If you’re a baseball fan, you’ve probably heard of MLB’s streaming service known as MLB.TV. We’ll show you how to watch MLB online wherever you are.
It may surprise you to learn that one of the most advanced and stable video streaming services on the internet is actually the technology that powers baseball’s video-on-demand service. A few years ago, Major League Baseball saw where the future was heading and got its Advanced Media arm to build what we now know as MLB.TV.
effort has been like this successful, in fact, companies like HBO are actually using the MLB platform to power their own video streaming services.
Is MLB TV worth it?
This is obviously going to be a subjective answer, but if you’re a baseball fan, it’s a pretty safe yes. MLB has really polished this service to the point where it offers an experience superior to just watching it on regular television broadcast.
With an active subscription, you can watch the games you want (except when you’re locked out because you’re too close to the stadium), stream on multiple devices simultaneously, pause and replay live streams, and rewatch archived games – a pretty slick package (for an extra $25, all minor league games). You can also access baseball teams and games).
These are all live games you can watch; Note the various options for both video and audio feeds.
On supported devices, this year the service includes 1080p video running at 60 frames per second – which is great for watching live sports; makes tracking players and balls easier at 30 frames per second.
If you’re watching via a web browser (i.e. on a PC or a Mac not using the Windows 8 MLB app), you can also access what the service calls Mosaic View. This splits your video into two or four parts – it’s really nice to watch a game from four different angles at the same time.
Additionally, when you stream the game, you’re not limited to just one stream – MLB.TV gives you the option to watch a home stream or an away stream, and even let you watch a video stream and play a different stream. audio feed above the video (for example, from a local radio station).
How much does MLB TV cost?
When it comes to streaming baseball over the Internet, you have a number of options to choose from. Casual baseball fans can be delighted with MLB’s Game of the Day – if you’re watching them from a computer web browser or the MLB.TV app, you can watch these games for free (At Bat subscription to watch using mobile At Bat apps).
An active MLB.TV subscription is required to access archived footage or watch more than the free Game of the Day. Last year, that cost about $130, but thanks to a class action lawsuit over antitrust laws, the price was lowered to $110 for 2016 (if you’re a student or active soldier, you can get a 35% discount). You can also choose to pay $25 for a single month, but that doesn’t seem like great value unless you know you’re only interested in one month of service.
If that doesn’t sound appealing, there are a few more options: you can subscribe to the MLB At Bat mobile apps for iPhone, iPad, and Android for $20 per year or $3 per month. You won’t get unlimited live games, but you will be able to watch the free Game of the Day on your mobile device, access audio streams (both at home and away), computer recreations. hit and all the stats and points you could want – see. The full list of At Bat features is here.
How to watch MLB TV online:
First, you will need Sign up for an MLB account at MLB.com. You can sign up for a monthly or annual plan, but as noted, the annual plan is the best deal for most people who want to watch baseball throughout the season.
Some subscribers may sign up for streaming content through pre-existing television providers. If this is you you should go here to activate your subscription and link it to an MLB.com account. After that, you will be able to follow the rest of the suggestions.
Once you have an active account, all you have to do is sign in on the right device. Chances are extremely high that you have a device that can watch MLB games alongside your computer. The digital team has been proactive in supporting almost any device you can think of.
If you have a PS3, PS4, Xbox 1 or Xbox 360 connected to your TV, all these consoles have an MLB app you can download. Its name will be MLB.TV. Other devices with the MLB.TV app include smart TV boxes like Roku, Fire TV or Apple TV (2, 3 and 4), some smart Blu-ray players and DVRs like TiVo.
A screenshot from the MLB At Bat iPhone app. All rights, MLB.
If you want to watch it on your iPhone, iPad, or Android device, you’ll want to search for MLB At Bat in your respective app store instead (we’ve already mentioned the subscription model for At Bat apps, but don’t worry—if you subscribe to MLB.TV you’ll get the At Bat premium features at no extra cost. you receive). Any iPhone 4 or newer, iPod Touch (5th generation) or newer, or any iPad 2 or newer can run apps. The latest Android devices can also runhowever, MLB clearly states that video playback on Android is not guaranteed.
A screenshot from the MLB At Bat iPhone app. All rights, MLB.
Something I discovered after I recently installed the At Bat app on my iPhone – when watching a video stream on your phone or computer, it can be a few seconds behind (audio is always synced, don’t worry). If you let the At Bat app forward notifications, you’ll receive alerts for a Grand Slam as the striker moves towards the plate. It might take some of the drama out of the game.
The good news is how much bandwidth you’ll need to enjoy a game – the minimum requirements aren’t that high. If you’re listening to MLB.com Gameday Audio, you’ll need at least 512 kbps; If you are broadcasting MLB.TV in SD you will need 1800 kbps and if you want to broadcast in HD you will need 3000 kbps.
