How To Watch MLB Games in 2023

Major League Baseball is back, and you can catch nationally televised games on FOX, FS1, TBS, ESPN, and MLB Network. But you’ll also need access to your regional sports network (RSN) to catch most of your local team’s games.

We recommend DIRECTV as the best TV provider for watching the 2023 MLB season. Its CHOICE™ plan and above gives you every primary MLB channel with a wide selection of RSNs, plus you can add MLB EXTRA INNINGS® for out-of-market game access. You’ll get stuck with a two-year contract and a bulky satellite dish, but it’s still the best route for true-blue hardball fans.

Now, let’s first take a closer look at the channels you’ll need to watch MLB this season.

Jump to:

• • MLB channels
  • Best ways to watch MLB
  • Watch MLB Spring Training
  • Watch MLB for free

What channel is MLB on?

There are five channels you’ll need to watch nationally televised MLB games. These same channels will also broadcast the entire MLB Postseason.

• FOX
• FS1
• TBS
• ESPN/ABC
• MLB Network

Another MLB channel to keep on your radar is MLB Network Strike Zone. The complementary channel is typically found in higher-tier TV plans and broadcasts only on Tuesday and Friday nights. Because those are the nights when several games are going on at once, the purpose of the channel is to hone in on any major moment from across the league just as it unfolds in real time.

The great thing about MLB Network Strike Zone is that it’s unaffected by regional broadcasting restrictions. But you can avoid local blackouts completely by including your regional sports network in your TV plan.

MLB on regional sports networks

When MLB games are not exclusively airing on national channels or streaming on Apple TV+ and Peacock, they’re televised by regional sports networks (RSNs). Every team has a dedicated RSN that broadcasts to a specific territory defined by the MLB.

You can enter your zip code into DIRECTV’s local RSN lookup tool to see which RSNs are available in your area and which teams are covered by those RSNs. It’s a good tool to use, and you don’t need to be a DIRECTV customer to use it.

If you live within your favorite team’s broadcast territory, you’ll need access to that team’s RSN to watch a majority of their regular-season games. If you live outside that region, you’ll need an out-of-market TV option like MLB EXTRA INNINGS (for cable and satellite users) or MLB.TV (for streaming users).

MLB schedule: key events and channels

With thousands of MLB games happening each season, there’s no shortage of action for baseball fans. That’s why it’s crucial to bookmark the official MLB schedule and keep tabs on the key dates below.

Data effective as of post date.

Best ways to watch MLB games

• Editor’s choice: DIRECTV ($69.99–$159.99/mo.)* w/ MLB EXTRA INNINGS ($149.99 per season)**
• Best value: Sling TV ($40.00–$55.00/mo.) w/ Sports Extra ($11.00–$15.00/mo.)
• Best MLB streaming app: MLB.TV ($19.99–$24.99/mo.)
• Cheapest: OTA antenna ($20.00–$60.00 one-time purchase)

Editor’s choice: DIRECTV

• Every MLB game
• 200 HD storage hrs. w/ included DVR
• 2-yr. price guarantee

• Expensive plans
• 2-yr. contract
• Bulky satellite dish

DIRECTV’s CHOICE plan ($84.99 a month*) with MLB EXTRA INNINGS ($149.99 per season**) is the best TV plan for diehard baseball fans because you’ll have every MLB game at your fingertips: all 30 teams playing 162 games per season. We’ll break down how.

With the CHOICE plan, you’ll get every national MLB channel and most likely your local RSN too. (We say most likely because NBC Sports Philadelphia is still not available on DIRECTV—sorry, Phillies fans.) By adding MLB EXTRA INNINGS to your plan, you’ll get every out-of-market game. Together, you’ll have complete MLB coverage.

The MLB EXTRA INNINGS package also comes with MLB Network Strike Zone and MLB Game Mix Channel, so you can stay up on all the action when multiple games are happening at once. MLB.TV is also included with your MLB EXTRA INNINGS subscription.

For all that, combining CHOICE with MLB EXTRA INNINGS for roughly $109.99 a month during the MLB regular season can be a bit overwhelming, especially because DIRECTV locks you into a two-year contract.

But still, with the number of games you’ll have access to, the price is justifiable for diehard fans. After all, the MLB regular season consists of 2,430 games.

Best value: Sling TV

• Low price
• No contract
• Customizable packages

• Limited local channels and regional sports networks
• DVR that costs extra

Sling TV offers the best value for casual MLB fans. Depending on the plan you choose, you’ll be able to watch every nationally televised MLB game for a lower monthly cost than DIRECTV.

There are no RSNs or out-of-market game add-ons, but Sling TV offers customizable plans with no contracts. If you want a basic slice of the MLB season, or you just want to watch the MLB Playoffs, you can sign up for the Sling TV plan of your choosing and cancel once the season is over.

If you want every national MLB channel, you’ll want to go with Sling TV’s Orange & Blue plan ($55.00 a month) with the Sports Extra add-on ($15.00 a month). This will get you FOX (in select markets), FS1, TBS, ESPN, MLB Network, and MLB Network Strike Zone. You’ll pay $70.00 a month total, which is better than DIRECTV’s CHOICE plan ($84.99 a month), and you won’t be locked into a two-year contract.

Best streaming app: MLB.TV

• Home and away team broadcast feeds
• Access to every MLB game replay
• Live in-game stats overlay

• High price for casual fans
• No live in-market or nationally televised games

Out of all the different standalone MLB streaming options, MLB.TV’s All Teams plan is the best simply because it gives you the most MLB games. It’s an out-of-market streaming service, so you won’t be able to watch your local team play live. But their games become available on MLB.TV only 90 minutes after they end.

MLB.TV is primarily worth the price if you live outside of your favorite team’s broadcast region or if you want to stay up-to-date with the league as a whole.

MLB.TV includes some solid features like DVR controls for live games, home and away TV and radio broadcast feeds, and hundreds of on-demand highlights, classic games, and documentaries. You also get At Bat (formerly known as MLB Audio) included with your subscription—featuring audio access to every game regardless of blackouts and live video of 7,000+ Minor League Baseball games.

You can sign up for MLB.TV directly on the MLB website or through certain third-party streaming services like Amazon Prime Video and ESPN+.

Cheapest: Over-the-air (OTA) HD TV antenna

• Low, one-time price
• Local coverage

• No out-of-market coverage
• No DVR

A one-time purchase of a good quality over-the-air (OTA) digital antenna costs only between $20 and $60. With it, you’ll get access to every MLB game that airs on your local FOX and ABC affiliate networks. That includes key events such as the MLB All-Star Game, select games within the MLB Postseason, and the entire World Series.

We label this viewing option as the cheapest because, after the initial purchase of the antenna, you’ll be able to watch MLB on FOX for several seasons—no subscription required. It’s a home run for baseball fans on a budget, giving you around 50 MLB games during the regular season.

The Mohu Leaf 50 ($57.99 on Amazon†) is one of our favorite antennas because it has a 60-mile range and 4K capabilities. The latter is important if you already have a 4K TV because FOX is dabbling in 4K HDR broadcasts more often this year.

How to watch Spring Training games

Spring Training games are more difficult to find on TV, but some of your local team’s preseason games should air on your RSN. MLB Network also airs Spring Training games, though these are subject to local blackouts.

Some Spring Training games appear on ESPN’s networks, including select games streaming exclusively on ESPN+. MLB.TV also gets in on the Spring Training action, but you’re best off checking your favorite team’s official website and Spring Training schedule for complete broadcasting details.

How to watch MLB games for free

The easiest way to get free access to MLB games is by purchasing an over-the-air (OTA) digital antenna. Sure, you have to pay for the antenna itself. But once you do so, your wallet can return to the dugout.

With the antenna connected to your TV, you’ll get every MLB game from your local FOX and ABC stations. It’s not a lot of games in the grand scheme of things, but you’ll get free ball games each week—including some of the MLB Playoffs and all of the World Series.

We recommend the Mohu Leaf 50 ($57.99 on Amazon†) because of its long-range capabilities and multi-directional design.

Another option is to create a free MLB.com account for streaming access to the MLB.TV Free Game of the Day. During most days of the regular season, one game is available to watch for free online. Even better, YouTube also shows a free game each week of the regular season. To see which games are available to watch for free, check out MLB’s live game schedule.

Final take

DIRECTV’s CHOICE plan ($84.99 a month*) with MLB EXTRA INNINGS ($149.99 per season**) is our top recommendation for MLB fans. Together, the CHOICE plan and MLB EXTRA INNINGS add-on ensure you’ll get every MLB game across the entire 2023 season without worrying about blackouts.

In the long run, Sling TV is a cheaper option with customizable plans that allow you to choose as many of the five national MLB channels as you want. We recommend this only for casual MLB fans because you won’t get regional sports networks. But there’s no commitment, and you can easily change your plan at any time.

MLB.TV also exists for fans who want out-of-market access during the MLB regular season. It’s perfect for anyone who already has the national channels and roots for a non-local team.

How to watch MLB games FAQ

Methodology

Our sports experts spent over 50 hours comparing TV providers to determine which plans offer the most MLB coverage through channels and in-market/out-of-market access. We also compared each provider’s pricing and long-term commitment options for ease of use.

Check out our How We Rank page to learn more about our methods.

Disclaimer

*for 24 months plus taxes and fees w/ 24-mo. agmt.; AutoPay and Paperless Bill req’d. Advanced Receiver Service Fee $15/mo. is extra and applies.
New approved residential customers, price incl. TV pkg & equip. fees for first TV. Add’l fees may apply to non-qualified customers. Early agmt termination fee applies ($20/mo.) & add’l fee(s) may apply if equip. not returned. Credit card req’d. Restr’s apply. $19.95 activation & equipment lease req’d for satellite customers. Equipment lease req’d for DIRECTV via Internet customers in some sales channels.

**Blackout rules and other conditions apply.

^†Amazon.com price as of 6/12/23 2:30 p.m. CT. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon.com at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product. CableTV.com utilizes paid Amazon links.

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