How to watch Major League Baseball if you've cut the cord
With so many options — one is sure to be a home run for you.
Updated April 30, 2019: YouTube and YouTube TV will get 13 exclusive games in the second half of the season. More here.
America's "National Pastime" has been a pioneer in sports streaming, so there should little surprise that Major League Baseball is friendly to CordCutters. Baseball was around long before television, and it adapted stadiums with lights and cameras so the game looks great on screen. Now, MLB can look fantastic streaming to every screen you have, even without cable TV.
MLB wants to find fans wherever they are, so they have an ever growing list of ways CordCutters can look in on a ballgame. All you have to do is figure out which options fit best into your life. So take a break from playing catch, put down your glove, and take a look at our guide to watching Major League Baseball if you've cut the cord.
Watch MLB using an over the air antenna
Any CordCutter who wants to watch sports, including MLB, should start with the same method. An over-the-air antenna lets you watch broadcast networks, including any MLB games broadcast in your area.
Once you hook up an antenna to your TV tuner, you can turn to your local Fox affiliate to watch 25 nationally televised MLB games during the regular season, which starts March 20. Most of them are part of Fox's Saturday MLB Game of the Week. Fox is also the home of the MLB All Star Game on July 9, 2019.
The best over-the-air antennas available
Fox is home to many MLB playoff games, as they will broadcast the 2019 American League Playoffs, with some games appearing on their cable network FS1. In even years like 2020, Fox carries the National League Playoffs instead. Fox is the exclusive home of the World Series.
MLB fans in a few cities are going to find more uses for their antenna. You can find local broadcasts of MLB games for the following eight teams, where you can root for the home team without needing a subscription.
- Chicago Cubs - ABC7
- Chicago White Sox - WGN9
- Cleveland Indians - WKYC
- Los Angeles Dodgers - KTLA5
- New York Mets - PIX11
- New York Yankees - PIX11
- Philadelphia Phillies - WCAU10
- San Francisco Giants - KNTV11
If you want to use your over-the-air antenna with a smartphone, tablet, or streaming device, you should consider buying an over-the-air streaming box. These devices take the channels that the antenna can pick up, and convert them into streams that smart devices can use on your local network.
The best over-the-air streaming device
Watch MLB on Live Streaming Services
An antenna isn't the only way to watch the broadcast MLB games. You can see the MLB on Fox through several of the live streaming services. If you already subscribe to one of the live streaming services, or you are considering a free trial to check them out, be sure to check each to see if they offer your local Fox station. If you live near one of the eight teams with local broadcast deals, be sure to check for those stations too, as well your regional sports networks which we will mention soon.
- Look up local channels on DirecTV Now
- Look up local channels on FuboTV
- Look up local channels on Hulu Live (scroll down and enter your ZIP code)
- Look up local channels on PlayStation Vue
- Look up local channels on Sling TV
- Look up local channels on YouTube TV
If your live streaming subscriptions supports it, you can use your login to watch MLB games streaming live using the Fox Sports Go app. You will need to login to activate the app, and it is available for Android devices, iPhones, iPads, Fire Tablets, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, Roku, Windows and Xbox One.
Watch MLB on FS1
There will be plenty of MLB games to watch on networks beyond the broadcasts. FS1 is Fox' 24 hour sports network, and they also carry a slate of MLB games. With FS1, you can watch 38 regular season MLB games, and together with Fox broadcast it is home to the American League Playoffs in 2019. Most of the MLB on FS1 will be Saturday day games.
| PSVue | DirecTV Now | Sling | Hulu Live | YouTube TV | Philo | Fubo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| FS1 | x | x | x | x | x | x |
As we mentioned with Fox, MLB games on FS1 are also available to you in the Fox Sports Go app. You will need to login to activate the app, which is available for Android devices, iPhones, iPads, Fire Tablets, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, Roku, Windows and Xbox One.
Watch MLB on ESPN
ESPN has over 50 games currently on the ESPN & ESPN2 MLB schedule for this year, and they have added games during the summer in past seasons.
ESPN games are typically spread out between Sunday Night Baseball, Monday Night Baseball and Wednesday Night Baseball games. The worldwide leader in sports network is also home to the AL Wildcard Game this year.
| PSVue | DirecTV Now | Sling | Hulu Live | YouTube TV | Philo | Fubo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ESPN | x | x | x | x | x | ||
| ESPN2 | x | x | x | x | x |
ESPN and ESPN2 games are available to you in the ESPN app. You can watch their MLB games on any device that runs the app. You will need a login to activate the app. The ESPN app is available on Android phones and tablets, iPhones, iPads, Fire Tablets, Apple TV, Android TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, and Roku.
Watch MLB on TBS
TBS has been airing national MLB games since 2007, and while the rest of the network leans heavy on comedy, they take a serious approach to baseball coverage. They have brought in more experienced announcers mixed with former players who have the personality for TV. TBS does not release a schedule before the season, but Sunday MLB on TBS features 13 Sunday afternoon games running from July through September.
TBS is also the exclusive home of entire National League Playoffs in 2019. They alternate coverage with Fox & FS1, so in an even year like 2020 they will host the American League Playoffs.
| PSVue | DirecTV Now | Sling | Hulu Live | YouTube TV | Philo | Fubo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TBS | x | x | x | x | x | x |
You can stream TBS live, and Sunday MLB on TBS in the TBS app. You will need to login from a streaming service or other subscription with TBS included to activate the app. The TBS app is available on Android phones and tablets, iPhones, iPads, Fire Tablets, Apple TV, Android TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, and Roku.
Watch MLB on MLB Network
MLB has been very active in getting their games out to fans in as many ways as possible. Like the other major sports leagues, they created their own channel in MLB Network to have another way to directly reach baseball fans.
One of the best parts of MLB Network is the huge amount of games it makes available. Last season, it aired over 300 MLB regular season games. They haven't put out a schedule yet, but even if they had it might be too overwhelming to be useful. Just tune in to MLB Network and chances are there will be a game on.
| PSVue | DirecTV Now | Sling | Hulu Live | YouTube TV | Philo | Fubo | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MLB Network | x | x | x | x |
The MLB Network streams inside the MLB app or MLB At Bat app. The app is available on iPhones, iPads and Android phones and tablets. You can also watch on your computer at mlbnetwork.com/watch
Watch MLB on DAZN
DAZN has something brand new for MLB fans. The sports streaming service will offer ChangeUp, a weeknight whip around show with live look-ins and highlights for every game during the broadcast. This may sound like a familiar idea, because it will be very similar to the popular NFL Redzone channel.
The show will begin before the first night game, and run all the way until the last game of the night wraps up. Instead of watching just one game, or needing to flip between feeds yourself, you can see all the big plays in all the games on one night. On weekends, DAZN is promising wrap up shows on demand, so you can see the best of baseball anytime you want.
DAZN is $10 per month, with a free trial that gets you the first month at no cost. You can watch DAZN on Android devices, iPhones, iPads and Fire Tablets. You can also get DAZN on Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, Roku, smart TVs from LG, Samsung and Vizio, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles.
Watch MLB on ESPN+
If you love baseball and MLB, ESPN+ is a great service with an offer that is easy to understand. ESPN+ subscribers can watch a live game daily for the entire MLB season. That means for only $5 per month, you can see over 180 live MLB games. That is a ton of baseball games, on top of all of the other professional and college sports, UFC & Boxing events, studio programming, and originals that are a part of ESPN+.
ESPN+ makes it easier to get all of MLB, by offering an MLB.TV add-on as part of the service. You can upgrade your ESPN+ account to add MLB.TV to get access to hundreds of MLB games outside of your local market for $119 for the season. If you prefer to pay monthly, the add on is $25 per month. Plus you get it all on one bill, and can watch it all in one place.
ESPN+ lives inside the popular ESPN app, which you may already have installed. It is available on Android phones and tablets, iPhones, iPads, and Fire tablets. You can also get ESPN+ in the app on Apple TV, Android TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, Roku, Samsung smart TVs, Oculus Go, PlayStation 4 or Xbox One.
Watch your local MLB team on a Regional Sports Networks
"Let me root, root, root for the home team"
"Take Me Out to the Ball Game" has been a part of baseball fandom for over 100 years, and this line is a big part of why it is meaningful for MLB fans. If you want to root for your local team by watching all of their games, the best way is on your Regional Sports Network. Teams have local agreements with regional sports networks to carry almost all of their games.
The majority of MLB team Regional Sports Networks are available on at least one live streaming service. However, fans of six teams will be disappointed to find no current options to stream their local MLB team games. We hope that things improve in the future for fans of the Orioles, Rockies, Dodgers, Pirates, Mariners and Nationals, and we will update this page if they become available.
Find your local team, and local network, in this chart to see which streaming service offers the games you want. When you sign up for your free trial, make sure you choose a plan that includes the Regional Sports Network, and check your ZIP code to ensure you're included.
| Team/Sports Network | PSVue | DTV Now | Sling | Hulu Live | YTTV | Fubo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Diamondbacks / FS Arizona | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| Atlantic Braves / FS Southeast | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| Baltimore Orioles / MASN | ||||||
| Boston Red Sox / NESN | x | x | x | |||
| Chicago Cubs / NBCS Chicago 83 games | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| Chicago Cubs / WGN 45 games | ||||||
| Chicago White Sox / NBCS Chicago | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| Cincinnati Reds / FS Ohio | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| Cleveland Indians / FST Ohio | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| Colorado Rockies / AT&T SN Rocky Mtn | ||||||
| Detroit Tigers / FS Detroit | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| Houston Astros / AT&T SN Southwest | x | |||||
| Kansas City Royals / FS Kansas City | x | x | x | x | ||
| Los Angeles Angels / FS West | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| Los Angeles Dodgers / Spectrum SN LA | ||||||
| Miami Marlins / FS Sun & FS FL | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| Milwaukee Brewers / FS North-Wisc. | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| Minnesota Twins / FS North | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| New York Mets / SNY | x | x | x | x | x | |
| New York Yankees / YES | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| Oakland Athletics / NBCS CA | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| Philadelphia Phillies / NBCS Philly | x | x | x | x | ||
| Pittsburgh Pirates / AT&T SN Pitt. | ||||||
| San Diego Padres / FS San Diego | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| San Francisco Giants / NBCS Bay Area | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| Seattle Mariners / Root Sports NW | ||||||
| St Louis Cardinals / FS Midwest | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| Tampa Bay Rays / FS Sun & FS Florida | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| Texas Rangers / FS Southwest | x | x | x | x | x | x |
| Toronto Blue Jays / SN One (Canada) | ||||||
| Washington Nationals / MASN |
Blue Jays fans living in Canada may want to look into SportsNet Now for streaming those local games. Sportsnet Now is a sports streaming service that covers the Toronto Blue Jays as well as other Canadian sports including NHL and Toronto Raptors.
The Sportsnet Now app is available for mobile devices, including iPhones, iPads, and Android phones and tablets. You can also watch SportsNet now on TV with their apps for Apple TV, PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. They also support Chromecast.
Listen to MLB games on SiriusXM
If you are a long time MLB fan, baseball of your youth was on the AM radio. Today, even with HD streams to every screen, there are some times when you can't watch baseball, but you can listen to the game. SiriusXM can be a perfect option, offering every game from Opening Day to the final outs of the World Series.
SiriusXM will have live game broadcasts of every MLB regular season and playoff game of 2019. You will have the chance to choose either the home or away team broadcasts, so you can get the local flavor of any team you would like. The service also has channels dedicated to MLB discussion and analysis, and will do special baseball programming on other SiriusXM sports channels on Opening Day as well as major events during the season.
MLB.tv
If you want to watch nearly every MLB game possible, the best choice available is MLB.tv. The official MLB out-of-market packages give subscribers more access than any other plans.
There are two MLB.tv options available. The All Teams plan gives you every out-of-market regular season game, and you can watch them live or later on demand for $119 for the season, or $25 monthly. The Single Team plan gives you all the regular season games of one out-of-team market for $92 for the season. Out-of-market means neither plan will show you games by your local team, so the regional sports network options above will be a better option if you live close to the MLB team you want to watch.
In addition to subscribing directly through MLB website, you can add MLB.tv to some of your existing streaming subscriptions. MLB.tv All Teams plan can be added to ESPN+. MLB.tv is also available as an Amazon Channel, allowing you to watch all the baseball and get additional features like X-Ray for in game statistics. MLB.tv has been announced as an add on for YouTube TV back in 2018, but it has not shown up as an option on the service yet.
The MLB.tv service works inside the MLB At Bat mobile app and the MLB app for TVs. It is also available in modern web browsers. The MLB app for TVs supports Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Fire TV, and Roku, as well as Samsung smart TVs and game consoles PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
Watch MLB on MLB At Bat App
The MLB At Bat mobile app offers more than just a login for MLB.tv subscriptions. In fact, the app has a mobile only subscription option that costs less, and still offers lots of great features. For only $3 per month, or $20 for the season, you can unlock the app and gain access to a free MLB.tv game of the day, as well as in game highlights and an advanced Gameday experience where you watch a Statcast of any game.
The MLB At Bat app is available for iPhones and iPads, Android phones and tablets, and Fire tablets. All of the features of the MLB At Bat app are included in the MLB.TV All teams subscription at no additional cost, plus it will then support the additional game video and audio broadcasts.
Get MLB At Bat for iPhones and iPads Get MLB At Bat on Google Play Get MLB At Bat on Amazon Appstore
Watch MLB on YouTube and YouTube TV
YouTube in late April 2019 announced that it would get exclusive rights to 13 games in the second half of the season. That's a pretty small number given that each of the 30 teams plays 162 games over the course of the season, but here we are. They'll be shown on a new channel on YouTube TV (which already has the MLB Channel), as well as streamed on YouTube proper.
The exact games and dates were not immediately announced. The streams will be available in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Each game will have pre-game and post-game shows and feature "YouTube-themed content from popular YouTube creators," according to TechCrunch.
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