Last Friday I posted here about a proposed deal between MLB and Roku for a package of games that would air in an exclusive window on Sunday late morning/early afternoon (depending on your time zone).
Today, that deal was officially announced by MLB and Roku.
The best news about this streaming package is that there’s nothing you have to subscribe to in order to watch the games, and no charge at all to watch.
Full details are here, and here’s the best news:
Can I watch the MLB Sunday Leadoff game if I have an MLB.TV subscription?
Yes. The games will still be available to those with an MLB.TV subscription. There are no blackouts for these games for Roku and/or MLB.TV users.
Yes, that’s right — you can access these games through your MLB.TV subscription, as with any other game, if you have such a subscription, and NO BLACKOUTS!
If you don’t have MLB.TV or a Roku device, watching these games is pretty simple:
I don’t have a Roku device. Can I watch MLB Sunday Leadoff?
Yes! It’s simple to watch Sunday Morning Leadoff even if you don’t have a Roku device. Just download The Roku Channel app, which is free and available on Amazon Fire devices, Samsung TVs and Google TVs. It is also accessible via therokuchannel.com. No login required.
So you can watch these games on any smart TV, or on a laptop, phone or tablet via the website link above.
There is one Cubs game in MLB Sunday Leadoff, as shown below:
Sunday, June 16, Cardinals vs. Cubs at Wrigley Field. The times listed above are Eastern, so that game, originally scheduled for 1:20 p.m. CT, will now begin at 12:05 p.m. CT.
“With free games available to anyone, MLB games on Roku will be widely accessible to fans,” said Noah Garden, MLB Deputy Commissioner, Business and Media in a statement. “Since Roku serves as an entertainment gateway for millions, this partnership offers a valuable new promotional and distribution platform for MLB games and content.”
The all-new MLB Zone will include a more robust MLB FAST channel, with premium sports content around the clock including up-to-date highlights, MLB Game of the Week replays, Minor League Baseball game replays, and other baseball content. Viewers can also find the Sunday games in the MLB Zone by heading to Sports on the Roku Home Screen menu or using Roku Search.
The complaint department is closed here. MLB did a good thing — a new streaming option on which they make money, but fans don’t have to pay anything extra to watch these games. Good on you, MLB.
