MLB Extra Innings vs. MLB.TV Review 2020

Spring training is upon us, and we know you’re here because you have to find the best way to watch the O’s, the ‘Stros, or the D-backs.

But which service should you get to watch your favorite ball team? MLB Extra Innings or MLB.TV?

Basically, it all boils down to where you live.

If you live near your favorite team, you should get MLB Extra Innings. If you live far from your favorite team, you’ll do just fine with MLB.TV.

But let’s play ball and make a s’more. And get s’more information on which service is best for you. (The Sandlot, anyone?)

MLB Extra Innings vs. MLB.TV price comparison

The price of both services aren’t too different. It’s about the price of six baseball hats.

Both of these services are for the baseball junkies, so we’ve broken them down in this table for you.

You’ll also notice that you get MLB.TV with MLB Extra Innings. It’s how you catch all those out-of-market games, and it already comes with your subscription package.

(Keep in mind, some of these prices could increase by a few dollars as some services say to check back in March 2020 for pricing. We’ll update the table in March.)

^{Data effective 2/3/2020. Offers and availability vary by location and are subject to change.}

Still not sure which service you should get?

If you live in the same market as your favorite team, go with a cable or satellite subscription and get MLB Extra Innings. You’ll get your local sports channels along with 90 out-of-market games each week.

And if you live in San Francisco but you’re a New York Yankees fan, go with the stand-alone streaming service MLB.TV. You could even opt to get single-team coverage for a cheaper price.

MLB Extra Innings vs. MLB.TV contracts

MLB.TV doesn’t have a contract. You’re a free agent throughout the entire season.

But as for MLB Extra Innings, each cable and satellite provider is different in this regard:

• DISH: Your membership for the season is non-refundable.
• Xfinity: You can cancel for free if it’s within 30 days of being charged.
• DIRECTV: You can cancel for free up until one week after the regular season has started.

What is MLB Extra Innings?

MLB Extra Innings gets you out-of-market baseball coverage on top of your local coverage. This means you need a cable or satellite subscription to sign up for MLB Extra Innings.

If you already have a cable or satellite subscription, then your choice is easy!

But if you don’t, you’ll have to pay a lot more for MLB Extra Innings than you do for MLB.TV. Obviously, you’d need to sign up for a cable or satellite package plus MLB Extra Innings.

So what makes MLB Extra Innings worth the extra money? Here are some of the perks you get with the service:

• All out-of-market games
• MLB Network access
• On Game Mix, you can watch eight games at the same time

When you combine your MLB Extra Innings subscription with your cable or satellite subscription, you get access to the entire league. That’s a home run in our eyes.

Now let’s take a look at the main cable and satellite services that offer MLB Extra Innings.

MLB Extra Innings pricing and plans

DISH

Within the larger question of MLB Extra Innings vs. MLB.TV, there’s another battle going on: DISH vs. DIRECTV. You can read our review to figure out which satellite option is best for you and your family.

But there’s one big reason why DISH is the better choice for the baseball fanatics: MLB Extra Innings is about $60 less for the season.

If you’re an LA Dodgers fan, that $60 could be better spent on a new Mookie Betts jersey. But before you sign up for anything, get more details in our DISH review.

Xfinity

If you happen to live in an area that supports Xfinity cable, you’re in luck. You could get the cable and MLB Extra Innings combo for about $220 for the season.

That doesn’t sound so bad when you realize you get front row tickets on your couch every single day.

Now, what are you getting yourself into with Xfinity? Check out our Xfinity review for all the info.

DIRECTV

You can add MLB Extra Innings to any DIRECTV package. Even with the most basic DIRECTV packages, you’ll get your local sports regional channels.

So, feel free to go with a cheaper option. If you’re going to pay more than $180 for MLB Extra Innings, you might as well save a few bucks.

What are your package options for DIRECTV, you ask? Well, let us help you decide which one is best for you in our DIRECTV review.

Should I get MLB Extra Innings?

Again, if you live in the same market as your team, get MLB Extra Innings so you can get access to all of the games.

It also makes a lot of sense if you already have DISH, DIRECTV, or Xfinity. Or if you’ve been thinking about biting the bullet to sign up for one, then there’s no better time than baseball season.

What is MLB.TV?

MLB.TV is a streaming service that gets you out-of-market baseball games. No contract and no need to sign up for a cable or satellite subscription.

During the off-season, you can get access to every regular season and postseason game from the previous season. (Baseball all year, oh yeah.) You can also watch some 2020 Spring Season training games live.

MLB.TV pricing and plans

Single-team coverage

Let’s say you grew up in Los Angeles, and you’re a huge Doyers fan. But later, you move to Texas for a job. Well, the MLB.TV single-team coverage will be perfect for you.

But if you want to scope out the competition or you’re a fan of the league as a whole, then all-teams coverage will be more up your alley.

All-teams coverage

When one team just isn’t enough, then the all-teams coverage subscription is the better pick. You only pay an extra $30 or so compared to the single team coverage, which is a steal considering how many hours of baseball you’ll get in return.

Should I get MLB.TV?

MLB.TV makes a lot of sense for fans who don’t have a cable or satellite subscription and aren’t interested in signing up for one. You can get all the baseball you can handle with no strings attached with MLB.TV.

Just watch out for the blackouts. (Speaking of which . . . )

Beware of blackouts

In addition to the cost, there’s another factor to consider. And you might not like it.

Blackouts. Dunh, dunh, duuuuunh.

Each baseball team has a deal in place with a regional sports network (RSN) serving that market. For example, the YES Network is the television home of the New York Yankees, besides a few games that broadcast on national providers like ESPN or FOX.

So if you live in the New York market, you won’t be able to see Yankees (or New York Mets) games on MLB Extra Innings or MLB.TV. The league “protects” the RSN by blacking them out from the local market, whether the team is playing home or away.

But if you don’t live in the home market, you won’t need to worry about blackouts. Yankees fans living in Florida will be able to keep tabs on their team day in and day out.

To avoid this headache, make sure your cable or satellite package has the regional network that broadcasts your team’s games.

And if you get MLB.TV and you’re in a blackout area for a specific game, it will be available as an archived game 90 minutes after it has ended.

Recap: MLB Extra Innings is the winner.

MLB Extra Innings will get you access to all games in the league, plus an MLB.TV subscription.

• MLB Extra Innings: $120 (DISH), $170 (Xfinity), $183 (DIRECTV)
• MLB.TV: $121.99 (all teams), $93.99 (single team)

MLB Extra Innings and a cable or satellite subscription are worth it for diehard baseball fans. (We know you’re one because you’re reading this.)

You’ll get access to all of the games in the league every single day, and you can watch the games on your phone while you’re at church, waiting in line at the grocery store, or on your lunch break.

And it’s a one-time $120–$180 ticket to watch your favorite team play right in your living room.

If both of these services aren’t what you’re looking for when it comes to MLB game coverage, check out our best streaming service for sports review.

What do you think?

Do you have MLB Extra Innings or MLB.TV? What’s your experience with it been? Or do you like a different streaming service better? Drop us a comment below!