MLB Extra Innings vs. MLB.TV Review

The MLB season is upon us, the baseball jerseys are coming out, 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 by Opening Day on March 30, 2023? MLB Extra Innings or MLB.TV?

It all boils down to where you live and what type of TV watcher you are.

If you live near your favorite team, you should get MLB Extra Innings. If you live far from your favorite team or are only interested in streaming, 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?)

Both services are $150 for the 7-month season. You'll also notice that you get MLB.TV with MLB Extra Innings. So it's a two-in-one. 

But you do have to factor in the monthly bill for your cable or satellite TV bill for MLB EXTRA INNINGS. You can order MLB.TV on its own without an additional subscription.

Still trying to decide 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 are a Boston Red Sox fan, go with the stand-alone streaming service MLB.TV. You can even get single-team coverage for a lower price.

With all TV providers, you'll have to commit for the rest of the season once you're billed for your first month. You won't be able to get refunded, so you might as well sit back and enjoy some ball.

With MLB.TV, you can cancel at any time.

But remember, if you don't like MLB Extra Innings or MLB.TV, cancel at the end of the season. But if you want to keep these services, you'll automatically be charged for MLB Extra Innings or MLB.TV when spring training or the 2024 season starts.

MLB Extra Innings gets you out-of-market baseball coverage on top of your local coverage. And you'll need a cable or satellite TV package to sign up for this subscription.

Your choice is easy if you already have a cable or satellite TV provider!

But if you don't, you'll have to pay more for MLB Extra Innings than for MLB.TV because you'd need to sign up for a cable or satellite package ($65–$155 per month) 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
• All home games, thanks to the local channels in your TV plan
• MLB Network access
• On Game Mix, you can watch eight games at the same time
• Access to MLB.TV

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

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

​​If you happen to live in an area that supports Xfinity cable, you're in luck. Xfinity is the best cable TV provider, and it offers you a front-row ticket on your couch to every MLB game of the season.

We recommend the Ultimate TV package ($68 per month) so you can enjoy all 23 sports channels Xfinity offers for the entire year. 

When you're done watching Shohei throw 110+ MPH balls, switch over to the Golf Channel, NFL Network, or SEC Network. 

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

Spectrum TV recently switched from being a traditional cable TV provider to a "digital cable TV provider." 

It essentially means it is now a live TV streaming service provider as you now download and watch through the Spectrum TV app with your smart TV or streaming device. 

Although we applaud Spectrum TV for being one of the few services to have MLB EXTRA INNINGS, we can't clap our hands for its sports channel lineup. 

Check out Spectrum TV's channel lineup to first see if it's one you'd like to sift through after a Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox game. (And a hint: you'll get a better deal with Spectrum if you bundle the service with Spectrum Internet or Spectrum Mobile.)

Besides comparing the MLB Extra Innings vs. MLB.TV services, there's another battle going on: DISH vs. DIRECTV. You can read our comparison review to determine which satellite option is best for you and your family.

We'll say right now that we like DISH's America's Top 200 package because it has 22 sports channels, including MLB Network, NBA TV, NFL Network, Big Ten Network, and PAC-12 Network.

So if you're curious to see if the Los Angeles Angels finally make it to the playoffs, you can't question yourself for wanting MLB Extra Innings. Before you sign up for anything, get more details in our DISH review.

You can add MLB Extra Innings to any DIRECTV package. You'll get your local and regional sports channels even with the most basic DIRECTV packages.

But keep in mind that DIRECTV has second-year price hikes on its TV packages, whereas DISH does not. But DIRECTV has more channels.

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

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.

Why? For example, if you live in Seattle and want to watch all Mariners games, MLB Extra Innings makes it possible for you to watch all of their games on the road. With a cable or satellite TV package, you'll get the local channels to also watch all of the Mariners games played at home.

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

MLB.TV is a streaming service that gets you out-of-market baseball games.

You can also watch 250+ Spring Season training games live. And you can access every regular and postseason game from the previous season during the off-season. (Baseball all year, oh yeah.) 

There's no need to sign up for a cable or satellite subscription that might have a contract attached.

You can order this subscription by itself, or you can add it onto your fuboTV subscription so all of your entertainment is in one place.

fuboTV is the only live TV streaming service that offers MLB.TV as an add-on, and fuboTV is our favorite live TV service for sports fans. You could say it's the TV version of a baseball double.

Let's say you grew up in Los Angeles and are 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 even if you didn't move, combining MLB.TV and a live TV streaming service with local channels and MLB Network will allow you to watch most home and away games.

(fuboTV doesn't offer an add-on for the Single-team coverage—only the All-teams coverage.)

If you want to scope out the competition or are a fan of the whole, then all-teams coverage will be more up your alley.

When one team just isn't enough, then the all-teams coverage subscription is the better pick. You only pay an extra $20 compared to the single-team coverage, which is a steal considering how many hours of baseball you'll get in return.

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 without strings attached with MLB.TV.

But because of blackouts (more on that below), you'll likely want a live TV streaming service with the channels you need to watch home games. For MLB fans, fuboTV is a great catch.

It has MLB.TV, MLB Network, FOX, FS1, ESPN, and ABC. The only downside for MLB fanatics is that this service doesn't have TBS. 

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 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 can 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.

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.

If you're a traditional TV watcher and don't like the idea of streaming, MLB EXTRA INNINGS is the subscription for you.

Suppose you're of the younger generation or are interested in saving money, MLB.TV (and possibly a live TV streaming service) is more up your alley.

• MLB Extra Innings: $149.99/season with Xfinity, Spectrum, DISH and DIRECTV
• MLB.TV: $149.99/season or $24.99/mo. (all teams), $129.99/season (single team)

For longtime baseball fans, MLB Extra Innings and a cable or satellite subscription are worth it. And it's a one-time ticket of $140 to out-of-market and local games in your living room.

With MLB.TV, you'll get access to all out-of-market games in the league daily. And you can watch the games on your phone while you're at church, waiting in line at the grocery store, or on your couch.

If you're curious about more than just MLB game coverage, check out our best streaming service for sports review.

• Best Sports Packages from Cable and Streaming TV Providers
• Best Streaming Service for Sports 2023
• Best Cable TV and Internet Bundles 2023
• Best Satellite TV and Internet Providers 2023
• DISH vs. DIRECTV 2023

fuboTV is the only live TV streaming service to offer MLB.TV as an add-on.