If you’re one of the countless fans who have been incredibly frustrated with Major League Baseball’s bogus blackout rules, there’s some new found hope for the 2016 season.
In the past, users would be forced to shell out $110 to stream MLB.tv. What royally sucked was when you found out after buying the service, you couldn’t watch your favorite team when they visited your market. For example, you’re a Yankees fan living in Chicago, so when the team travels to the Windy City to take on the Sox, you’re SOL unless you have a cable subscription to watch the Sox. This kind of thing has increasingly become more frustrating as fans continue to cut cords.
Now, after a lawsuit settlement Tuesday, the old-fashioned blackout rules are changing for the better.
Because of alleged collusion between MLB teams and TV networks regarding boundaries where games could be aired, the settlement will now allow fans to subscribe to single-team packages for $84.99.
According to the AP:
The deal also calls for the cost of a league-wide package to drop to $109.99. The agreement provides other options to cable subscribers to regional sports broadcast networks. The league will let a subscriber buy access to a visiting team’s broadcast online. MLB also agreed to provide live local team broadcasts over the Internet for cable subscribers by the start of the 2017 season.
Unfortunately, some blackout rules still apply, so the changes aren’t perfect. As Deadspin pointed out, a primary example of some of the remaining flaws reside for fans living in Las Vegas, a market that is blacked out for Dodgers, Angels, Giants, A’s, Padres and D’backs games.
Josh Helmuth is the editor of Crave Sports.
Photo: Getty
