How to bypass MLB Blackouts
Chris
Chris, a UK-born media connoisseur, is an expert in watching international TV. Known as "The Global Screen Wanderer", he has travelled extensively across the globe with long stints away from home. With over 10 years of experience he has become the go-to guru for streaming content from home and abroad.
No matter what team you support in the MLB watching them play is a comfort that many of us enjoy. If you’re like me you don’t ask for much in this world but watching your favourite team play in any sport isn’t much to ask for.
Unfortunately if you want to watch your local team you’ll probably have been hit by a blackout. Basically, you can’t watch your local team play on TV because they want you to actually go to the game.
But what if you can’t make it to the game? Getting time away from the wife or kids isn’t always possible and even if you don’t have a family sometimes you just don’t have the funds to physically go to the game, after all you’re paying enough for the cable subscription so it seems ludicrous that you can’t even watch your local team.
Luckily there is a way to bypass MLB blackouts and watch all the games, including your local team play. So while your buddies are sat at home kicking stones you’ll be enjoying watching your local MLB team. Read on to find out how…
How to bypass MLB blackouts
Firstly you’re going to need access to the online streaming service at MLB.TV. When you realise you can watch ALL the games with my handy tip regardless of which team then it is certainly a price worth playing.
If you haven’t yet got an MLB.tv service then firstly sign up for one. Once you’ve got one your location will be determined by your internet connection. Every internet connection has an IP Address that gives away your rough location so MLB.tv will be able to block you from viewing local games.
However, a service called a VPN or Virtual Private Network exists that allows you to alter your IP Address and make it appear as if you’re in another location. This includes another location in the US but also outside locations such as Canada, Mexico, and the UK which in most cases don’t suffer from blackouts.
With a VPN, you’ll be able to view all games including the ones with your local team playing either at home or away.
How do I get a VPN and what’s it going to cost me
You’ll be pleased to know that VPN services are pretty cheap. They cost roughly $10 per month at most but if you take a longer package, for example, a year, then the price can be as low as $5 or $6 per month.
There are hundreds of different VPN providers out there. Some are excellent but others are poor and it’s hard to work out what is what just from their advertising. The great news for you is I’ve tested plenty and have been able to weed out the bad ones that will suffer buffering and the good ones which are suitable to bypass MLB blackouts.
Below are my three best choices to bypass MLB blackouts :-
- ExpressVPN – My recommended choice!
- IPVanish
- NordVPN
What do I do once I’ve got a VPN
You’ll be pleased to know actually using the VPN service is really simple. Once you’ve signed up to one of the providers above just download their software for your PC, Mac, Android or iOS devioce.
I’ll use ExpressVPN as an example, but it is pretty much the same no matter which provider you choose.
Once you’ve installed the software you’ll need to connect to another area in the US and if this doesn’t work then you can try connecting to Mexico, Canada or the UK which don’t suffer blackouts. You can do this by simply selecting the location on their app.
Bypass MLB Blackouts with ExpressVPN.
After you’ve selected the location of your choice just press Connect.
The program takes about 15 seconds to get connected.
Once connection is complete just visit the MLB.tv website and login as normal.
Rather than being “blacked out” you’ll now be able to stream your local team no matter if they’re at home or away. Don’t forget if you run into problems by connecting to other locations in the US just connect to a country outside like Mexico, Canada or the UK and you’ll have no issues.
The closer the country the better the speed though so start with Mexico or Canada before resorting to using the UK.
Does this work on my mobile device
It did used to work on mobile devices and may still in some circumstances although the MLB streaming app now forces the use of GPS on devices like the iPhone so it can pinpoint your location from satellite rather than your internet IP Address.
So while it likely doesn’t work on the iPhone and may not on an Android phone it definitely will work on a laptop, desktop or tablet running Windows or a Mac operating system.
Enjoy MLB without the blackouts!
Image courtesy of Meawpong3405 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
