The Major League Baseball (MLB) season 2024 is in full swing and one of the best ways to watch all baseball games is by subscribing to MLB.TV. For less than $100 dollar a year you can watch all games live or on demand.
But there is a catch. The small print of MLB TV says ‘Blackout and other restrictions apply’. Blackouts have been frustrating baseball fans, but luckily there is a solution. With a VPN you can watch all MLB games within and outside the United States. In this article we will explain how it works.
Will a VPN Let Me Watch MLB Blackout Games?
A VPN will let you watch MLB blackout games. MLB.TV has local, regional and national blackouts due to licensing restrictions. If the rights are in the hands of a broadcasting company such as ABC in your region, you can’t watch the baseball match through MLB.TV, even though you have an MLB TV subscription.
We understand that’s very frustrating to be put in the dugout like this. Fortunately, there is a workaround. MLB.TV will use your IP address to determine your location. With a VPN you can change your virtual locationto a location without MLB blackouts restrictions. All you have to do is connect to a VPN server.
You can link your MLB TV account to Amazon Prime Video, Fubo, ESPN+ and SlingTV. This will not stop you from experiencing blackouts. A VPN proves to be a solution in this case as well.
Our favorite VPN to watch MLB.TV is NordVPN. This provider has many servers in the U.S and their map view lets us easily connect to a server in any state. Since NordVPN offers excellent speed, we have been able to watch all baseball games without lag.
Besides NordVPN, there are some other excellent choices to watch MLB TV. We have tested more than 80 VPN providers extensively. Based on our research we have come to a top 4 best VPNs for MLB TV:
VPNs with a large server network in the U.S, fast servers and great possibilities for unblocking, such as NordVPN, are perfect to watch every MLB match.
Lisanne Vroomen
VPN expert
Below we will discuss each VPN in more detail. But first, we will explain how we have selected these VPNs.
What We Look For in the Best VPNs for MLB.TV
If you are looking for a VPN to watch MLB TV, some criteria are important. These are the things we have given priority in choosing the best VPNs for watching baseball:
Number of servers in the U.S: for bypassing MLB blackouts it is important you can easily connect to a server in another state. That’s why we have evaluated the number of servers a VPN provider has in the States.
Ability to bypass restrictions: not all VPNs are suited to unblock georestricted content. VPNs who take measures against VPN blocking, for example by providing obfuscated servers, are the best options.
Speed: as a baseball fan you don’t want to miss a homerun, so you need lightning-fast VPN servers to watch all games without lag.
Compatibility: of course you want to be able to watch baseball on any device. That’s why we check the compatibility of each VPN provider.
Best MLB.TV VPNs for the 2024 Season
Based on the criteria mentioned above we have selected the best VPNs to watch America’s Favorite Pastime. We will discuss each of them in detail, highlighting why each of them is one of our favorite choices to watch MLB TV.
NordVPN: the best VPN to watch MLB
Why NordVPN is the ideal VPN for MLB.TV:
1970+ servers in the USA to avoid blackouts
Obfuscated servers to bypass VPN blocking
Excellent speed to watch games without lag
10 simultaneous connections possible
30-day money back guarantee
NordVPN is a reliable VPN with a large server network in the States which enables you to avoid blackouts easily. You can choose between 16 U.S. locations. Additional features such as obfuscated servers make it difficult for MLB TV to detect that you are using a VPN. That makes NordVPN a great choice for unblocking.
Whether you are watching the Mets, the Yankees or the Giants, NordVPN’s speed makes sure you can watch each inning without delay even if you are not in the U.S. We have used NordVPN often to watch American shows from Europe, and are very happy with the speed.
You can use NordVPN on Windows, Mac, Android, iOS, Linux, Firestick, AndroidTV and tvOS. This gives you plenty options to watch your favorite baseball game. And if someone in your family does not like baseball, that’s no problem. With 10 simultaneous connections, they are free to watch something else.
NordVPN
Our choice
Deal
Save big with up to 72% off a two-year subscription!
You can read more about this provider in our NordVPN review. NordVPN offers a 30-day money back guarantee, so you can easily give this provider a try for the next match.
Surfshark: the cheapest MLB.TV VPN
Why Surfshark is our #2 choice for MLB.TV:
600+ servers in the USA to avoid blackouts
Rotating IP & camouflage mode to bypass censorship
Excellent speed to watch each homerun
Unlimited simultaneous connections
30-day money back guarantee
The runner up in this list is Surfshark. This VPN service has servers in 25 major cities in the US. In most cases that is sufficient to avoid MLB blackouts. Features such as the camouflage mode make sure you can bypass censorship and other VPN blocking, making Surfshark perfect for streaming.
We have absolutely no complaints about Surfshark’s speed. From Europe, we can easily watch Netflix US, Hulu and other streaming services without lag. We are also very fond of the unlimited number of connections. One subscription is enough for your whole family!
The best USP of Surfshark is its price. If you get a subscription now, you will only pay $ 2.19 per month. No other VPN service offers the same quality for this price!
Surfshark
Deal
Save 86% and pay only $ 2.19 a month!
From
$ 2.19
9.0
Very user-friendly and works with Netflix and torrents
Want to know more? Check out our Surfshark review. Rather give it a try immediately? Surfshark offers a 30-day money back guarantee.
CyberGhost: MLB.TV VPN with the best money back guarantee
Why CyberGhost is our #3 choice for MLB.TV:
Servers in 11 locations in the U.S to avoid blackouts
Special streaming servers to bypass restrictions
Quick connection speeds
7 simultaneous connections
45-day money back guarantee
CyberGhost is our next choice. This VPN has servers in 11 major cities in the USA, including Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Seattle. This network is sufficient to bypass blackout restrictions and the quick connections allow you lag free streaming.
We love the special steaming servers CyberGhost offers. These servers are optimized for specific streaming services and work great for unblocking Netflix, Disney and HBO Max. Although there are no servers for streaming MLB.TV, CyberGhost does unblock MLB TV without any problems.
CyberGhost can be installed on many devices and operating systems, including Windows, MacOS, FireTV, Android, AndroidTV, Linux, tvOS and smart tv’s. If you want to give CyberGhost a try, you are lucky. With the 45-day money back guarantee you can try this VPN for free for 1,5 month.
CyberGhost
Deal
Save 83% and get CyberGhost for just $ 2.19 per month!
Why Private Internet Access is our #4 choice for MLB.TV:
50+ U.S. server locations to avoid blackouts
Streaming servers to bypass geo restrictions
Strong security features
10 simultaneous connections
30-day money back guarantee
With 50+ server locations in the States, Private Internet Access (PIA) might have the best network in the USA. Whether you want to connect to Virginia Beach, Wichita or Fargo, PIA has got you covered. Avoiding MLB blackouts should absolutely be no problem with this VPN.
Although streaming with PIA is perfectly possible, this VPN’s main focus is on safety and security. PIA is a no log VPN with RAM only servers to make sure your data are always protected. PIA also offers additional security features such as PIA MACE, which blocks ads, trackers and malware.
You can watch MLB matches with PIA on Android, iOS, Windows, MacOS and Linux. This VPN can also be installed on your router or smart tv. 7 simultaneous connections are more than enough to protect all active devices in your household.
Do you want to know more? Read our PIA review! Or you can use the 30-day money back guarantee to test PIA yourself.
Why Does MLB Blackout Games?
Some broadcasting companies such as Fox, ABC or NBC have exclusive streaming rights. When these companies have the rights for a specific game, MLB TV is not allowed to offer a livestream of that match in the region where the exclusive rights apply. This leads to local blackouts.
Moreover, MLB wants to encourage fans to watch the match in the stadium. As a result, MLB TV might block local games, leading to blackouts as well.
Luckily, a VPN can help you to avoid both kinds of blackouts. Just connect to a VPN server in a location where the match isn’t blocked and enjoy the game of your local team!
The workaround works slightly different based on the device you want to use to watch the baseball games. Below you can find step-by-step guides for the most used devices. You can also use this method to watch MLB.TV via Amazon Prime Video, fubo, ESPN+ and SlingTV.
How to watch blackout MLB games on desktop and laptop (PC and Mac)
If you want to watch blackout MLB games on desktop or laptop, you have to follow these steps.
Subscribe to a premium VPN service, such as NordVPN.
NordVPN
Our choice
Deal
Save big with up to 72% off a two-year subscription!
What to Do When MLB.TV Is Not Working With Your VPN
Sometimes MLB TV does work right away if you are using a VPN. We have some quick fixes if you are having trouble with accessing the MLB TV streams:
Hop to another server by disconnecting the VPN and reconnecting again. Usually, the provider will connect to another server in the same location. You could also switch locations if this is not sufficient.
Switch to a different protocol in the settings of the VPN app.
Make sure you use obfuscated servers, since these are harder to detect by websites and make it easier to bypass VPN blocking.
If you are watching MLB TV in your browser, use incognito mode or clear cookies and cache.
If you use the mobile MLB TV app, the app might know your actual location based on GPS. You can use GPS-spoofing to avoid this, such as Surfshark’s geo-spoofing feature.
MLB Blackout Map: Which MLB Games Have Blackouts?
Of course you want to know which games have blackouts and to which locations you need to connect to watch them. The table below shows the most important blackouts:
Game
Availability
Little League Classic
Unavailable in the USA
Regular Season
Unavailable in the USA
ESPN Sunday Night Baseball
Unavailable in the USA
Toronto Blue Jays
Unavailable in Canada
All-Star Game
Unavailable in Canada
Other local and regional blackouts can apply. A full list of blackouts can be found on the MLB TV website. You could also enter a zip code to check the availability of a match in your region.
Conclusion: Best VPN to Watch Major League Baseball
If you want to get the most out of your MLB TV subscription, you will need a VPN subscription as well. MLB TV has local, regional and national blackouts, making it impossible to watch games. With a VPN you can change your virtual location, which will enable you to watch every match. All you need to do is connect to a server in a state or country that doesn’t have blackouts.
NordVPN is our favorite VPN to watch baseball games. NordVPN has a large server network in the States, making it easy to find a server with which you can avoid the blackouts. Due to the fast connection speed, you will never miss a homerun!
Do you have any questions about how to avoid MLB.TV blackouts? Check out our frequently asked questions.
Does MLB TV work with a VPN?
Premium VPN services such as NordVPN let you watch MLB TV, even if you encounter a blackout. Connect to a VPN server in a state where the match is available and open an incognito screen in your browser. Visit MLB.TV and enjoy the game!
How do I bypass MLB blackouts?
To bypass MLB blackouts you will need a premium VPN subscription. With a VPN you can change your virtual location to a region where the baseball game you want to watch is available. Our favorite VPN to watch MLB is NordVPN.
How do I change my MLB TV location?
A VPN allows you to change your virtual location without any effort. All you have to do is connect to a VPN server in a region that doesn’t have MLB TV blackouts and you are good to go! We recommend NordVPN for watching baseball.
Why does the MLB app say blackout restriction?
Some broadcasting companies such as Fox or ABC have exclusive rights for MLB games in certain regions. If this applies for a match in your region, the MLB app can’t broadcast the game.
Luckely, we have a solution. By changing your virtual location with a VPN you can watch baseball games from everywhere.
What is the best VPN for MLB TV?
NordVPN is the best VPN to watch MLB TV. This provider has a large server network in the States giving you the opportunity to watch every match, regardless of your location. Moreover, NordVPN has lightning fast servers so you won’t miss a homerun!
How do I watch blackout MLB games on my phone?
Watching blackout MLb games on your phone, goes as follows:
Subscribe to a premium VPN service, such as NordVPN.
Download the NordVPN app from the app store.
Open NordVPN and sign in.
Connect to a server in a region without blackouts by tapping on the map.
Lisanne is an experienced writer with an interest in technology and a critical eye. She likes to look at the advantages and disadvantages of new online developments. She likes to dive deep into research, but also knows how to translate it into easy-to-understand articles.
NordVPNOur choiceDeal
