MLB TV App Review | Is the MLB.TV App Worth It?
MLB is one of the most popular sports leagues in the world, so it only makes sense that the league would release its own app for streaming devices like Roku.
I’ve been using the MLB TV app on my Roku for over 2 years and have always been satisfied with the broadcast feeds and access to replays.
However, there are some things that the MLB TV app needs to work on which i’ll cover in detail in my review.
Let’s now go over the prices and plans available, the features of the app and whether the MLB TV app is truly worth it.
MLB TV App Review
To start things off, MLB TV is a fantastic app that’s available on different application stores such as Android and iOS, it’s even available on Android TVs and ROKU televisions.
The app offers out-of-market baseball content which means that I was able to watch away games that are not airing on national TV, but was unable to keep up with the live games of my local favorite teams due to blackout restrictions.
MLB TV App Prices and Plans
The first thing I’d like to note is that MLB offers pretty reasonable packages that can be purchased on a yearly basis.
They do not offer monthly plans and the only difference between the two plans available is that the Single plan will grant access to live and on-demand matches to only one MLB team that I wanted to follow.
The MLB All Teams plan which costs $20 more than the Single plan granted me access to live and on-demand content of all the major baseball league teams.
Since there’s only a small difference in the pricing, i’d recommend opting for the All Teams package as it makes it easier to follow more teams than just one.
In terms of trials, MLB TV offers a 7-day free trial that I found to be pretty useful. I was able to access the trial the moment I purchased one of the subscription plans.
The trial gave me unfiltered access to all the MLB TV app had to offer including watching live content and following more than one team.
While it did serve its purpose, the trial is valid only for a 7-day period, so I had to cancel the subscription within the 7 days if I didn’t want to get charged for the whole year.
MLB TV App Interface
I did enjoy the user interface of the MLB TV app and found it to be quite smooth to use. While launching the app on my ROKU TV I was presented with a login pop-up requesting for my email and password.
Once I logged into my registered account I received a confirmation message on the TV stating that the account is activated and that I could begin configuring the app by selecting my favorite team.
The teams are segregated based on their clubs and choosing any team then changes the background of the app to a wallpaper of my favorite team’s stadium, giving it a personal touch.
The home page is pretty straightforward and the main page provided scores of matches being played today. I could use the calendar toggle and switch between different dates and watch matches from those dates.
Once I found the video or particular game I wanted to watch, all I had to do was tap on the stream and then choose between whether I would like to watch the stream from the start or if I’d like to watch the live stream instead.
The video player has no controls except from a Captions toggle at the bottom of the screen. The progress bar also was empty and there was no play/pause button, volume controls or settings for the video quality.
I did later figure out that the buttons on the remote control did operate the MLB TV app and I was able to pause and play streams by pressing the play/pause button on the ROKU remote.
While using the MLB TV app I did notice that it doesn’t support multiple live streams on a single screen, something that the web version of the site was capable of doing. This was one thing I did not like about the app and felt that MLB TV could do with an upgrade there.
I also did notice an error message pop-up a couple of times stating “Logged in too many times” which I thought was a bug at first, but later realized that someone else was trying to login to my account on their device. A quick change of the password and the error message disappeared.
In terms of quality of the stream, videos were in 720p and 1080p and they were quite clear. It felt like I was watching the game from the box in the stands rather than sitting at home.
Audio was good too and the matches were broadcast in 5.1 surround sound that really improved the whole viewing experience.
MLB TV Blackout Restrictions
The one thing that I did not like about the MLB TV service is that there are frequent blackouts for certain games unless I was subscribed to MLB’s TV service.
For example, I was in New York and I was unable to watch live Yankees and Mets games. I had to login to a VPN and then choose a server located in a different state in order to watch my local games.
There are two reasons for this, one is the cable providers’ need for exclusive broadcasting rights and the second is that MLB wants viewers to watch the games live in the stadium. That’s why I was only able to watch games from different teams and not my favorite local teams.
Which Devices Can the MLB TV App Be Installed On?
I’ve used MLB TV on my phone, Smart TV and laptop, but there are many other devices that support the app, so check out if you have one of the following devices and then go ahead and download the MLB TV app from their respective app store.
| Device | MLB.TV App Support |
| Amazon Fire Cube, Stick, TV | ✓ |
| Android phones, tablets | ✓ |
| Android TV | ✓ |
| Apple TV (4th gen) | ✓ |
| Apple TV 4K | ✓ |
| Chromecast, Chromecast with Google TV | ✓ |
| iPhone, iPad | ✓ |
| PC, Mac web browsers | ✓ |
| PlayStation 4, 5 | ✓ |
| Roku Ultra, Express, Premiere, Stick, TV | ✓ |
| Samsung TVs (select models) | ✓ |
| Xbox One | ✓ |
| Xfinity Flex, X1 | ✓ |
Is MLB TV Worth It?
From my personal experience, MLB TV is a worthwhile investment especially for those searching for premium baseball content.
While there are blackout restrictions applicable on certain games, the website and app deliver high definition live streams at affordable prices.
The app airs well over 2,430 season games including nationally televised ones that can be viewed 90 minutes after they conclude.
Apart from the regular live streams, MLB TV also has a large inventory of documentaries, classic games, and MLB Network studio shows that can be watched with the subscription.
FAQ’s
Does MLB TV show a free game of the day?
Yes, MLB TV shows a free game that airs on most days during the regular MLB season. The game can be watched on the MLB TV app, but blackout restrictions will apply.
Can I use VPN with MLB TV?
Yes, MLB TV app works with VPN and a VPN can be used to bypass MLB local blackout restrictions.
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