MLB At Bat Goes Live for 2012 With Improved Pricing Scheme

by

Baseball season is almost upon us and with that comes the latest edition of Major League Baseball's At Bat app, which went live this morning. The app provides baseball fans with access to live game radio and television broadcasts, MLB GameDay play-by-play service, and more.

Of course, all this isn't free. There are several service options depending mostly on if users wish to have streaming television broadcasts or are content with radio. The app itself, a universal app designed for both the iPhone and iPad, is a free download. On its own, it offers free league-wide scoreboards and limited access to news content from Major League Baseball.

mlbatbat1
There are two main service levels, with the high-end MLB.tv Premium offering everything: live home-and-away television broadcasts for "out-of-market" games (that is, users can't watch their local team's television coverage); live game home-and-away radio broadcasts; GameDay play-by-play coverage; in-game highlights; box scores; and many, many statistics.

MLB.tv Premium can be purchased for $124.99/season or $24.99/month from the MLB.tv website. The MLB.tv login can then be used to completely unlock the iOS app, and it also allows games to be watched from the Mac or Apple TV.

New for this year is an additional MLB.tv Premium purchase option: a $24.99/month in-app subscription that gives all the same access as buying through the MLB website, but with the convenience of charging the service to an iTunes account. Across the whole length of the season, the $24.99/month charge will be more expensive than the full season charge of $124.99, but it is nice to have the option.

mlbatbat2
Also available is an in-app purchase for $14.99/season or $2.99/month that offers the same radio broadcasts and GameDay features as the full MLB.tv Premium package, but without the television broadcasts. Subscribers to this package do get one free featured television broadcast per day, as well as "live look-ins" to games when significant events happen.

Last year, MLB.tv Premium users were required to pay the $124.99/season fee, as well as buying separate iPhone and iPad apps for $14.99 each. This year, subscribers with iOS devices will save $30 by having the apps unlock automatically with a login. Additionally, MLB.tv Premium users will get access to out-of-market game broadcasts on the Apple TV. MLB tells MacRumors that the Apple TV is receiving an updated interface for 2012 as well.

mlbatbat3
Finally, MLB told us about a new "At The Ballpark" app coming on Opening Day 2012. The app will expand on the features offered in the At Bat app last year and will offer maps to concession stands, emergency exits and more at ballparks, as well as a geolocated check-in service. Individual clubs can offer seat upgrades, special offers and food discounts to app users. Some clubs even offer mobile food ordering from the app, and can deliver food right to your seat.

MLB At Bat is a free universal download from the App Store for iPhone and iPad. [Direct Link]

Popular Stories

New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18

18 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 18.2

Wednesday November 27, 2024 5:05 am PST by
Apple is set to release iOS 18.2 in early December, bringing the second round of Apple Intelligence features to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models. This update brings several major advancements to Apple's AI integration, including completely new image generation tools and a range of Visual Intelligence-based enhancements. There are a handful of new non-AI related feature controls incoming as...
Read Full Article • 28 comments
iphone 16 pro models 1

12 Reasons to Wait for Next Year's iPhone 17

Friday November 29, 2024 5:17 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we sometimes get rumored feature leaks so far ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different – already we have some idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you plan to skip...
Read Full Article • 100 comments
Whatsapp Feature

WhatsApp to Drop Support for These iPhones Starting May 2025

Monday December 2, 2024 2:57 am PST by
WhatsApp is set to end support for iOS versions older than iOS 15.1 from May next year, removing the chat platform's compatibility with several iPhone models in the process. From May 5, 2025, WhatsApp will no longer be compatible with iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, and iPhone 6 Plus models. Users with those devices won't be able to access the encrypted chat service after the specified date unless they ...
Read Full Article • 41 comments
iPhone 17 Pro Dual Tone Rectangle Feature 1

iPhone 17 Pro Already Rumored to Have These 8 New Features

Wednesday November 27, 2024 12:19 pm PST by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch for 10 more months, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. An imaginative iPhone 17 Pro concept based on rumors Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models so far: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro ...
Read Full Article • 213 comments
Apple AI Command Center Concept Mock 3

Apple Expected to Launch This All-New Device Next Year

Wednesday November 27, 2024 1:05 pm PST by
Apple is expected to kick off 2025 by launching an all-new smart home hub, also referred to as a "command center," as early as March. The hub is expected to feature around a six-inch display that can be attached to a tabletop base with a speaker, or mounted on a wall. The device is said to run a new "homeOS" operating system with a customizable widget-focused home screen, and it is expected...
Read Full Article
maxresdefault

The MacRumors Show: iPhone 17 Designs Revealed!

Friday November 29, 2024 9:34 am PST by
On this week's episode of The MacRumors Show, we discuss the recently leaked design of the iPhone 17 "Air" and iPhone 17 Pro. Subscribe to The MacRumors Show YouTube channel for more videos Earlier this week, a report from The Information's Wayne Ma revealed that the iPhone 17 Air will have a thickness of between 5mm and 6mm, which would make it the thinnest iPhone ever. In comparison, iPhone ...
Read Full Article • 93 comments
airpods pro 2 gradient

AirPods Pro 3 Expected Next Year: Here's What We Know

Thursday November 28, 2024 3:30 am PST by
Despite being released over two years ago, Apple's AirPods Pro 2 continue to dominate the wireless earbud market. However, with the AirPods Pro 3 expected to launch sometime in 2025, anyone thinking of buying Apple's premium earbuds may be wondering if the next generation is worth holding out for. Apart from their audio and noise-canceling performance, which are generally regarded as...
Read Full Article • 63 comments
Cyber Monday Deals Feature 2022

Apple Cyber Week Deals Available Now: AirPods, iPads, and More

Sunday December 1, 2024 7:52 am PST by
Although Black Friday has ended, Cyber Week is here and you can find great deals on numerous Apple devices right now. This includes big savings on AirPods, Apple Watch, MacBook Air, iPad, and more. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running. Specifically,...
Read Full Article • 23 comments

Top Rated Comments

spiderman0616 Avatar
spiderman0616
167 months ago
MLB is yet another streaming content provider that doesn't "get it". They're better than the NFL about this stuff, but as a cord cutter, I look at this service as a waste of money. If I pay for MLB.TV, I want to watch the games live whether they're in my market area or not. If they would get rid of the game delays for local games, I would be all over this service.

These big companies these days just don't understand where things are moving. In ten years time, I honestly think we'll be streaming everything we watch and paying for only the content we want rather than 500 channels of stuff we don't care about.
Score: 17 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Mac21ND Avatar
Mac21ND
167 months ago
I'd buy it in a heartbeat if not for the blackout rules. I live four hours from my "home" team and am blacked out.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bennettave Avatar
bennettave
167 months ago
how long before there is a way to watch home team baseball for people who have dropped cable tv??
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
damir00 Avatar
damir00
167 months ago
Good stuff!

But curious that the image they're showing is from a video game instead of actual baseball footage.

If they (and the other leagues! looking at you, NHL!) could do something about the blackout restrictions, it would be even better.

----------


These big companies these days just don't understand where things are moving.
They certainly do understand. MLB in particular has been at the forefront of moving to IP based distribution.

But legacy contracts/commitments don't allow them to move as quickly as we'd like them to move.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JBaker122586 Avatar
JBaker122586
167 months ago
MLB is yet another streaming content provider that doesn't "get it". They're better than the NFL about this stuff, but as a cord cutter, I look at this service as a waste of money. If I pay for MLB.TV, I want to watch the games live whether they're in my market area or not. If they would get rid of the game delays for local games, I would be all over this service.

These big companies these days just don't understand where things are moving. In ten years time, I honestly think we'll be streaming everything we watch and paying for only the content we want rather than 500 channels of stuff we don't care about.
It's you that doesn't "get it."

MLB is at the FOREFRONT of live video streaming. They've been doing it for a decade now. In fact, a large portion of live streaming broadcasts that you watch from anywhere are using servers on loan from MLB.

In-market games are unavailable due to contracts with local broadcasters. If your local Fox affiliate has a contract with the Diamondbacks to show their games, they're not going to want the MLB allowing potential viewers to watch games on computers or iPad or Apple TVs. Then you're not seeing any of the advertising, which is what makes it profitable for the local affiliate to carry the games.

If you really want to stream local market games to your phone, just get a Slingbox. It can be had for about the cost of two seasons of MLB.tv or less. That way you watch your local market games, get your local ads, and your local affiliate receives the ratings.

As a Yankees fan living in Texas, MLB.tv is a godsend. And when the Yanks play the Rangers, I'll just watch it on my Slingbox.

And this new model is further proof that MLB gets it. I have been annoyed the last two years that as a subscriber to MLB.tv I've still had to pay just to have the app (last year $30 to get it for both my devices). Glad they found a smooth way to rectify that.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
december Avatar
december
167 months ago
MLB foolishly gave Rogers the ability to claim all of Canada as their home territory, so there is no reason for Canadians living in Canada but outside of Toronto to buy the MLB service to watch the Jays.

Blackouts are the deaths throes of a dying business model.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Read All Comments