Colorado Rockies Announce New Linear Channel for In-Market Broadcasts; How to Watch Rockies, Padres, Diamondbacks

The 2024 MLB season begins on Thursday, March 28, and ahead of the first pitch, the Colorado Rockies made a big announcement that their local fans will want to pay close attention to. While the news has nothing to do with a big trade or the team’s beloved mascot Dinger, it will be important for Rockies fans who live in the team’s media market. On Thursday, the Rockies announced that their games will be available on an MLB-owned linear TV channel this season, which will be carried by top Denver-area providers including Xfinity, Spectrum, DIRECTV, and Fubo.

• The arrangement for broadcasting Rockies games is similar to MLB’s strategy for offering Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres games in 2023.
• Rockies fans can also stream the team in-market via a special plan of MLB.TV.
• DIRECTV STREAM is the best live TV service for watching the Rockies, Diamondbacks, and Padres this season.

MLB has taken over the broadcast duties for Rockies games because the team is no longer available on AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain. In fact, no team is available on that channel as it does not exist anymore; the network’s parent company Warner Bros. Discovery decided to leave its regional sports network business behind in 2023.

The process of creating a new channel and broadcasting games on its own has been a big task for MLB, which had to approach cable and satellite companies directly and negotiate carriage deals for the new Rockies channel. This tedious process is exactly what the league had to do in 2023, when the Arizona Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres both left their respective Bally Sports channels after seeing their broadcasting contracts rejected by the channels’ parent company Diamond Sports Group in bankruptcy court.

Rockies fans now have multiple ways to watch the team. The new linear channel will be available in Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah, as well as parts of western Nebraska, eastern Idaho, and northern New Mexico. Additionally, fans can watch the team on a special plan via MLB.TV, which is normally an out-of-market platform but will offer in-market games of the Rockies this season. This plan costs $19.99 per month or $99.99 per season.

Which Platforms Allow You to Watch Diamondbacks, Padres and Rockies?

Denver-area fans can find the new Rockies channel on linear TV via Spectrum or Xfinity cable. DIRECTV’s satellite service is also carrying the channel, and cord-cutters can find it on DIRECTV STREAM and Fubo as well. Customers who frequent bars and restaurants that offer DIRECTV will be able to see games there as well via DIRECTV for Business.

Check out the chart of channel numbers for the new MLB-run Rockies channel below:

Like the Rockies, the Padres and Diamondbacks will continue to have their games produced and distributed by MLB this year. DIRECTV has confirmed that it will carry those channels as well, and because of the flexibility offered by DIRECTV STREAM, we at The Streamable think this is the best way to enjoy MLB games whether you’re a Diamondbacks, Padres or Rockies fan this year.

DIRECTV STREAM comes with a five-day free trial and the best selection of top cable channels of any live TV service. You’ll want to sign up for DIRECTV STREAM’s Choice package ($98.99 per month for a limited time) to get access to your local RSN or MLB-owned channel.

Fubo starts at $91.98 per month, and it also offers a free trial of varying lengths based on what time of month a customer subscribes. This streamer also carries all three MLB-run channels, so you can use it to watch the Diamondbacks, Padres, or Rockies depending on your area. Fubo offers a wide variety of regional sports networks, so it’s perfect for watching NBA and NHL games as well as the start of the MLB season.