Baseball’s 2021 return has brought no shortage of fireworks. The season’s early weeks have brought two no-hitters, among other surprises. And fans are watching the games on MLB.TV in growing numbers. The start of the season was the most-watched 18-day period in the 20-season history of MLB.TV.
From Opening Day to April 18, fans watched more than 1.34 billion minutes of live games on MLB.TV. That’s a 12% increase compared to the first 18 days of last season, and 43% higher from the same time period of the 2019 season. It all started on Opening Day with MLB.TV viewership up 26% from last year, making it the most-watched opener on the platform. And the extra-innings Blue Jays-Yankees opener was MLB.TV’s most-watched game of all time.
MLB.TV’s extended reach is certainly helping. The product was given away free to T-Mobile subscribers and YouTube TV customers got a free preview in March.
MLB.TV includes out-of-market access to almost every game (excluding ESPN, FOX, and MLB Network telecasts). This is ideal for fans who live away from their favorite team or want to catch teams or players out of their local area. The service costs $129.99 for the 2021 MLB Season. They also offer a $109.99 plan for a single team’s out-of-market games.
Subscribers not only have access to live streaming games, but also throwback All-Star Games and Home Run Derbies, along with old episodes of “This Week in Baseball” dating back to the 1970s. There are also documentaries and shows like “Epic Innings,” which highlights some of the most important moments from the most important games. If you have a supported iPad, you can use pitch-by-pitch tracking to see the location, type, and speed of every pitch.
This year, MLB.TV also launched “MLB Big Inning,” a streaming-only studio show that brings viewers all the MLB action as it’s happening. It’s basically the baseball equivalent of NFL RedZone.
Especially with all the drama surrounding RSNs, MLB.TV offers the easiest way to track out-of-market games for any team.