MLB Network Launches New Streaming App for Cord Cutters; Plans Start at $5.99 per Month
Viewers can stream the MLB Network live on the new app, watch select out-of-market games, and more.
Baseball fans can sometimes get a little down this time of year. The passing of the MLB All-Star Game means the season will soon be moving into its final phase, but the league has a brand-new way to lift the spirits of any fan who is feeling bummed out: the MLB Network App! The app will be sold directly to consumers, and will offer everything found on the linear MLB Network channel, including some live games, studio shows, and even original content.
Key Details:
- The MLB Network App will start at $5.99 per month.
- Viewers can also bundle the MLB Network App with MLB At Bat for an extra $1 per month.
- MLB.TV subscribers will be able to stream MLB Network at no extra cost for the rest of the 2024 season.
The new MLB Network App is available to download now. It’s an excellent way to bypass expensive cable or live TV streaming packages to watch the channel; of the top six live TV streamers, only Hulu + Live TV even carries MLB Network in its base channel package.
Viewers will be able to buy the MLB Network App starting at $5.99 per month. There’s also a bundled option available; customers can add a subscription to MLB At Bat for an extra $1 per month if they choose. MLB At Bat includes live game audio for every MLB team, video streams of Minor League games, and the MLB Big Inning whip-around show. A subscription to MLB At Bat alone costs $3.99 per month, so the bundled option is a good deal. Unfortunately, even with the MLB Network App fans will be subject to blackout rules if their in-market team is playing on the channel.
“As the way viewers consume content continues to evolve, we are excited for baseball fans to have this new option to experience MLB Network through direct-to-consumer streaming,” MLB Network president Bill Morningstar said. “Going this direction allows us to significantly expand our reach to fans and gives them more choices on how they want to watch the Network’s Emmy Award-winning coverage.”
Will MLB Network App Bundle with MLB.TV Next Season?
There was no announced plan to offer the new MLB Network App alongside the MLB.TV out-of-market games platform next year, but a combo plan that features both services makes too much sense for the league to ignore. Such a bundle would allow fans to watch out-of-market games and shoulder programming, including analysis and highlights, all without a cable subscription.
There’s also the possibility that MLB.TV subscribers will be able to watch MLB Network free for the rest of this season. According to MLB, “current and future MLB.TV paid subscribers can stream MLB Network for the remainder of this season at no additional cost.”
The launch of the new MLB Network App brings back the question of an in-market streaming platform for MLB teams. League commissioner Rob Manfred has made clear he wants such a service sooner rather than later, though his target launch date of 2025 appears to be a bit too ambitious given the current, scattered state of local MLB rights.
Customers can sign up for the new MLB Network App now. For baseball fans who are looking for an excuse to ditch an expensive pay-TV plan, MLB just served it up like a fastball hanging over the middle of the plate.
MLB Network (App)
If you want to watch MLB Network without a live TV streaming subscription, the MLB Network app allows you to watch live out-of-market games and award-winning studio shows, with player access and special features. Access to the service is included for free for any MLB.TV subscribers.