There are too many ways to pay for streaming TV services now, and that includes MLB.TV.
Major League Baseball’s out-of-market streaming service isn’t just available directly through the league. You can also subscribe through Amazon Prime, Sling, and Fubo. (T-Mobile customers can also redeem a full season of MLB.TV for free this week.)
But unless you sign up for MLB.TV directly, you might wind up paying more, plus you’ll miss out on some major subscription perks unless you take extra steps to redeem them.
MLB.TV can cost more elsewhere
The main reason to get MLB.TV is to stream live, out-of-market baseball games. That perk is the same no matter where you sign up, at least if want to watch any non-local team. (Watching your home team is a different story; you can read about your in-market baseball streaming options here.)
But depending on where you live and which teams you want to watch, MLB.TV can cost more from other sources.
Fubo and Sling TV, for instance, offer only MLB.TV’s “all teams” package, which costs $30 per month. You can’t sign up for MLB.TV’s single-team plans, which cost $130 for the entire season.
Fubo and Sling don’t sell full-season subscriptions, either. They only offer monthly plans at $30 per month, versus $150 per year through MLB.TV directly. Over the full six-month season, MLB’TV’s annual plan would save you $30. (The league also typically offers MLB.TV deals as the season goes on.)
For fans of the Diamondbacks, Guardians, Rockies, Twins, and Padres, there’s one more wrinkle to consider: MLB distributes those teams’ in-market games for $100 per season, with an option to bundle MLB.TV’s out-of-market coverage for an extra $100 instead of the usual $150. This bundle deal isn’t available from other providers.
Similarly, the league is partnering with NBC Sports to deliver in-market games for the Phillies ($25 per month), Giants ($20 per month), and Athletics ($20 per month). You can add MLB.TV’s out-of-market games to those plans for an extra $20 per month, but you’ll pay the full $30-per-month price if you sign up anywhere else.
The perks take extra work
An MLB.TV subscription has additional benefits that are available through the MLB app:
- Access to the MLB Network live feed
- MLB Big Inning for whip around game coverage
- Live game audio
- The ability to listen to the radio broadcast while watching the telecast
Redeeming those perks without a direct MLB.TV subscription takes extra steps. You’ll need to visit this page, where you can connect your MLB account with your account for Fubo, Sling TV, Amazon, or any pay TV provider that sells MLB Extra Innings. After doing that, you’ll be able to log into the MLB app on any device and access the full benefits of an MLB.TV subscription.
This link isn’t easy to find, and MLB’s support page on activating MLB.TV service through a pay TV provider links to a separate page that doesn’t connect Amazon accounts. I only got the correct link by asking Amazon PR, which provided it after publication.
There’s also one notable downside to the free season of MLB.TV that T-Mobile is offering its customers this week: Unlike a standard MLB.TV subscription, it doesn’t include an MLB Network live feed. If that channel is a must, you must pay for it separately.
Think before you subscribe
Third-party MLB.TV subscriptions aren’t completely without merit. If you’re already paying for Fubo or Sling TV, for instance, adding MLB.TV will let you watch out-of-market games in the same app you use to watch lots of other live sporting events. You’ll also have one fewer billing system to manage.
But is that worth potentially paying more and either getting less or dealing with account linking hassles? I think not.
Correction: An earlier version of this story said there was no apparent way to link an Amazon account to the MLB app. After publication, Amazon provided a way to connect these accounts and access all MLB.TV features.
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Author: Jared Newman, Contributor
Jared has been a freelance technology journalist for more than 15 years and is a regular contributor to PCWorld, Fast Company, and TechHive, where he's written a weekly cord-cutting column since 2014. His Cord Cutter Weekly newsletter has more than 30,000 subscribers, and his Advisorator tech advice newsletter is read by nearly 10,000 people each week. Jared has a master's degree in journalism from NYU and specializes in making complex tech topics easy to understand, from streaming and cord-cutting to neat apps and useful tech tricks. He is based in Cincinnati, OH.