Watching Major League Baseball without a cable subscription can be as difficult as hitting a hard slider. Our cord-cutting guide will help you hit the sweet spot.
Major League Baseball has always presented the biggest hurdle for sports-loving cable-cutters. Unlike the NFL, which still airs the bulk of its games on broadcast TV channels, MLB is a predominantly cable league. Of the six networks hosting nationally aired games over the 2017 season , only Fox can be accessed over the air.
Watching locally televised games has been even tougher. Most teams have deals with a regional cable-only network, such as Fox Regional Sports Network or Comcast SportsNet (CSN). Cord-cutting baseball fans have stood a better chance of connecting with a Jake Arrieta fastball than catching their hometown team on broadcast TV.
That’s finally starting to change as more TV-streaming services expand their offerings. Sling TV recently added CSN to its channel lineup, for example, and Fox Regional Sports Network channels are increasingly becoming available from all providers in select markets.
It’s now easier than ever before to follow your favorite ball clubs from Spring to September without a pricey cable subscription. Here’s how.
Since broadcast baseball has largely gone the way of Sunday doubleheaders, there are few options for watching any game without some kind of subscription. The Fox network, however, can still be had for free with a good indoor antenna. That will give you access to about a dozen Saturday afternoon games, plus the All-Star Game.
If you’re purchasing an antenna for the first time, remember to first check to see what stations you can receive in your area and what antenna type you’ll need to pull in your local Fox affiliate.
Sling TV remains the cord-cutter’s greatest ally for affordably streaming sports. With channel packages starting at just $20 per month and no contract, you can easily find something that suits your needs.
Sling TV recently added Comcast SportsNet to its channel lineup in select markets, allowing fans to watch their hometown teams.
Sling TV offers ESPN, ESPN2, TBS, Fox, and Fox Sports 1, as well as Fox Regional Sports Networks and CSN for local-team broadcasts. If you want them all in one package, though, you’ll need to get the top-tier Sling Orange + Blue option (basically Sling’s two lower-tier packages combined and offered at a discount) for $40 a month.
