Here at Baseball Rewatch, we love MLB.tv. It’s a great resource – despite the blackout restrictions, which is a whole other issue – and for the cost, you can watch as much pro baseball as you like for a few buck per game (if you’re a casual fan) down to pennies per game (if you keep it on year-round). So if you’re flexible, when is the best time to buy MLB.tv? What are the best deals throughout the year?
This post was originally published in 2017, and is currently being updated as new MLB.tv deals for 2019 roll out. We include figures from both this year (2019) and 2017 as legacy information.
You can typically get MLB.tv for a year-long subscription for around $110-120 USD. However, there are sales throughout the year, so if you are a casual fan sometimes you can save big by waiting a few months. Let’s take a look at the best deals on MLB.tv subscriptions throughout the year, and what you can reasonably expect in the upcoming year based on what they’ve offered in the past. We’ll break it down by out of pocket costs, cost(s) per month, and how much of the live regular season you get.
MLB.tv Pricing: 2019
Note that the subscription options DO NOT include the locally blackouts (i.e. the 1-3 teams closest to you), the postseason, All-Star game, and certain national broadcasts. Subscriptions ARE active until March 1st of the following year, when it will automatically renew unless you manually cancel it. That means you can “rewatch” games during the offseason, so remember to check back here to find the most entertaining games from the past year to watch without any spoilers.
2019 Annual Cost
$118.99 for the full year.
From the day after the 2018 World Series ending through the first part of the season, you can purchase an annual subscription for $118.99 as the regular price. That’s approximately $9.92 per month for the entire year, and includes the ability to “rewatch” games throughout the offseason plus the entire spring training. Not bad! The only thing is doesn’t include is your local team, which is a bummer. Buuuut….. just ignore any spoilers and watch each game a day late and it’s almost as good.
- Out of pocket: $118.99
- Cost per month of valid subscription: $9.92 per month (12 months, includes the offseason)
- Cost per month of the actual season with live baseball: $19.83 (6 months)
- Percentage of regular season: 100%
Memorial Day Sale (2019)
May 17: $59.99 which is 50% off (limited time offer).
Not sure how long this is going to last, but they typically do 50% off starting around Memorial Day. This comes out to $13.31 for each month of baseball left in the regular season, which is a little high, but your out-of-pocket is way less and when you count the months of offseason it’s not too bad.
- Out of pocket: $59.99
- Cost per month of valid subscription: $6.65 per month (9 months, includes the offseason)
- Cost per month of the actual season with live baseball: $13.31 (about 4.5 months)
- Percentage of regular season: 74%
Father’s Day Sale (2019)
June 9-16: $49.99
They typically do a Father’s Day sale, so this is a nice gift for Dad which will take him through a big chunk of the season without costing too much.
- Out of pocket: $49.99
- Cost per month of valid subscription: $6.25 per month (8 months, includes offseason)
- Cost per month of the actual season: $14.28 (about 3.5 months)
- Percentage of regular season: 60%
Independence Day Sale (2019)
July 1-7: $39.99
Annual Fourth of July sale that also coincides with the All-Star break. A few games past halfway through the season, you get full access to MLB.tv for the rest of the year for about 1/3 the normal price. After the sale ended, the price went up to $82.99 for the remainder of the year, so it’s a pretty darn good deal.
- Out of pocket: $39.99
- Cost per month of valid subscription: $5.71 per month (7 months, includes offseason)
- Cost per month of the actual season: $13.33 (about 3 months)
- Percentage of regular season: 48%
MLB.tv Pricing: 2017
2017 annual cost: $112.99 for the full year. Sign up anytime after the 2016 postseason, and you can watch old games throughout the year (use BaseballRewatch.com to find the best ones!), plus get access to spring training and the entire 2017 regular season. If you buy in November, that’s basically $10.27 per month for 11 months, and if you re-up annually it comes to $9.42 per month.
- Out of pocket: $112.99
- Cost per month of valid subscription: $9.42 (12 months, includes the offseason)
- Cost per month of the actual season with live baseball: $18.33 (6 months)
- Percentage of regular season: 100%
May 26-29 (Memorial Day sale): $56.49 which is 50% off for the rest of the year. This is a great deal, you only miss a little less than the first two months (and spring training) but you get half off.
- Out of pocket: $56.49
- Cost per month of valid subscription: $6.27 (9 months, includes the offseason)
- Cost per month of the actual season with live baseball: $14.12 (a little over 4 months)
- Percentage of regular season: 69%
June 13-18, 2017 (Father’s Day sale): $39.99 for the remainder of the 2017 regular season. That’s a little over three and a half months for just forty bucks, plus you get the offseason.
- Out of pocket: $39.99
- Cost per month of valid subscription: $4.70 (8.5 months, includes the offseason)
- Cost per month of the actual season with live baseball: $11.42 (a little over 3.5 months)
- Percentage of regular season: 58%
June 29, 2017 (iPhone 10th Anniversary sale): $10 for remainder of the 2017 regular season. This may or may not happen again next year, we’ll just have to wait and see. A killer deal.
- Out of pocket: $10
- Cost per month of valid subscription: $1.11 (9 months, includes the offseason)
- Cost per month of the actual season with live baseball: $3.33 (a little over 3 months)
- Percentage of regular season: 55%
July 4, 2017 (Independence Day sale): $20.17 for the remainder of the 2017 regular season. That’s most of July, plus August and September. Three months for twenty bucks, which comes out to $6.72 per month.
- Out of pocket: $20.17
- Cost per month of valid subscription: $2.52 (8 months, includes the offseason)
- Cost per month of the actual season with live baseball: $6.72 (roughly 3 months)
- Percentage of regular season: 50%
August 26, 2017 (towards the end of the season): $9.99 for the remainder of the 2017 regular season. This sale happens typically towards the end of each season. I think the intention is to draw in the bargain-hunters (who can pass up ten bucks?!) and hook you in. The actual date may vary from year to year, but this is pretty consistent.
- Out of pocket: $9.99
- Cost per month of valid subscription: $1.67 (6 months, includes the offseason)
- Cost per month of the actual season with live baseball: $8.33 (a little over one month)
- Percentage of regular season: 18-20%
September 18, 2017: $3.99 for the remainder of the 2017 regular season. This is another discount because the season is drawing to a close.
- Out of pocket: $3.99
- Cost per month of valid subscription: $0.72 (5.5 months, which includes the offseason)
- Cost per month of the actual season with live baseball: $8.00 (about a half of a month)
- Percentage of regular season: 8%
Hopefully you can use this information to make the best choice for your viewing habits and wallet. Please comment if we’ve missed any regular sales!