Coming off a World Series championship last season, the Los Angeles Dodgers will become the 23rd team in Major League Baseball to introduce a functionality by which to allow fans to view games without a pay television bundle. Amid a 25-year contract with Charter Communications reportedly valued at $334 million per year, the team has partnered with the league to offer digital access to all SportsNet LA programming through the MLB app and website. The streaming service, which is titled SNLA+, is only available to fans within the Dodgers’ home territory and includes live game broadcasts, pregame and postgame shows and other original programming.
As the league and teams continue to streamline access to live game broadcasts, all fans will be able to subscribe to this service for $29.99 per month or $199.99 for the year. Technology for the streaming service will be provided by MLB and was in place as the Dodgers opened their season on Tuesday morning from Tokyo, Japan. The move takes place amid various alterations surrounding regional sports networks and as Charter Communications ended the last fiscal year with 12.9 million total video customers.
Spectrum television customers who receive SportsNet LA in their package will have access to SNLA+ on both platforms. In addition to the pay television subscribers, non-video consumers who receive internet and mobile service from Spectrum will also have access to the platform at no additional charge. DirecTV customers with a package that carries SportsNet LA can also receive authentication to access the service.
SportsNet LA will offer this functionality for Dodgers game broadcasts and other programming to begin the season, making the announcement mere hours before Opening Day. The team joins a growing list of organizations adding direct-to-consumer streaming functionalities, several of whom announced plans to foray into the space this offseason. Major League Baseball itself will also be responsible for producing game broadcasts this season for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians, Colorado Rockies, Minnesota Twins and San Diego Padres. Guggenheim Partners, the majority owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers, has a 50% ownership stake in the SportsNet LA regional sports network.
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