MLB At Bat Updated for the 2013 Season, Local Game Video Still Blacked Out

Major League Baseball has updated its MLB At Bat app for the 2013 baseball season, refining the app in several areas and adding multi-platform access for subscriptions purchased through the MLB At Bat's In-App Purchase mechanism. The app provides baseball fans with access to subscription-based live game radio and television broadcasts, MLB GameDay play-by-play service, and more.

There are several subscription levels depending on whether the user wants streaming television broadcasts, or just the radio broadcasts. The app itself, a universal app designed for both the iPhone and iPad, is a free download and offers free league-wide scoreboards and limited access to news and non-live video content from Major League Baseball.

Mlbscreenshot
There are two main subscription packages. The high-end $130/season MLB.tv Premium offers everything: live home-and-away television broadcasts for "out-of-market" games (that is, users can't watch their local team's television coverage) as well as live game home-and-away radio broadcasts, and the ability to watch on mobile devices, PC's, the Apple TV, and consoles. Users can also watch a growing number of archived classic games. MLB.tv Premium can be purchased through the MLB website or via in-app subscription for $25/month.

The cheaper At Bat 2013 product, which is available as an in-app purchase for $20/season or $3/month, offers both home-and-away radio broadcasts with no blackout restrictions.

New for this year, subscribers who purchase MLB.tv Premium or At Bat 2013 through IAP will get to access in-game audio or TV broadcasts not only on the iPhone and iPad, but on Android devices, as well as Macs and PCs and consoles (as applicable).

Ipad News1
MLB Advanced Media has promised more upgrades to the app before opening day at the beginning of April, and told MacRumors that the company is aware that customers would very much like to stream local games without blackout restrictions, but that the content deals to allow that are extremely complex and difficult to negotiate.

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

Top Rated Comments

Diode Avatar
138 months ago
Dear MLB teams (as blackout restrictions aren't under jurisdiction by the MLB itself):

Please allow MLB at Bat to at least just stream the feed from your stupid local sports network created solely for your team.

Thanks,
Baseball fans everywhere
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mattwolfmatt Avatar
138 months ago
I am a huge baseball fan, and I was living in another city and faithfully plunked down the $150 or so a year to watch my team. Now that I moved back home to where my team is . . . I can't watch my team and MLB gets $0.

Thanks, MLB?
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
PantherCreek Avatar
138 months ago
I really wish that AtBat wouldn't black out local games. I've gotten rid of cable and still can't watch games from my local team as they're happening even if I pay their $130.00 subscription.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
grapes911 Avatar
138 months ago
I really wish that AtBat wouldn't black out local games. I've gotten rid of cable and still can't watch games from my local team as they're happening even if I pay their $130.00 subscription.
Networks pay a lot of money to exclusively carry games in local markets. It's not going to change any time soon.
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
azentropy Avatar
138 months ago
Networks pay a lot of money to exclusively carry games in local markets. It's not going to change any time soon.

They could very easily stream the local networks actual feed with commercials and all to those who in local markets. Problem solved.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
oneMadRssn Avatar
138 months ago
This blackout nonsense has to end. It does nothing but hurt the consumers: the fans. I get that it's so that it's so mlb.tv doesn't compete with local cable companies, but it's still ridiculous. Let me put in my local cable company login information (like HBOgo does) and prove that I'm a subscriber to let me watch local games then. Or increase the price for unblacked out access.

Again, this restriction only hurts the real fans.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iOS 17

Apple Releases iOS 17.0.1 and iPadOS 17.0.1 With Bug Fixes, Plus iOS 17.0.2 for iPhone 15 Models

Thursday September 21, 2023 10:28 am PDT by
Apple today released iOS 17.0.1 and iPadOS 17.0.1 updates for the iPhone and the iPad, adding bug fixes to the new software. The iOS 17.0.1 and iPadOS 17.0.1 updates come just a few days after Apple launched iOS 17 and iPadOS 17. The software, which is build 21A340, can be downloaded on eligible iPhones and iPads over-the-air by going to Settings > General > Software Update. There is a...
iPhone 15 Pro Lineup Feature

iPhone 15 Models Feature New Setting to Strictly Prevent Charging Beyond 80%

Tuesday September 19, 2023 2:04 pm PDT by
All of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models feature a new battery health setting that prevents the devices from charging beyond 80% at all times when enabled, as confirmed by The Verge's Allison Johnson during a Q&A session today. The new setting is separate from the pre-existing Optimized Battery Charging feature on iPhones, which intelligently delays charging past 80% until a more...
emojipedia 15 1 emoji

Emoji Coming to Future iOS 17 Update Include Shaking Head, Brown Mushroom, Lime, Phoenix and More

Tuesday September 19, 2023 12:43 pm PDT by
As Apple was announcing new iPhone models last week, the Unicode Consortium was officially approving new emoji characters that are set to be added to smartphones starting in 2024. Mockup of new emoji from Emojipedia Approved Unicode 15.1 emoji include phoenix, lime, an edible mushroom, shaking head vertically (as in a "yes" nod), shaking head horizontally (a "no" head shake), and broken...
iPhone 15 Pro Max 5x Optical Zoom Limit Feature 1

Apple Explains Why iPhone 15 Pro Max is Limited to 5x Optical Zoom

Wednesday September 20, 2023 9:52 am PDT by
In an interview with Numerama's Nicolas Lellouche, Apple's VP of camera software engineering Jon McCormack explained why the iPhone 15 Pro Max's tetraprism lens system is limited to 5x optical zoom, instead of 10x like on Samsung's Galaxy S23 Ultra. The interview is in French, so quotes below are computer translated. Apple says the Telephoto lens on the iPhone 15 Pro Max features the...