How To Watch 2023 MLB Season Online: Live Streams & Channels

It’s officially spring, and with spring comes the start of another new season: baseball season.

The 2023 Major League Baseball season kicks off March 30, with first pitch for the very first games of the year set for 1:05 p.m. ET.

This season brings about some exciting — and controversial — rule changes to the national pastime. For the first time, a pitch clock will be instituted, timing pitchers (15 seconds with bases empty and 20 if a runner is on base) in an effort to shorten the game. Bases have also been made bigger for safety reasons, and the shift, which would see players changing positions within the infield to aid the team’s defense, has been eliminated entirely.

The Houston Astros enter the 2023 season as defending World Series champs, but the Atlanta Braves, New York Yankees, Cleveland Guardians, and San Diego Padres are all poised to potentially etch their names into the MLB history books this season as well.

Want to make sure you get all the baseball action available this year? Here’s how to watch the 2023 MLB season live online.

HOW TO WATCH MLB GAMES LIVE ONLINE:

This year, nationally-broadcast MLB games will air on ESPN, ESPN+, FOX, FS1, TBS, and the MLB Network. The MLB schedule on the ESPN website includes a column that notes if a game is airing nationally and where.

If you have a valid cable login, you can live stream MLB games at the following locations:

ESPN: 2023 MLB games airing on ESPN can be streamed via the “watch live” section on the ESPN website or the ESPN app, which you can download on the Apple App Store, Google Play, or Amazon.

ESPN+: Stream at least one live MLB game per day, all season long on ESPN+. Local market blackout restrictions apply to out-of-market games, which you can stream live, rewind, or replay on up to three devices at once. You can also download the ESPN+ app on the Apple App Store, Google Play, or Amazon.

FOX: MLB games airing on FOX can be streamed on Fox.com, the Fox Now app, and the Fox Sports app (available on the Apple App Store, Amazon, and Google Play).

FS1: You can watch the MLB on FS1 via the Fox Sports “live tv” section or the Fox Sports app (available on the Apple App Store, Google Play, and Amazon).

TBS: You can find an MLB live stream on TBS live via TBS.com and the Watch TBS app, which is available to download on the Apple App Store, Amazon, or Google Play.

MLB Network: You can watch MLB Network live online via the “watch live” section of the website.

A handful of streaming services will also carry a number of exclusive-to-them games this season with no regional blackouts. Here’s everything you need to know about those games:

AppleTV+: Each Friday, Apple TV+ will stream two games, starting April 7. These double headers are available for subscribers to stream regardless of their location. Apple TV+ costs $6.99/month. Heads up, if you don’t have Apple products, you’ll need the app on your TV. Android phones and tablets don’t support AppleTV+. To check out the Friday Night Baseball schedule through June 30, head over to Apple TV+’s website.

Peacock: Peacock and NBC Sports’ Sunday Leadoff also returns this season, with one exclusive morning/afternoon game every Sunday. Since Peacock got rid of their free plan, you’ll need a Peacock Premium subscription ($4.99/month) to watch any of the games. For the full list of Sunday Leadoff games, check out NBC Sports’ website.

Prime Video: Prime Video is the exclusive streaming home of 20 New York Yankees games this season. The games stream at no additional charge to Amazon Prime members ($14.99/month), and even viewers in the NY/NJ area will be able to watch without being location-blocked. The games feature the announcing team from the Yankees’ local network, YES, and you can find out which games will air on Prime here.

IS ESPN ON HULU?

Yes! Hulu + Live TV offers an ESPN live stream with a valid subscription. The streaming service also has FOX, FS1 and TBS. It will cost $69.99/month or $82.99/month for an ad-free subscription package — both packages come with ESPN+ at no additional cost as well.

CAN I STREAM MLB GAMES ON DIRECTV STREAM, SLING TV, FUBO, HULU + LIVE TV, OR YOUTUBE TV?

Yes! Every major live streaming service offers multiple channels that will air MLB games in 2023. Here are all the pertinent channels offered by each platform:

	DirecTV Stream ($75+/month)	Sling TV *($55+/month)	Fubo ($75+/month)	Hulu + Live TV ($70+/month)	Youtube TV ($73+/month)
ESPN	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
MLB Network	✔	✔ (with sports add-on +$11/month)	✔
Fox	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
Fox Sports 1	✔	✔	✔	✔	✔
TBS	✔	✔		✔	✔

Depending on your location, DirecTV Stream is the only live TV streaming service that carries local sports networks in addition to the national ones. For example, users in the Chicago area will get two additional channels included that carry the Cubs and White Sox games locally.

*The only way to get all of the included channels with Sling TV is to subscribe to the Orange & Blue plan, which costs $55-60/month depending on your location.

HOW TO WATCH OUT OF MARKET MLB GAMES:

Say you’re a Dodgers fan who moved across the country, therefore lost access to Bally Sports SoCal, but you still want to watch your team. MLB.TV is what you’re looking for. The service has two subscription plans that allows you to watch out-of-market games from wherever you’re located.

The first, which costs $24.99/month through Amazon Prime Video, includes every game from every team that isn’t in your local market. The second is the single team pass, which costs $129.99/year and includes every game from the out-of-market team of your choice.