Major League Baseball’s US broadcast picture is the most fragmented in major American sports — five national rights-holders plus 30 regional sports networks (one per club) plus the league’s direct-to-consumer MLB.tv service. The good news for fans is that the major streaming services each cover a clearly-defined slot, so the decision tree is well-marked.
MLB.tv — the out-of-market comprehensive option
MLB.tv is the league’s direct subscription service. It offers every regular-season game live and on-demand, with US blackout rules: in-market games are blacked out and must be watched on the local RSN. MLB.tv at $149.99/season is the comprehensive out-of-market option for fans who follow a team in a different market or who want league-wide coverage.
For a fan following a single team out-of-market, the MLB.tv Single Team subscription at $129.99/season is the team-specific option.
Apple TV+ — Friday Night Baseball
Apple TV+ holds Friday Night Baseball — a Friday-evening doubleheader package broadcast on Apple TV+ exclusively. The Apple TV+ subscription at $9.99/month is the Friday Night Baseball option, with the package running approximately 25 Friday doubleheaders across the season.
Apple TV+ also includes the MLS Season Pass option as an add-on, plus the Apple TV+ entertainment catalogue.
Peacock — Sunday Morning Baseball
NBC Peacock holds the Sunday Morning Baseball window — an early-Sunday national broadcast (11:30 AM ET kickoff) for selected Sunday fixtures. Peacock at $7.99/month covers the Sunday Morning slate, with simulcast on NBC for selected fixtures.
ESPN — Sunday Night Baseball
ESPN Sunday Night Baseball is the prime-time Sunday slot at 7:00 PM ET, with one nationally-broadcast Sunday fixture per week. The full Sunday Night Baseball slate is on ESPN with a simulcast on the ESPN app for authenticated subscribers.
ESPN also carries the Wild Card playoff round and a slice of the Division Series.
Fox — Saturday Game of the Week and the World Series
Fox holds the Saturday afternoon Game of the Week slot, with one nationally-broadcast Saturday fixture per week at 4:00 PM ET. Fox Sports 1 carries additional Saturday-evening fixtures.
The World Series rotates between Fox and ESPN/ABC on an alternating cycle. The 2025 World Series was on Fox; the 2026 World Series is on Fox again under the current contract cycle. The All-Star Game in July is on Fox.
Regional Sports Networks — in-market
Each MLB club has an in-market regional sports network carrying approximately 150 of the team’s 162 regular-season games. Examples include YES (Yankees), NESN (Red Sox), SNY (Mets), MASN (Orioles, Nationals), Spectrum SportsNet LA (Dodgers), NBC Sports Bay Area (Giants).
The RSN landscape has been turbulent — Diamond Sports Group (Bally Sports) entered bankruptcy proceedings and rebranded to FanDuel Sports Network in 2024-25, and several clubs (Padres, Diamondbacks, Twins, Guardians, Brewers) negotiated direct-to-consumer streaming via MLB.tv local-market product.
Subscription cost reality
A US baseball fan’s standard setup depends on team location and travel:
- Out-of-market fan, single team: MLB.tv Single Team ($129.99/season) = approximately $22/month effective.
- Out-of-market fan, league-wide: MLB.tv ($149.99/season) + Apple TV+ ($9.99/month) + Peacock ($7.99/month) = approximately $43/month effective.
- In-market fan: Local RSN subscription (typically $19.99-$24.99/month direct-to-consumer where available) + a streaming bundle for the national games.
Useful editorial sources
- NBA US guide — the other in-season national-window sport
- NFL US guide — the four-network template
- methstreams.video — sister editorial coverage
The 2026 MLB regular season runs late March through late September. The 2026 MLB Postseason runs October through early November. The 2026 World Series is scheduled for late October.