MLB.TV: 5 things to know before you subscribe

As a Major League Baseball fan, you know the importance of not missing a game or not seeing your favorite team play.

But even with the plethora of services for watching the games, you understand the unreliability of national broadcasts, especially when broadcasting local MLB games.

A  solution for baseball fans in general or fans of particular teams that do not play in their local home cities is to sign up for an MBL.TV account.

However, before subscribing to MLB.TV, there are several things you need to know.

MLB.TV is a streaming package from MLB.com. It allows you to watch all out-of-market baseball games live or on-demand.

The service is better than what is available because it comes directly from Major League Baseball. It airs both regular-season baseball games and spring training games.

Furthermore, the on-demand content includes archived footage of previous MLB games.

So, what else should you know before signing up?

5 things to know about MLB.TV before signing up

Before you create an account with MLB.TV to stream its games, there are five things you should know about the service.

1. MLB. TV offers three premium packages

MLB.TV is a premium service that requires a subscription to watch live and on-demand baseball games.

So, how much does MLB.TV cost? Well, it has three premium packages, including:

  • Monthly package – costs $24.99 per month.
  • Single Team package – costs $119.99 yearly
  • Yearly package – costs $139.99 yearly

All MLB.TV packages come with a free 7-day trial.

MLB TV package

2. There’s a blackout policy

MLB.TV has a blackout policy. The streaming company will black out all live games in each home television territory of an applicable club during the regular season.

However, that does not include specific regular-season and post-season games.

Note that television territory blackout restrictions apply, even if a club is playing at home or away, irrespective of whether the game is live in a club’s home television territory. Blackouts also apply to most MLB teams in the USA.

You will know whether MLB.TV has blacked you out from watching a game live by entering the zip code of your current location at the MLB.TV website.   

3. Minimum system requirements to stream MLB.TV

Your devices must meet minimum system requirements to stream MLB.TV without major issues. Here is what you need:

  • Windows OS 8.1 and above. Windows 7 can work if you use Chrome or Browsers only.
  • Mac OS 10 and above.
  • Latest browsers, including Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari.
  • The minimum internet connection speed of 1.8Mbps for SD streaming and 3Mbps for HD streaming.

You need connection speeds of at least 3.0 Mbps to stream HD content seamlessly. Expect a standard quality stream if you have anything below 3.0 Mbps. 

MLB.TV also allows you to adjust your preferred bitrate manually within the media player if you are experiencing a lag.

4. Watch on all major streaming platforms

You can watch MLB.TV on all major streaming devices.

It supports Android smartphones and tablets, Apple smartphones and tablets, PlayStation (4 and 5), Xbox One, Roku (firmware 9.0 and models 3700x and above, Apple TV, Chromecast, Amazon Fire TV, and Fire Stick, Android TV (OS 5.0 or higher), Xfinity Flex, and Smart TVs.

You can also watch MLB.TV on your Samsung Smart TV. However, only models manufactured from 2017 and above will work well.

5. The mobile version of MLB.TV has many intuitive features

MLB.TV
 

The best experience of streaming MLB is to do it on Android or iOS. It has tons of features that make watching baseball games enjoyable, including:

  • In-game highlights.
  • Expanded Statcast data.
  • Every team has sections for breaking news, schedules, interactive rosters, and player stats.
  • Customization options.
  • Ballpark renderings.
  • Team management.

The MLB.TV app is free to download for your mobile device. However, you require a subscription to access its content.

Is MLB.TV free with Amazon Prime?

You require an Amazon Prime membership to sign up for an MLB subscription on Prime Video Channels.

Once you sign up, you will get a 30-day free trial and watch all MLB.TV programs.

You will be subject to Prime Video’s standard terms of use for TV subscribers too.

How do I get MLB.TV for free?

You can get MBL.TV for free in several ways:

You can also get MLB.TV is free for seven days when you sign up for the first time directly on its website or mobile app.

What is the MLB Apple TV deal?

The MLB Apple TV deal allows users to stream MLB games for free. In other words, Apple will offer free broadcasts of two MBL games per week on Apple TV+.

Since it will be free, you do not have to subscribe to Apple TV+ for $4.99 monthly.

Does MLB.TV offers military and student discounts

You can get an MLB.TV military discount of up to 35 percent if you are a member of the US Army.

The discount is accessible on the MLB.TV checkout page. Before getting the discount, you must verify your ID using ID.me authentication.

After verifying your credentials, you will receive the offer immediately, apart from the military, MLB.TV also offers a student discount of 35 per cent. It is also accessible on the MLB.TV checkout page.  

How do I get MLB.TV on my TV?

An MLB game
Image: Owen Lystrup

Here is how you can get MLB.TV on your TV:

  • Sign up for an MLB account
  • Download and install the MLB app from your TV application or channel store.
  • Select Log In after installing the app.
  • Enter your login credentials.
  • If successful, you can continue watching baseball games.

If you have a Samsung TV, consider the following steps:

  • Launch the preinstalled MLB app on your Samsung TV. Download it if it doesn’t come preloaded.
  • Create a free account by entering an email address and password.
  • Visit mlb.com/Samsung to purchase your package and follow the on-screen steps.
  • Select your team.
  • Log in or create an account.
  • Start your 7-day free trial.
  • Return to your TV and log in.

You can now stream baseball games on your TV.

Conclusion

MLB is the best way to watch all out-of-market baseball games live or on-demand. The service costs $24.99 per month through and including October.

Alternatively, you can subscribe for $119.99 for a single team throughout the season and offseason and $139.99 per year—however, MLB.TV gives you a 7-day free trial to try out its service.

After subscribing, you can access MLB on any device, including smartphones, tablets, desktops, gaming consoles, connected TVs, and Smart TVs. 

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