Many baseball fans canceled their MLB.TV subscriptions before Feb. 28, either in fear of being charged for a 2022 season that might not be played or in protest of team owners locking out the players in a labor dispute.
But now that there will indeed be a 2022 Major League Baseball season, those same fans may be in the process of renewing their subscriptions before Opening Day on April 7. (Or earlier, for anyone who wants to watch some Spring Training games.)
The bad news? An MLB.TV subscription will cost more in 2022, as reported by The Streamable. The full service including all out-of-market games will increase by $10 to $139.99. A team-specific, out-of-market package will cost $119.99.
MLB and and team owners asking for more money after a 99-day lockout that seeded doubt and resentment among fans, and delayed the season by two weeks takes some nerve, right? But fans who sign up now can take advantage of a limited-time $10 discount, which means MLB.TV would cost the same price as last year.
(It should also be pointed out that local blackouts still apply and fewer games will be available on MLB.TV due to the league’s new exclusive streaming deals with Apple TV and Peacock.)
However, with that price increase comes some new features in this year’s subscription. Fans watching their team’s games out-of-market have often been disappointed and frustrated by not being able to watch pre- and post-game coverage that home viewers enjoy. (Once in a while, you might get lucky if someone at MLB headquarters was slow to push a button.)
But as the 2022 season begins, 13 of MLB’s 30 clubs will have pre- and post-game coverage available on MLB.TV. The service hopes to add more throughout the season, presumably aiming to get studio coverage for all 30 teams eventually.
For now, these clubs will offer pre-and post-game coverage:
Arizona Diamondbacks
Atlanta Braves
Boston Red Sox
Chicago Cubs
Cincinnati Reds
Cleveland Guardians
Detroit Tigers
Los Angeles Angels
San Diego Padres
Seattle Mariners
St. Louis Cardinals
Tampa Bay Rays
Toronto Blue Jays
Other new MLB.TV features will include the nightly whip-around show MLB Big Inning being available seven days a week, rather than just weeknights only. Updated streaming apps will also have new playback controls, personalized scoreboards, and in-game details. An expanded content catalog will include more MLB.TV original programming such as Vendors, MLB Carded, and Baseball Zen, along with on-demand highlights and features.
Is all that, plus the return of baseball, worth a $10 increase for you?
Ian Casselberry is a sports media columnist for BSM. He has previously written and edited for Awful Announcing, The Comeback, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports, MLive, Bleacher Report, and SB Nation. You can find him on Twitter @iancass or reach him by email at iancass@gmail.com.
