Oh, you poor Iowans.
With regionalization dividing MLB in 2022, regional sports networks (RSNs) carry their own rights to broadcast games, except in certain situations. Those certain situations, though, turn out to be a lot of situations.
Unlike the NFL, which generally deal with nationally televised games weekly with certain in-market choice games, teams across MLB have their own regional networks which broadcast games. If you're out of market, you typically won't get those games on your TV. If you're in-market cord-cutter, you usually won't be able to stream them.
The addition of certain streaming entities, including the latest in AppleTV+, have thrown baseball fans for a loop. Consider this: Fans without AppleTV+ won't be able to catch Max Scherzer's debut in a Mets uniform, as it's being exclusively carried on the streaming network.
Here's what to know about MLB's blackout restrictions in 2022, including the map of regional broadcasts.
MLB blackout map
Here is the most recent MLB blackout map from 2019:
MLB blackout policy
The one word that's important to note when it comes to MLB's blackout policy is "regionalization."
Because of how invested Regional Sports Networks (RSNs) are MLB in now — with all 30 teams' TV rights subject to airing on a local RSN — not all out-of-market fans get to see their favorite teams. In fact, in certain areas like Iowa, as many as six teams are subject to blackout rules.
If you choose not to have cable in New York, the Mets and Yankees won't be available via streaming service. If you're in LA, the Dodgers and Angels won't be able to be streamed, as well.
There isn't an exact fix for this, either. MLB.tv, the league's streaming service, doesn't allow for in-market viewers to stream games.
The reasons for the blackouts is simple and twofold: The first reason is cable providers' desire for exclusive broadcasting rights in their local networks. The second, is MLB's desire to get fans into the stadium for attendance purposes.
Unfortunately, though, for a lot of fans, getting out to the stadium isn't exactly an easy endeavor. In certain areas — like aforementioned Iowa or Las Vegas or Hawaii — the nearest ballpark can be a long drive or a plane ride away. So while MLB.tv seems like a reasonable alternative to cord-cutting, it actually is a bad idea for cord-cutting.
This could change in the near future, though. At the 2019 owner's meetings, MLB owners cast a unanimous vote for a "revised interactive media rights agreement" that will allow teams to sell its streaming rights as they see fit, with a catch.
"The biggest single change was the return of certain in-market digital rights — the rights that have essentially become (sic) substitutional with broadcast rights — those rights will return to the clubs," MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said.
Are MLB blackouts ending?
That last point is a big deal for fans. With owners voting on the changes to streaming rights, regional TV blackouts could soon become a thing of the past. (Maybe. Kind of. Probably not.)
Teams will have the opportunity to negotiate their streaming rights now because of the owners' vote, with a catch: Those streaming rights that teams are negotiating for are wholly unrelated to TV blackouts. So streaming in the future is going to make it easier for fans to watch their teams via certain services, but it ultimately won't change the blackout situation.
So, while RSNs like Fox Sports might still have their own authenticated streaming service via their own websites (where you will still have to be a cable subscriber to view them), providers like YouTube TV or Amazon could swoop in and grab streaming rights for games in the future. Or, MLB teams could negotiate individually with the network to get a percentage of games streamed locally.
There's many different avenues MLB franchises and its RSN provider can take. It's not a catch-all and it's not a definitive that local blackouts will be taken away. All it is is an opportunity for MLB teams to maybe alleviate the situation for local viewers who don't want to cut the cord.
That said, unfortunately, MLB.tv will likely remain unchanged for its in-market fans. It's a step in the right direction of rectifying the blackout situation, but don't expect mass changes all at once. Teams are going to act individually on negotiations with their providers, so there's no real timetable when — and if — they decide to sell off those rights and what those rights entails.
