With a major broadcast partner potentially filing for bankruptcy, MLB appears to have plans to step in and continue to allow fans the opportunity to stream their favorite teams.
The networks filing for bankruptcy includes many of the Bally Sports regional networks.
As of now, fans can stream all out-of-market regular season games on MLB TV.
Unfortunately, this does not apply to in-market regular season games.
For example, if fans living in the New York Metropolitan area seek to watch the New York Mets or the New York Yankees on MLB TV, they would not be able to, thanks to blackout restrictions.
However, according to Jeff Passan of ESPN, MLB is working to solve this problem.
I asked Rob Manfred about the league’s blackout rules. His response: “Blackouts are the kind of opposite side of the coin of reach. We need to deliver product to fans who want to watch on platforms that they customarily use at a realistic price. That is our No. 1 priority.”
— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) February 15, 2023
Blackout restrictions are one of the main culprits for baseball losing fans and viewership.
Some TV services have even stopped carrying the regional sports networks.
For example, in the Greater St. Louis area, Dish and Sling dropped Bally Sports Midwest from their list of channels, leaving fans of the St. Louis Cardinals who own those services unable to watch games.
With blackout restrictions of MLB TV in place, things haven’t gotten any better for fans around the baseball world who can no longer watch their teams in action.
However, if taken literally, it appears that Manfred at least understands that blackout restrictions are a major problem for the sport and sometimes leaves fans unable to watch their teams.
We can only hope that MLB has a plan to make games more accessible, especially to fans within their favorite team’s markets.
NEXT: The Phillies Have Extended A Key Reliever
