It’s officially spring, and with spring comes the start of another new season: baseball season.
While the season technically kicked off last week in Seoul, South Korea, opening day in the United States is set for tomorrow, March 28. The first game of the season, set for 1:10 p.m. ET, will be between the New York Mets and Milwaukee Brewers.
The Texas Rangers enter the 2024 season as defending World Series champs, and they’re slated to play in the first national primetime game of the season against the Chicago Cubs. It’ll air at 7:35 p.m. ET on March 28, exclusively on ESPN.
Want to make sure you get all the baseball action available this year? Here’s how to watch the 2024 MLB season live online.
HOW TO WATCH MLB GAMES LIVE ONLINE:
This year, nationally broadcast MLB games will air on ESPN, ESPN+, FOX, FS1, TBS, and the MLB Network. The MLB schedule on the ESPN website includes a column that notes if a game is airing nationally and where.
If you have a valid cable login, you can livestream MLB games at the following locations:
ESPN: 2024 MLB games airing on ESPN, including weekly Sunday Night Baseball, can be streamed via the “watch live” section on the ESPN website or the ESPN app, which you can download on the Apple App Store, Google Play, or Amazon.
ESPN+: Stream at least one live MLB game per day, all season long on ESPN+. Local market blackout restrictions apply to out-of-market games, which you can stream live, rewind, or replay on up to three devices at once. You can also download the ESPN+ app on the Apple App Store, Google Play, or Amazon.
FOX: MLB games airing on FOX can be streamed on Fox.com, the Fox Now app, and the Fox Sports app (available on the Apple App Store, Amazon, and Google Play).
FS1: You can watch the MLB on FS1 via the Fox Sports “live tv” section or the Fox Sports app (available on the Apple App Store, Google Play, and Amazon).
TBS: You can find an MLB live stream on TBS live via TBS.com and the Watch TBS app, which is available to download on the Apple App Store, Amazon, or Google Play. Games that air on TBS will also be available to stream on Max with the Bleacher Report sports add-on; currently free, it will eventually cost an additional $9.99/month to keep live sports on your account.
MLB Network: You can watch MLB Network live online via the “watch live” section of the website.
A handful of streaming services will also carry a number of exclusive-to-them games this season with no regional blackouts. Here’s everything you need to know about those games:
AppleTV+: Each Friday, Apple TV+ will stream two games, starting March 29. These double headers are available for subscribers to stream regardless of their location. Apple TV+ costs $6.99/month. Heads up, if you don’t have Apple products, you’ll need the app on your TV. Android phones and tablets don’t support AppleTV+. To check out the Friday Night Baseball schedule through June 28, head over to Apple TV+’s website.
Prime Video: Prime Video is the exclusive streaming home of 21 New York Yankees games this season. The games stream at no additional charge to Amazon Prime members ($14.99/month), and even viewers in the NY/NJ area will be able to watch without being location-blocked. The games feature the announcing team from the Yankees’ local network, YES, and you can find out which games will air on Prime here.
IS ESPN ON HULU?
Yes! Hulu + Live TV offers an ESPN live stream with a valid subscription. The streaming service also has FOX, FS1, MLB Network, and TBS. It will cost $76.99/month or $89.99/month for an ad-free subscription package — both packages come with ESPN+ at no additional cost as well.
CAN I STREAM MLB GAMES ON DIRECTV STREAM, SLING TV, FUBO, HULU + LIVE TV, OR YOUTUBE TV?
Yes! Every major live-streaming service offers multiple channels that will air national MLB games in 2024. Here are all the pertinent channels offered by each platform:
DirecTV Stream ($75+/month) | Sling TV *($55+/month) | Fubo ($75+/month) | Hulu + Live TV ($77+/month) | Youtube TV ($73+/month) | |
ESPN | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
MLB Network | ✔ | ✔ (with sports add-on +$11/month) | ✔ | ✔ | |
Fox | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Fox Sports 1 | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
TBS | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ | ✔ |
Depending on your location, DirecTV Stream is the only live TV streaming service that carries local sports networks in addition to the national ones, but you’ll have to get the Choice + Sports Pack for that. For example, users in the Chicago area will get two additional channels included that carry the Cubs and White Sox games locally.
*The only way to get all of the included channels with Sling TV is to subscribe to the Orange & Blue plan, which costs $55-60/month depending on your location.
HOW TO WATCH OUT-OF-MARKET MLB GAMES:
Say you’re a Dodgers fan who moved across the country and, therefore lost access to Bally Sports SoCal, but you still want to watch your team. MLB.TV is what you’re looking for. The service has two subscription plans that allow you to watch out-of-market games from wherever you’re located.
The first, which costs $29.99/month through Amazon Prime Video, includes every game from every team that isn’t in your local market. The second is the single-team pass, which costs $129.99/year and includes every game from the out-of-market team of your choice. Both of these include a seven-day free trial.
HOW TO WATCH MLB GAMES ONLINE FOR FREE:
YouTube TV, MLB.TV, Apple TV+, Peacock, Prime Video, and FuboTV offer free trials for eligible subscribers.
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This article was written by Angela Tricarico, Commerce Writer/Reporter for Decider. Angela keeps readers up to date with cord-cutter-friendly deals, how to watch your favorite sports teams and movies on each streaming service and the very best in tech, like soundbars, to enhance your viewing experience. Not only does Angela test and compare the services, devices and merch she writes about, but she’s also a superfan specializing in the intersection of shopping, tech and pop culture. Prior to joining Decider and the New York Post in 2023, she wrote about streaming and consumer tech at Insider Reviews.
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