Minor League games can now be viewed as part of the price increased MLB.tv package for out of market MLB games. However, your no-longer-needed MiLB.tv subscription will also be renewed if you don’t cancel it.
Prior to 2023, the streaming-based applications to watch Major League and Minor League Baseball were separate products.
The MLB offering is called MLB.tv. It is targeted to viewers out of market. That means that if you live in an area that is in the territory for an MLB team, MLB.tv is not for you. The local team’s games would be blacked out.
(For in-market fans, ordering the equivalent of Bally Sports Midwest from one’s cable, internet or satellite provider is the way to go.)
The second offering is called MiLB.tv. Not every team and every game are covered, and the technology is not as good as with MLB.tv. Games can only be viewed on the desktop, Apple iOS devices and Android devices.
Still, to be able to see both big-league and minor league action, many of us paid for both. Some selected MiLB.tv as an add-on to MLB.tv, while others subscribed to the two separately.
Big changes for 2023
The price for MLB.tv for 2023 is $149.99, an increase of $10 over 2022. There is also a one-team-only version for $129.99.
One key change is that MLB.tv subscribers will now be able to watch live video of Minor League games in the First Pitch app and the MLB apps.
MiLB.tv will also be included with subscriptions for the MLB At Bat audio offering for $29.99.
The rub
As a result, the need for MLB.tv and At Bat audio subscribers to subscribe separately to MiLB.tv is gone. However, they aren’t making that clear to fans.
This week, the annual renewal notification emails have been sent out from MLB.tv and MiLB.tv. The latter, which is two pages of detail, does not mention anywhere the minor league game coverage duplication.
If a 2022 subscriber to these products does not take specific action to cancel, he/she will be renewed in March both for MLB.tv at $149.99 and MiLB.tv at $49.99, for example. The latter is now a redundant charge.
The good news
The total cost to see out of market MLB games plus minor league games in 2023 is lower than in 2022 – but only if you don’t let the MiLB.tv offering renew.
Further, the MLB.tv app will allow minor league games to be viewed on Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV and other smart TVs for the first time.
Be advised.
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