MLB.TV 2015 subscription details

Different baseball fans will have their own little signposts that mark the journey from the cold off-season – warmed slightly every now and then by the transaction ‘hot stove’ – to the glorious sunny skies (in Arizona and Florida, at least) that herald Spring Training and the baseball season drifting into view.

One of my favourite ‘baseball is coming’ moments every year is checking my Inbox and finding an e-mail from MLB.com informing me that my annual MLB.TV Premium subscription is about to be automatically renewed for another year.

Default automatic renewals can be a real pain in many situations, but with MLB.TV it doesn’t bother me in the slightest. Whatever the world threw at me, I’d find a way to pay for my MLB.TV subscription.

The auto-renewal e-mails started going out late on Friday night a couple of weeks after details of the 2015 subscriptions were first announced.

The 2015 subscription details

MLB.com will be offering the same two subscription levels that we’ve come to expect in recent years.

The MLB.TV Premium package costs $130 (approximately £84.50. UPDATE: as noted in the comments, it’s actually approximately £101 as we now have to add 20% VAT) and gives you live and on-demand access to the home and road TV and radio feeds for every single game of the regular season, plus all of the postseason games for us in the UK (these are blocked – or ‘blacked out’ – in the States) and lots of Spring Training games too.

Crucially, you get the MLB At Bat app (worth $20) annual subscription as part of the Premium subscription and this allows you to watch and listen to games on a variety of ‘connected devices’. Once we get closer to the season, MLB will release the 2015 version of the At Bat app and when you add this to your device(s) you will be able to link your Premium subscription to it and watch or listen to games through this.

The MLB.TV Standard subscription is $20 less than the Premium at $110 (approximately £71.50. UPDATE: actually approximately £86 with VAT included) and the difference between the two mainly comes down to that $20 MLB At Bat app. With a Standard subscription you can only watch and listen to games on your computer (using a newly modified Web-based HD Media Player), although hooking up your laptop to your TV is still an option this way to get the action on a bigger screen.

The key thing to note, if you haven’t subscribed before, is that you will be able to buy the MLB At Bat app on its own for $20; however this will only give you access to the radio feeds of games (although if you can’t/don’t want to spend the money for video streaming, that’s a very affordable alternative way  to follow games for approximately £13). To watch games on the app you must have the MLB.TV Premium subscription as well and that’s why the At Bat app subscription comes bundled in with it.

So, choosing the Standard or Premium subscription simply comes down to whether you want to watch games on things other than your computer or not.

Which devices work for us in the UK?

This is the key question that UK-based fans ask every year and it’s worth having a look at the comments from my 2014 subscription article to get the benefit of some first-hand experience from fellow Brits.

The starting point is MLB.TV’s own Connected Devices page that lists the different products that they say currently work with the MLB.TV app. When you click on an option it takes you to that product’s page and one of the pieces of information you’re provided with is which territories that it will work within.

Currently those published details give you the following options for the UK:

  • Apple TV
  • Chromecast
  • Roku
  • Xbox One and Xbox 360
  • The usual iOS (iPhone, iPad etc) and Android devices

Other devices get a bit complicated. You’ll find from the comments on previous articles here that there are potential workarounds to get PS3 and PS4 to work, whilst the SmartTV and DVD options by Panasonic, LG, Sansung and Sony can be very hit and miss.

Note that the Roku box is basically the exact same device as the Now TV Box and MLB.TV is listed on the available apps for Now TV from when the list was last updated in June 2014, so that should be another option to go with although it would be great if anyone could add a note in the comments section if they can confirm that is the case.

Few differences in 2015

There are no major changes to the MLB.TV service in 2015. In fact, changes have been minimal for several years now and whilst at first glance that may seem disappointing, it’s really testament to how well they have got the core functions right.

MLB.TV is there to allow you to watch and listen to MLB games either live or on demand. It doesn’t need much in the way of innovation and bells and whistles; so long as it does the basics well then that’s all that matters.

Individuals will always have their own experiences on the streaming not working faultlessly from time to time. That’s often more down to local issues then MLB.com itself. I have a fairly standard broadband set-up and over the course of a season there are odd evenings when it can play up a bit, but by and large it works fine and I’m happy enough to switch to a radio feed on the rare occasions when the video streaming isn’t cooperating.

The only difference between 2014 and 2015 really comes for us in terms of how the dollar/pound exchange rate has changed over the past year. The $130 Premium subscription came out at just under £80 this time last year, so although the dollar figure has stayed the same there is a slight increase in price for us.

Even with a few pounds added to the cost, it still seems a small price to pay for an absolute feast of baseball. All we need now are for the games to begin.

73 thoughts on “MLB.TV 2015 subscription details

  1. Matt Crawshaw

    Happy New (Baseball) Year, Matt!

    My understanding with the newer Panasonic Smart TV’s is that the MLB TV app isn’t bundled as standard, but they have a free ‘app store’ where it can be downloaded (which I did last season and it worked fine).

    This year my MLB TV line-up comprises of Apple TV under my (non-Smart TV) in the lounge, smaller Panasonic Smart TV in the bedroom and iPhone 5c to catch anything on the go (more probably audio feeds whilst driving the car thanks to the recent improvement to 4G in most areas).

    £85 or so for the season works out about £7 per month over the calendar year and now with an expansion in supported options, better broadband speeds with the advent of fibre/4G and the removal of that annoying NexDef ‘app within the app’ there has never been a better time to subscribed to MLB TV in my opinion.

    Reply
  2. Ian Blease

    Last year the MLB At Bat app broadcast a live stream of one game per day and that was included in the basic subscription. Has that been axed for this year?

    Reply
    1. Matt Smith Post author

      Hi Ian. Very good point. Yes, over the past couple of seasons they’ve done a ‘Free Game of the Day’ choice that you could watch via MLB At Bat without the Premium subscription. I haven’t seen anything to confirm that it will continue, but by the same token I’ve seen nothing to say it will not. So I’d say there’s a good chance that they’ll be doing it again in 2015 and that adds another option, so non subscribers hopefully will still get one game a day they can watch live for free.

      Matt

      Reply
  3. Ashley Perryy

    I have a. Now Tv box in the bedroom, soley for mlb.tv. As of last week it was still on there and working. Bargain box for a tenner, coupled with Apple TV downstairs its a good easy setup.

    Reply
  4. Johnny Winter

    I have a NowTV box and can confirm the MLB App works fine.

    Not sure if pricing has changed, but mine only cost a tenner, so definitely worth it to get baseball on a big screen (though I have an actual roku too, and these are much better if people don’t mind spending a bit extra – tons more apps available including Netflix)

    Reply
  5. James

    Not sure if anyone can help… I recently upgraded to BT Infinity fibre broadband after experiencing choppy streaming with NHL GameCenter Live. I just wondered if I also have to upgrade my five-year-old Intel Celeron processor laptop in order to achieve a better stream? From what I gather if your computer is more than approximately three years old, then you may experience technical difficulties when attempting to use MLB.TV Premium. I tried a MLB.TV Premium free trial using BT Infinity fibre broadband last season. It was watchable, but not silky smooth. Would I get a better stream on Apple TV? Is the processor more powerful than my old laptop?

    Reply
    1. Matt Smith Post author

      Difficult to say, to be honest. May look like I’m on commission for Now TV(!), but if you hunt around you can pick up one of their boxes (or the original Roku one) relatively cheaply and that may be an option to try on the basis that if it’s not significantly better you at least haven’t spent much to find out.

      Reply
      1. James

        To be honest, I would prefer to use an ethernet cable, so that rules out Now TV. I’ve also been considering buying a Roku. I like the fact that you can plug headphones into the controller, but the fact that as a result of an update for the 2014-2015 season, first-generation Roku players are no longer able to support the NHL Channel. First-generation Roku players include models N1000, N1050, N1101, N1100, 2000C, 2050X, and 2100X gives Apple the edge. I’m buying the device with the sole purpose of watching MLB.TV Premium and NHL GameCenter Live. I’m toing and froing because I read that Apple TV and Roku are releasing new devices later this year. I’m wondering whether the new devices will provide a better MLB.TV Premium stream if they have more powerful processors.

        Reply
      1. James

        Hi Rob. My internet speed is over 3000 kbps. Last time I checked my bandwidth using that link it was 12647 kbps. Last time I ran a speed test, I got the following results PING 17 ms. DOWNLOAD SPEED 40.84 MBPS. UPLOAD SPEED 8.78 Mbps, but most of the time the speed is around the high thirties.

        I have a Intel Celeron(R) Dual-Core CPU T3100 @ 1.90 GHz with Installed memory (RAM) 3.00 GB (2.87 GB usable. I thought I read that most laptops have at least 4.00 GB of RAM these days.

        MLB.TV Premium is watchable, but not smooth like 4oD, BBC iPlayer or Netflix on my laptop. I get annoying little jumps every now and then while watching archived MLB games. I expect the odd technical glitch with live streaming, but not this quality standard with archived games. Would I get a better stream on Apple TV? Is the hardware more powerful than my old laptop? I’m a bit of a technophobe. Thanks in advance for any help you are able to provide.

        Reply
  6. Lee Parkin

    Hi , Nats fan here, Is it too much to ask that sony will release app I can download onto my ps4 before the season starts ?? Also is the now TV box HD ? Thanks

    Reply
    1. Matt Smith Post author

      The Now TV Box is 720p using a HDMI cable so that’s the basic end of HD (Apple TV gives you 720p or 1080p). It’s decent quality, if not full-on lazer sharp, but for £10 (plus a HDMI cable from Poundland!) it’s a really good option at a bargain price.

      Reply
      1. Stevie

        Just subscribed before all star weekend at reduced rate. Did it through iTunes on Apple TV and didn’t link it to my MLB.com account which means no auto subscription renewal (a tip for those like me who like to renew manually after searching for discount codes). 1080 HD from Apple TV looks amazing on the big screen especially watching my Jays have an awesome season!!!

        I don’t have fibre broadband, my speed is usually 9 or 10 mb and it runs flawlessly. I think they state 4mb minimum but I’m not sure if it would default down to 720 at that sort of speed. Hope that’s useful to somebody 🙂

        Reply
  7. Lee Parkin

    Thanks Matt , gonna hold out for the sony app as long as poss then go for the now TV option if all else fails , cant wait either way 😄

    Reply
  8. Jason Campbell

    Guessing Virgin are not going to get the app? I see they have it on TiVo in the US? Ian due a TV upgrade so good info above on the Panasonic

    Reply
    1. Matt Smith Post author

      Hi Ricky.

      I don’t have a hudl so cannot test and say for 100% definite, but I don’t see any reason why it would not work on that device.

      The problems normally come simply where the MLB app is not made available on the chosen device in some countries. As the hudl is an android device, that shouldn’t be a factor because you should be able to download the MLB At Bat app from the standard Play store.

      Some further details on Android devices (mainly the key point of buying MLB Premium first, not getting the app first) can be found on MLB.com

      http://mlb.mlb.com/mlb/subscriptions/index.jsp?c_id=mlb&affiliateId=mlbMENU#premium

      Matt

      Reply
  9. Shaun Taylor

    Hi everyone. Long time MLB TV subscriber, first time poster here. Just wondering if anyone else is having issues trying to order a monthly premium subscription? The only options given on both basic and premium are yearly plans. I really hope they have not stopped offering the monthly plan.

    Any help is much appreciated,
    thanks, Shaun

    Reply
  10. Jon Salt

    Hi Matt, Just tried to pay for the mlb.tv premium subscription on the website, got to the final bit and noticed that they put on a tax making the price approx £103. Is this the norm or new for this year?
    Thanks
    Jon

    Reply
  11. Andy cowlishaw

    Just purchased a new laptop with windows 8 on it, and also purchased mlb premium so now try to download mlb tv app from store it doesn’t exist please help how do I watch the new season cheers Andy

    Reply
  12. Jon Salt

    Hi guys
    has anyone noticed that when you purchase the subscription if you choose UK\Great Britain you get charged the tax, but if you choose Isle of Man you don’t. I know that it has its own government but isn’t it taking the mick just a little bit.
    What does everyone think?

    Reply
  13. Ashley Perry

    Tax laws have changed since Jan 1st. Mlb.tv have taken a hammering over last few days for not informing fans on auto renewal (like myself). However, I had a voicemail and email from a member of staff yesterday confirming I would get the tax back. I would guess it would now still have tax added for new purchases as this issue has been highlighted. Can’t fault how mlb.tv staff have dealt with this awkward situation this weekend, hats off to them.

    Reply
  14. mic

    hi
    with regards the hudl i have used the at bat app for over a year on it with no problem streaming games and with the benefit of using a mini hdmi cable to connect to a spare tv.You can also get the sports120 app on it which is part run by mlb a and is good for news,video,features etc. on all american sports.
    But i would recommend the roku great for mlb game pass. But if you want you can get the Nba.Nhl game pass players and the Nfl now app and also added recently was a Sports illustrated app and a La Dodgers one as well.But it does look from other sites as if there has been an Eu tax added this year based on the vat rate

    Reply
  15. Phil Brooks

    Quite annoyed that we in the UK now have a tax charge. Think i’ll just stick to free games on BT/ESPN.

    Reply
    1. E C Graham

      Yes, but how long the ‘free’ ESPN games are going to be available is another matter. I would not be surprised if it was going to be £13 50p a month from June. As to the tax, that is another thing we can thank our EU masters for!

      Reply
  16. Leslie

    I have just renewed mlb at bat for 2015 on my iPad (£18.99 for a month) but although ,when I clicked on the game for 2nd March (Cleveland /Cincinatti), it confirmed I was in an area able to receive the broadcast, no video or audio loaded. This is my 3rd season watching from the uk and everything has been ok till now. The game DID load when I switched on my VPN disguising my address! My Apple TV and Now TV work perfectly well so what is the problem with the iPad. Can anyone help me?

    Reply
  17. Jax Killington

    Advice please.
    I’ve been an At Bat listener since 2011 and am now thinking about the premium Tv package.
    BUT … not being able to watch games live (working hours don’t allow for this) is it worth getting the TV package at all?
    Is there a way to watch games “after the event”?
    All advice most gratefully appreciated.
    Thanks, JK, Norwich

    Reply
    1. Clive Barker

      I was in the same boat a couple of seasons ago but decided to take the plunge and get the mlb.tv premium package.

      You can watch games on demand and even go back to last season’s games as well. I think there may be a slight delay after the game concludes before you can watch on demand but I have never had an issue with this.

      Only thing I cannot vouch for is if the scores can be hidden either in the app or on the site so that you don’t have the end result spoilt

      Reply
  18. Marc

    Those with Now TV I have a question. I have an LG TV with Smart tv on it and it has the NowTV app built in. My question is this, can I access the MLB TV app through my LG TV or do I have to buy a box? The Now Tv website is confusing to me!

    Reply
  19. BRETT

    so could we sign up and use isle of man to avoid paying the tax on it?
    would that still work in the uk?

    Reply
  20. Jamie Russell

    Hi guys.

    Just starting to get in to baseball, as an avid Hockey + NFL fan Im not turning my attention to watching baseball. I don’t particularly enjoy poor leggy streams so would MLB tv be worth it for a first timer like me? Or should I just stick to the streams till
    The price goes down?

    Thanks guys

    Reply
  21. Daniel

    Hi all,
    Stopped following baseball when c5 coverage stopped a while back. Am considering mlb TV but as Jax says above it is difficult to watch much live games and go to work next day!
    I know you can watch archived games but the mlb package doesn’t seem to include a highlights show; is this correct?
    Thanks a lot

    Reply
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  23. Umair

    Hi Matt are the memberships universal

    For example if my friend purchased a MLB TV Premium membership in the USA with his US address could I view it here if he gave me the details ?

    Reply
    1. Matt Smith Post author

      Not 100% sure, but I think they try to tie them up quite closely with the user to stop people sharing accounts.

      Reply
  24. andy

    Hi,

    Looking for a Roku or Now TV box purely for MLB TV (since I found you can’t get it on PS4).

    Just wondering where people were people were picking them up for a tenner? £20+ on eBay and amazon!

    Cheers

    Reply
    1. Adam

      You can get the At Bat app for the PS4 in the UK (I’m watching via PS4 now), you just need to set up a new PSN account and register with any U.S. address.

      Then just add your new login as a new user to your PS4 and you have access to the US PSN store where you can download the At Bat app and stream from there.

      Reply
  25. Umair

    Am I correct in saying the blackout and everything is determined by your IP address?

    Just wondering if I could buy the MLB TV with a us address and pay via my UK PayPal ?

    Reply
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  28. Stretford

    Should be noted above that if you opt for just the MLB at Bat option for $20 where you get the audio streams – you do also have access to a “game of the day” to view in video form. There’s one game a day they allow you to watch – not a free choice but a pre selected game.

    You do also get video highlights during and after the games. Worth noting for those who find the other subscriptions too expensive

    Reply
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  30. Todd

    Hi Matt,
    Thanks for doing your blog. It was extremely helpful for an American spending a year in the UK to figure out whether MLB.tv was worth it, what the differences were, and how it might affect those watching from the UK.

    Todd (An M’s fan!)

    Reply
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  38. Phil

    Just been informed by BT that the monthly subscription is going up from 13.50 a to 19.99 to pay for Champions League football. So I’m looking for alternatives to watch Baseball. I am unable to watch many games live due to time differences so can anyone confirm if the On Demand games are included free in the MLB Premium subscription of $24.99pm (+tax)? Or do you have to pay additional for the on-demand games?

    Reply
    1. Matt Smith Post author

      Hi Phil – On demand games are part of the subscription so you’ll be fine with that.

      One thing I would note is that we’re almost half-way through the year and normally when we get to July they do an offer to buy the annual subscription at a reduced rate. As we’re not affected by the postseason blackouts, the annual subscription (depending when bought) would get you July, August, September and then the October postseason, plus then covers you all the way through the winter to watch on-demand games, up until the first Spring Training games at the end of February.

      So might be worth waiting on that to see whether that’s affordable and better value for money than going month-to-month.

      Hope that helps

      Reply
      1. Phil

        Hi Matt
        Thank you for the response and confirming access to On Demand games as part of the subscription. I’m looking at getting the yearly subscription, but can I trouble you with a further question please.

        Given that I’m likely to be using just my TV to view the games rather than a tablet, if I choose Standard rather than Premium would I be able to view it on my Panasonic Smart TV using the app? Or does Standard only allow me to access it through a PC?

        Thanks Phil

        Reply
        1. Matt Smith Post author

          Hi Phil. No problem. You will need the Premium to go through the TV as the Standard subscription just gives you access through a computer, so accessing through any app (whether on a tablet, phone or TV) requires the Premium subscription. Your only other option with a TV of course is if you have a laptop (or a PC in the same room and near the TV) as you could then go with a standard subscription and simply hook up the laptop to the TV direct.

          Hope that helps

          Reply
  39. James

    Hi Matt. The average length of a MLB game has been 2 hours, 52 minutes, does the Roku have the capability to go to a particular half-inning as there is on the PC to help speed up the game? (And if so, how?)

    The same question goes for Apple TV, I’m contemplating between these two media streamers. It’s actually a New Now TV Box 2015 (repackaged roku).

    Thank you for your help in advance.

    Reply
    1. Matt Smith Post author

      Hi James – yes you can ‘jump to an inning’ fairly easily with a Roku box and I’d guess the same goes for Apple TV too.

      Matt

      Reply
  40. Andrew murray

    Hi I have a roku 3 and am looking at mlb.com now the yearly subscription is coming up at $24.99 now this seems too go to be true so my question does this only go till the end of the season as in up till March 1 2016 or will it be a calender 12 months before renewing ie so I would renew 1 August 2016

    Cheers

    Andy

    Reply
    1. Matt Smith Post author

      Hi Andy – the annual subscription is actually a season subscription, so it will run until around 1 March rather than giving you a year from the point you buy it. Still a good deal mind you as we get to enjoy the playoffs through the subscription, unlike in the U.S. where those games are blacked out, and you can also use it to watch games back over the winter months.

      Cheers
      Matt

      Reply
  41. John

    Worth mentioning that when paying for an annual subscription to MLB.tv, you also have an option to purchase MiLB.tv (Minor League) for $24.99. Worth the additional expense if you are really serious about supporting a particular team.

    Reply
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