In many ways it’s a wonderful world in which we live where
we can stream movies on our mobile devices 24X7 from services like Netflix,
Hulu, Amazon Prime and others. These
solutions are fantastic for people who are on-the-go frequently and cannot be
home to watch in more conventional ways.
Fortunately, the same holds true for those folks who do not live in the NYC broadcast area but want to see Mets games live as they happen. There are a number of methods available to do so with varying costs and inconveniences. Let’s have a look.
MLB.TV
It’s natural for Major League Baseball to want to get it’s
slice of the pie from online games. MLB.TV
has been around since 2003 when a single season package cost $79.95 to see the
entire slate of major league games via your computer. As technology evolved, so too did MLB.TV
which added smartphone and tablet support.
Now you have a choice of $91.99 yearly for a single team or $118.99
yearly for all teams. I have used this
technology via a smart TV as well so I can see games on a big screen. It’s pretty decent but I find myself at least
twice during the game needing to restart the service. There is also audio-only for occasions like
driving in the car. This service is designed for folks needing out-of-town access, so you might have to find a VPN that will make it appear you are out of the NYC area if you indeed want to use it. (Check with your nearest 12 year old or computer geek if you don't know what a VPN is or how to implement one).
For T-Mobile subscribers, each of the past several years the
MLB.TV subscription was made available for free. Considering T-Mobile is already a relatively
low-priced carrier, getting the $118.99 yearly package at no additional charge
effectively lowers your bill by about $10 per month if you were inclined to get
it. (Hint for those folks of a certain
age – T-Mobile also has an over-55 plan which costs me just $60 per month for
two lines of unlimited voice, text and data plus service in many foreign
countries). Watch for your T-Mobile
Tuesday offer about a week before opening day.
Slingbox (and other streaming devices)
These hybrid devices connect both to your TV provider and to
the Internet. Then an app is installed
on your mobile devices or PC to allow you to access whatever is on the home TV
(even the DVR in many cases). You get an
on-screen remote control to allow you to select channels. Just tune to SNY or wherever the game is
being broadcast and you can see for free with no monthly fees. The only cost is the one-time purchase of the
streaming device which can range from about $39 to $399 depending on whether
you want current generation and the brand you select. For many years I placed one of these devices
in my brother’s New Jersey home and watched games here in El Paso.
SNY
If you reside within an area that carries SNY feeds via
cable or satellite, then you can use the NBC App to livestream Mets games on
your mobile devices. The rub here is
that you must authenticate with the user ID and password of your provider to
verify you are indeed an SNY subscriber.
This service is available for free anywhere within the USA when you are
mobile. However, without the local
service you’re sunk unless, of course, someone happened to provide you with a
user name and password (not that I’m advocating such shenanigans, of course).
MLB Extra Innings
This package is available with many satellite and cable
providers. It is expensive but does
allow you to stream from mobile devices with an app.
FuboTV
A sports-oriented service, it claims to provide Mets games
but at north of $40 per month after the initial trial, it’s probably not worth
considering.
Audio Only -- TuneIn.com
On this service you can receive live and archived audio broadcasts of Mets games as well. There is a free app for livestreaming radio stations, a Pro app which adds some features such as recording, and a $7.99 per month Premium subscription which removes advertising.
Have you found other methods that work for you?
7 comments:
No.
I think you listed them all.
One thing in common... they all cost money.
Black-and-white Channel 9 and Reingold Beer commercials in the 1960s was so much less complicated.
True, but there are workaround...
I am a T-Mobile subscriber so I get my MLB.TV for free. My DVR is Internet=enabled and MLB.TV is one of the functions on it. I just log in with my credentials once at the beginning of the season and I can see games on the big screen TV at no cost.
There are other less scrupulous work-arounds that I have heard about but don't advocate doing.
MLB.TV was not very good at policing the one person/one account aspect of membership.
Slingbox similarly was allegedly able to be viewed by multiple users.
SNY needs you to provide the credentials of someone in the viewing area (like Long Island) to see games remotely for free.
Again, I don't advocate these methods, merely report on them.
I live in South Carolina on a strict social security income only life.
My cable TV, HBO/Showtime package, and Netflix add up to over $350 a month.
I can't lay out any more money to media.
I have learned to follow pitch by pitch on the MLB.com site.
Yes, I don't see how hard to ball was hit or how much spin is on Lugo's pitchers, but I have enough to make me sound relevant on this site.
Damn, Mack!
That's a lot of bones for your TV services, etc.
In the Tampa area, the only Mets' games I get are when they are on a national broadcast, or if they are playing the Marlins (and the broadcasters on the Marlins network are BRUTAL).
I have Spectrum for now and they offer the MLB Extra Innings package....I might take the plunge this year (instead of analyzing box scores, etc).
MLB.TV is $92 for the season. Isn't Extra Innings more than double that?
I am not sure......I have always passed on this package since I don't care to watch any of the other teams (outside of the Mets).
Maybe the MLB.TV deal is the way to go.
Post a Comment