MLB.TV subscribers: Be careful where you sign up

There are too many ways to pay for streaming TV services now, and that includes MLB.TV.

Major League Baseball’s out-of-market streaming service isn’t just available directly through the league. You can also subscribe through Amazon Prime, Sling, and Fubo. (T-Mobile customers can also redeem a full season of MLB.TV for free this week.)

But unless you sign up for MLB.TV directly, you might miss out on some major subscription perks without getting anything in exchange. You might even wind up paying more for less.

MLB.TV can cost more elsewhere

The main reason to get MLB.TV is to stream live, out-of-market baseball games. That perk is the same no matter where you sign up, at least if want to watch any non-local team. (Watching your home team is a different story; you can read about your in-market baseball streaming options here.)

But depending on where you live and which teams you want to watch, MLB.TV can cost more from other sources.

Fubo and Sling TV, for instance, offer only MLB.TV’s “all teams” package, which costs $30 per month. You can’t sign up for MLB.TV’s single-team plans, which cost $130 for the entire season.

Fubo and Sling don’t sell full-season subscriptions, either. They only offer monthly plans at $30 per month, versus $150 per year through MLB.TV directly. Over the full six-month season, MLB’TV’s annual plan would save you $30. (The league also typically offers MLB.TV deals as the season goes on.)

For fans of the Diamondbacks, Guardians, Rockies, Twins, and Padres, there’s one more wrinkle to consider: MLB distributes those teams’ in-market games for $100 per season, with an option to bundle MLB.TV’s out-of-market coverage for an extra $100 instead of the usual $150. This bundle deal isn’t available from other providers.

Similarly, the league is partnering with NBC Sports to deliver in-market games for the Phillies ($25 per month), Giants ($20 per month), and Athletics ($20 per month). You can add MLB.TV’s out-of-market games to those plans for an extra $20 per month, but you’ll pay the full $30-per-month price if you sign up anywhere else.

The perks may be different

If price alone doesn’t persuade you, an MLB.TV subscription has additional benefits that are only available through the MLB app:

• Access to the MLB Network live feed
• MLB Big Inning for whip around game coverage
• Live game audio
• The ability to listen to the radio broadcast while watching the telecast

Depending on where you sign up, you might not have access to those features, or you might need to jump through hoops to get them.

Amazon Prime’s MLB.TV subscription, for instance, doesn’t provide direct access to the MLB Network, Big Inning, or radio broadcasts, and there’s no apparent way to link an Amazon account with the MLB app. (I’ve reached out to Amazon for clarification.)

MLB.TV does offer a way to link your Sling or Fubo accounts, in theory providing all the benefits of a direct subscription. But the instructions for doing so are buried deep in the MLB.TV support site, and when I tried linking a Fubo test account, it didn’t work. If you care about MLB Network, Big Inning, and live game audio, I suggest a direct MLB TV subscription to be on the safe side.

There’s also one notable downside to the free season of MLB.TV that T-Mobile is offering its customers this week: Unlike a standard MLB.TV subscription, it doesn’t include an MLB Network live feed. If that channel is a must, you must pay for it separately.

Think before you subscribe

Third-party MLB.TV subscriptions aren’t completely without merit. If you’re already paying for Fubo or Sling TV, for instance, adding MLB.TV will let you watch out-of-market games in the same app you use to watch lots of other live sporting events. You’ll also have one fewer billing system to manage.

But is that worth potentially paying more and either getting less or dealing with account linking hassles? I think not.

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