In recent times, the streaming industry has undergone a noticeable transformation. Many individuals are abandoning their cable and satellite subscriptions and instead choosing online streaming. Consequently, there is an increasing demand for online availability of Major League Baseball broadcasts. Our review of various platforms and tools has revealed that a Virtual Private Network (VPN) can be a game-changer. In this article, we demonstrate how to live stream baseball online without a cable subscription by using a VPN.
How to avoid MLB blackouts with a VPN
All of these cord-cutting solutions are still subject to blackout restrictions. Because local broadcasters on cable and satellite still get first dibs on content licenses, no one else is allowed to show live games in their coverage area.
In most cases,blackout restrictions can be bypassed by using a VPN. By encrypting your device’s internet connection and routing it through a remote server, you can make it appear as though you’re accessing the stream from back home outside the blackout region.
Our top recommended VPN for streaming MLB is NordVPN, which has all the servers, bandwidth, live customer support, and strong security you need, packed into a simple and intuitive app.
Here’s how to stream the MLB 2024 season online from anywhere:
- Sign up with a reputable VPN provider. As you can see, we recommend NordVPN.
- Download and install the app that’s compatible with your streaming device and go through the short setup process.
- Connect to a server in the US outside of the blackout region, this will give you the US IP address you need to bypass the restrictions.
- Go to the streaming platform in question. Content should now play without restriction.
- Still doesn’t work? You may want to try clearing your browser’s cookies. It may be that your current IP address is blacklisted, in which case you should try connecting to a different server.
WANT TO TRY THE TOP VPN RISK FREE?
NordVPN is offering a fully-featured risk-free 30-day trial if you sign up on this page. You can use the VPN rated #1 for streaming MLB with no restrictions for a month. This should allow you to continue streaming your favorite team’s baseball matches during a trip abroad.
There are no hidden terms—just contact support within 30 days if you decide NordVPN isn't right for you, and you'll get a full refund. Start your NordVPN trial here.
How to watch baseball with MLB.tv
The simplest way to watch baseball games online is to buy a subscription to MLB.TV, the league’s official streaming service. At the time of writing (just before the 2024 MLB season begins), prices are as follows:
- Watch all teams and out-of-market games. Yearly: $149.99
- Watch all teams and out-of-market games. Monthly: $29.99
- Watch your favorite team and out-of-market games. Yearly: $129.99
The benefits of this are clear, the picture quality is excellent, you can view multiple games at once, and subscribers can even DVR the games on supported devices. MLB.TV subscriptions also include live streams of playoff and World Series games.
It’s well worth knowing that T-Mobile customers get MLB.TV free for the 2024 season. As such, if you’re already with T-Mobile, this is a great way to live stream your team’s games at no additional cost. If you’re looking to switch to T-Mobile, bear in mind that this offer is only available until Monday, April 1.
MLB.TV says subscribers can “watch every out-of-market game regular season game live or on-demand on over 400 supported devices.” Additionally, subscribers can watch a full archive of old games, track their fantasy league players, use a widget to track pitch stats, listen to just the audio broadcast, and watch highlights and stat updates as they are updated in real-time.
But MLB.TV has a few restrictions, the most glaring of which are regional blackouts. This stipulation often prevents fans on MLB.TV from watching the games they want to see the most–their hometown teams–until 90 minutes after the game has concluded. The live audio, however, is never blacked out.
You can easily bypass blackouts on MLB.TV with a VPN on a desktop web browser like Chrome or Firefox and watch games from abroad. However, you cannot bypass regional blackouts on the MLB app, even with a VPN. This is because the app uses your phone’s GPS—not its IP address—to verify your location. The GPS must be turned on to stream video, and it will detect whether or not you’re using a GPS location spoofing app. Nothing short of rooting or jailbreaking your device will be enough to bypass the location checks.
Other ways to watch MLB without a cable subscription
Fubo TV
Fubo TV includes FS1 and some local Fox channels in its basic and Extra packages. MLB Network and TBS are not included, though, which means no NL Division Series or AL Division Series games. A 7-day free trial is available. After that, the basic plan is $79.99 per month (but is currently on offer at $59.99).
Fubo TV is available in several countries, but you’ll need the US package to get the channels required to stream MLB games live online. That means a VPN will be necessary if you’re outside of the United States.
Sling TV
Sling TV, a sort of cable service through the internet, obtained the rights to live stream games on TBS, ESPN, Fox Sports 1, and regional Fox Sports networks. If your team broadcasts games on those networks, this solution can work for you. They include Diamondbacks, Reds, Braves, Tigers, Marlins, Rays, Royals, Cardinals, Rangers, Twins, Indians, Padres, Angels, Brewers, and Yankees. However, there’s no free trial — instead, you’ll need to purchase a Sling Blue or Sling Orange plan, which cost $40 a month (but $30 for your first month) and includes a slew of other channels.
You can view in a web browser or on an app for iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, smart TV, etc. However, Sling TV is only available in the United States. SO, if you’re not in the country or the game you want to watch is blacked out, you’ll need a VPN to watch it.
Hulu Live
Hulu + Live TV is another cord-cutting service with FS1, TBS, ESPN, and more. There’s no option of a free trial, and it doesn’t come with MLB Network. However, your subscription also includes access to ESPN+ and Disney+ for $76.99 per month.
Hulu Live is only available in the US, so travelers abroad will have to use a VPN that works with Hulu to access it.
DirecTV Stream
DirecTV‘s Choice package includes MLB Network and costs $85 per month. The Sports Package add-on costs an extra $15 and includes MLB Strike Zone. At time of writing, the Choice package comes with a $200 reward card, and the Sports Package is free for the first seven months.
DTV claims to have the most MLB games. You can get a standalone streaming subscription or use your existing satellite TV subscription to log in. Note that signup requires committing to a 24-month agreement.
DTV is only available in the United States, so if you’re abroad, then you’ll need a VPN to regain access.
Unsanctioned live streams
Some people watch MLB.tv baseball games on third-party live-streaming websites. However, these often operate in a legal grey area, so we don’t encourage their use. Beware that many links purporting to lead to such streams are scams, plus the sites are often littered with advertisements, trackers, and links to malware. They are unreliable and could get cut off at any moment during the stream. And they are almost always lower quality than the official outlet.
Watch MLB games without cable: FAQs
What if my streaming device doesn't support VPN apps?
Many streaming devices like Roku, Apple TV, Xbox, PlayStation, and many smart TVs don’t support VPNs. You can’t install a VPN app or manually configure the VPN.
In these situations, you can instead install the VPN on a compatible router or use a laptop to configure a virtual router (see instructions for Windows and Mac). You can then connect your streaming device to the VPN-protected wi-fi network.
This setup creates a wi-fi hotspot that routes all connected devices through the VPN. This allows you to bypass geographic restrictions on devices that don’t support VPN apps.
A small number of VPNs, including ExpressVPN, include a smart DNS proxy with their plans that can be configured independently of the VPN. Many devices that don’t support VPNs will still let you change your DNS settings, so this is a possible workaround for VPNs that support it.
Is it legal to use a VPN to watch MLB without cable?
There’s good news in that it’s legal to use a VPN to watch MLB without cable. However, you still need to look at the Terms of Use of the specific streaming service in question. The reason for this is it may go against these terms to use a VPN in order to bypass the geographic restrictions of the platform. While accounts can be suspended for this, it’s highly uncommon. Instead, it’s more likely that the IP address in question will get blocked. If this does happen, you can always change your IP address by switching servers.
Can I use a free VPN to watch MLB without cable?
Based on our experience, we recommend using premium VPN services for streaming MLB games. Free VPNs often lack the necessary technology and encryption to access MLB streams smoothly. Additionally, we have found that some free VPNs may compromise the security of your device by carrying potentially harmful code.
Is MLB TV free with Amazon Prime?
We have conducted rigorous tests on Amazon Prime’s services and discovered that MLB TV is not included for free. Nevertheless, Amazon Prime customers can access MLB TV and enjoy watching popular baseball games from American and National leagues. After the 7-day free trial, users must pay a monthly fee of $29.99 or a one-time annual fee of $149.99 to continue their subscription to MLB TV. With an MLB TV subscription through Amazon Prime, you can watch up to four games simultaneously and access thousands of out-of-market programs all season long.
What is Subject to the Blackout Delay?
Blackout delays are frustrating for sports fans, especially for MLB games. They protect TV rights, so games can’t be aired beyond the immediate area. If you’re in the designated blackout territory, most games will be subject to delay, except for MLB Network games that can be streamed on MLB TV. Post-season games also fall under the blackout delay.
Can I also use a VPN to watch the MLB playoffs and World Series?
Yes, you can use a VPN to watch both the MLB regular season and the MLB World Series playoffs. Indeed, the process is exactly the same in that you’d connect to a VPN server in the US for a US IP address.
Once connected, you can then watch the MLB playoffs and World Series on FOX, provided you have a cable TV subscription. Alternatively, you can watch FOX via a TV streaming service such as Hulu or DirectTV Stream.
