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Major League Baseball is everywhere — and that’s not necessarily convenient for die-hard fans
YouTube and Major League Baseball have renewed their streaming pact for the 2022 season, which will result in 15 regular-season games being shown exclusively on the platform. The first will be streamed on May 15th between the Washington Nationals and Colorado Rockies.
The news continues MLB’s effort to reach viewers across many different streaming services. Here’s a breakdown of what’s happening over the current season:
One welcome improvement for the YouTube games is that they’ll be showcased in better quality: the feed will now be 1080p with a 60fps frame rate, according to CNET, up from the 30fps 720p stream from previous years. MLB also says several “only-on-YouTube” features will be included, such as “live chat featuring game commentary from MLB superfan YouTube creators,” in-game polls, and unique replays and real-time stats for YouTube TV subscribers.
These deals are making things somewhat complicated for die-hard fans to watch their favorite team(s). Since the exclusive games aren’t being shown on regional sports networks, having MLB.TV and a local (or internet) TV package doesn’t cut it anymore if you refuse to miss any action throughout the season. But then again, the baseball season is very, very long, and maybe it’s worth doing some hopping between services if these moves successfully bring new, younger fans into the game and increase viewership. That’s the whole point, after all.
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