MLB has made it clear it wants to offer in-market streaming for all of its teams. Exactly how it does, this is still up in the air, as there have been reports of MLB holding talks with YouTube, Amazon, and Apple, to name a few options. Now though according to The Athletic, we are still years away from every team streaming games in-market online.
Some MLB teams are already streaming online but often at very high prices and in a fragmented way. MLB has a dream of making the sport more easily streamed online but it is not easy to do at this time.
At issue here is the fact that MLB teams have contracts with RSNs that need to be honored before MLB can stream games in-market or sell the rights to do so. Though there are options for some teams to start, and others may get out of their contracts sooner than expected.
Several teams have contracts coming up soon, and with the recent upheaval in the world of RSNs it is very possible some teams could start streaming as soon as this year or next year.
Any team that has a contract with AT&T SportsNets are likely to be some of the first to offer in-market streaming. Warner Bros. Discovery has already said they plan to shut down AT&T SportsNets this year just. The question now is when will AT&T SportsNets shut down. After that happens, it is reported that the TV rights will return to MLB, allowing them to be resold or allowing them to be streamed online. For now, though, there are rumors that AT&T SportsNet may keep running until the end of the 2023 MLB season.
The teams with AT&T SportsNets contracts include the Astros, Pirates, and Rockies at this time.
Bally Sports is also reportedly struggling to make payments to some MLB teams. Now MLB is asking for these teams to be released from their RSN contracts. If that happens, The Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians, and Minnesota Twins could be free to stream online as soon as this season.
For now, these six teams are the ones most likely to break free of their RSN contracts first allowing MLB to stream them on MLB.TV or some other streaming partner.