readily available whenever I want to see my team play. I appreciate the fact I can always see my team and whatever other team I wish, play the sport I love. If they fixed blackout restrictions and the price like many other sports viewing apps do, I feel as though they would be even more perfect to be used by the common consumer.
A waste of time and money. Won’t work on my Samsung smart TVs, and only occasionally works on my Toshiba. Assistance from a help desk is nonexistent. Go without watching baseball before wasting your time and money on this dog of an app.
A total waste of money, unless you want to watch teams you aren’t interested in. Teams in you area are totally blocked out. Both home and away games. If you can’t watch your home team, why bother subscribing.
Should have read the small print.
What a waste of money. Funny that they broadcast the spring training games tho. No blackouts there. Rip off
MLB TV is not worth the money and the headache. You would thin that for the price you’d get professionalism, but I get the feeling the streaming is being run by JrHigh School students. I’m located in Texas, I want to watch the Rockies and Phillies, and they tell me that I’m blacked out. They simply do not know what they are doing. It is a horrible and frustrating “service”. Do not do it. There are pirate sites available that, at worst, will be the same level of amateurism as the MLBTV turkeys.
The merger of MLB & Apple TV + is a nightmare.
The “announcers” babble on & on & no one calls the game!
I’m thinking about getting a petition together to obliterate this bad idea.
After dropping DirecTV, I decided to purchase MLB.TV in order to watch the KC Royals here in California. As much as it pains me to say this, DirecTV’s baseball package (Xtra Innings) is massively better than MLB.TV. First off, the blackout of my local teams (Giants & A’s) is annoying. I also enjoyed watching the pre and post agme shows on DirecTV. MLB.TV will not give me any extra time to get news about my KC Royals. They turn it on just seconds before the first pitch and then shut it off as soon as the game ends. I will not be renewing this next year and will have to find another option.
At the top of the page, it says last modified July 10, 2023. What was modified? Certainly not the inaccurate season price. The article says it’s $129 a year. It’s actually $159. Furthermore, since the All Star break (2023), one cannot watch Condensed/Recap Games on Android TVs without avoiding spoilers like final score before viewing each game. That’s awful. The other concerning thing is that MLB.TV is parceling games (that it used to provide) to the likes of Apple, Peacock, Prime, etc.. If you don’t subscribe to those networks, you’re out of luck.
I’m upset that these changes were enacted in the middle of the contract year and that they will impact my decision about purchasing next season.