mlb.com

Replacing sports is a difficult task, as services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu offer a great variety of entertainment without any sporting focus. However, there is one service which offers sporting content along with other types of programming- Fubo TV. Unfortunately, this service lacks access to some of the most popular leagues in the US. Among all the prestigious leagues, MLB.TV is considered to have the best league package. MLB Advanced Media, the brand that manages this network provides service to networking giants such as HBO. MLB.TV has a lot of hype surrounding it and for good reason. Its league package is comprehensive, with plenty of content to keep fans entertained. Today, we will try and uncover this baseball streaming network so that you can check it out for yourself!

MLB.tv not to be confused with MLB.com

MLB.tv is MLB's primary website for streaming its content, while MLB.com has a comprehensive approach. It provides highlights, audio and video streaming, merchandise, tickets, game information, fantasy leagues, and baseball memorabilia. So you can consider the .com domain to be the parent domain of the .tv domain.

History

MLB.tv is a subscription-based audio video service that MLB Advanced Media offers. They have two different types of services based on tiers. The first tier is called "The MLB.tv Premium experience," and it costs $119 per year. This service allows users to watch and listen to high-quality baseball content using their internet connection. The second tier is called "The MLB.tv Basic experience," and it costs $39 per year. This service allows users to watch limited content, but it's still high quality. The subscription is straightforward and as mentioned earlier, it has two tiers - MLB.tv All Teams and MLB.tv Single team.

If you want access to all the teams, then purchasing the first package is the way to go. However, if you only want access to one team, then purchasing the single team option is the better choice.

Design

I really enjoy the features that MLB.TV offers such as the live game streaming, player bios, and interactive graphs. The website is very user-friendly and easy to navigate. Overall, I highly recommend MLB.TV website for sport lovers of all levels of interest. The layout is very clear and easy to use. On first impression, the website's header design is well-done and blends in well with the menus on the right and left. There is a search bar on the right, and underneath this are 14 menus - 9 on the left, and 5 on the right. The layout is easy to understand and use.

This website is packed with news, video, stats, schedule, roster, and community information. The amount of detail that has been put into this website is quite astounding.

There is a small video player on the left side of the screen and there are detailed player data on the right. You can check out stats and any other information regarding a player using the Search by Roster option on the right. At the center, you will find images of any player you choose and you will get the entire dataset including Playing Status, Full Name, Birthdate, Bats/Throws, HT, WT, Bio, Debut and College. Thus, you can possibly dig deep and find anything you want to know about the players in your team.

If you scroll down, you can find news stories, fantasy news, and an image gallery for that particular player. What I like about this network is that it provides the same in-depth coverage in its app as well. You can find an app on the iOS or Android store and sign-in within a minute.

The website is responsive and pretty quick on the phone, as well. The drop-down menus are on point and do not obstruct the browsing experience on the phone regardless of your display size. My experience on Pixel 3a was quite decent. Though not as great as the desktop, it was still pretty close.

I want to let you know that a lot of people get bugged by the sign-up procedure on this network. But trust me, the sign-up procedure on this network is amazing. You just provide your email address and add the payment method, and you're done. What's interesting is that you don't even have to create an account and can even subscribe as a guest.

Content

MLB.TV is a dedicated television channel for Major League Baseball, so viewers will only get MLB coverage on this network. If you're not from the USA and are not familiar with baseball, consider this league one of your nation's top leagues, in terms of importance. I don't like that there's a blackout for local games on this channel. Local TV stations have broadcasting rights and so you won't be able to watch the game until it finishes. It's only after 90 minutes that you'll be able to stream it to the device. And that's quite late when you compare it with how the real-time internet works. It's beyond annoying, it's infuriating. If you suffer from the same issue, I would advise you to change your location via VPN, so you can stream in real-time without having to wait.

The first exception is the All-Star Game which will not be televised. MLB.TV does not feature every regular game. There are two exceptions: the All-Star Game which will not be televised, and games between divisional opponents.

2. You won't be able to watch nationally broadcast games such as the playoffs or Sunday Night Baseball, unless you have cable and your team is playing on one of the channels that their rights are owned by. So, unless your team is playing on a cable channel, you'll only be able to see their games during the regular season.

These are two reasons why baseball fans turn to alternatives to buying MLB.tv packages. As baseball fans, we want to watch as many matches as possible and especially of the team we love the most.

Though the app does not provide a good experience for watching live broadcasts without a VPN, I do appreciate the advanced audio features. Having the ability to listen to the radio while watching the live broadcast brings us closer to the classic baseball culture.

Even with the TV networks being a little delayed, features like being able to watch highlights of past matches keeps you glued to the game.

Desktop/Mobile experience

I am not satisfied with the network's streaming quality, but I must give credit where credit is due. The streaming quality at 16 MBPS was not hindered and there were no discrepancies when streaming on the website. As opposed to 32MBPS (which I use generally), the quality fluctuated a little, but there was no buffering or choppiness throughout the stream. I found that the Ethernet connection provided a better streaming experience than the Wi-Fi connection on this website. You should definitely try it out if you're having problems with your Wi-Fi network. I connected my Xbox and the streaming quality along with the stability was impressive.

Compatibility

One of the many great things about MLB.tv is its high compatibility. Users can easily stream at 60 frames per second and can stream from any device. From iOS, Android, Chromecast, Apple TV, iPad, PlayStation 4, Xbox One or Roku, you can stream without any hassle. Based on your internet speed you can even adjust between the SD and HD quality streams. By default, MLB.tv offers users advice on having at least 3mbps speed for a smooth streaming experience. A list of devices which are compatible with MLB.tv is below.

I think you have access to one of these devices. This makes accessing MLB.tv not much of a challenge for you.

Plans & Pricing

There are multiple ways to access MLB.TV. Depending on what package you're purchasing, different features may or may not be available. For example, the postseason package is priced at $24.99 and allows users to access all the games from previous seasons, as well as live streaming of certain events (like spring training games). If you want to have complete access to all the team's information, either pay $118.99 per year or spend $24.99 on a monthly basis. If you just want to follow one team like me, then you have to pay $91.99. However, I'm thinking about changing my plan and having access to all the teams as the price difference isn't too much. Lastly, the prices have gone up from last year, but they're still within limits.

Suggestions I have for MLB.TV

I think that MLB.tv should work on real-time streaming for subscribers. If you are paying the money, you will not compromise on the broadcast under any circumstances.

Conclusion

I believe that MLB.TV is a great initiative because the streaming is smooth and the compatibility is top-notch. If you're into baseball, I don't see any reason why you should miss out on this service.