Major League Baseball is ramping up its efforts to tackle the ongoing blackout issue with an ambitious direct-to-consumer initiative. However, despite its progress, many fans are still left in the cold. SportsNet New York (SNY), the broadcast home of the New York Mets, announced the launch of a standalone streaming service on Tuesday, enabling fans to stream the broadcast team of Gary Cohen, Keith Hernandez, and Ron Darling directly, without the need for a traditional cable package. This shift allows cord-cutters to enjoy Mets coverage while addressing the growing problem of blackouts.
SNY becomes the 22nd team broadcaster to offer in-market streaming outside of cable, marking it as the ninth to launch a standalone service this year. While this is a groundbreaking development for Mets fans, it has a significant limitation — it is strictly for in-market fans, specifically those in New York, Connecticut, New Jersey, and parts of Pennsylvania, as noted by The Athletic’s Evan Drellich. So, if you’re in North Carolina, for instance, you’re out of luck.
As a die-hard Mets fan raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, I can attest that this has been a longstanding issue. While MLB.TV has historically provided relief for fans outside their home market, allowing access to out-of-market games, it too comes with limitations. Regardless of the cost of the package, specific teams remain inaccessible based on your location. For example, MLB’s blackout policies affect teams like the Atlanta Braves, Baltimore Orioles, Washington Nationals, and Cincinnati Reds for fans in Charlotte. Even though Charlotte’s regional ties might suggest that the Braves are a local team, MLB places these teams under the Orioles and Nationals’ territories, and I end up shut out from watching their games, even after purchasing an MLB.TV subscription. To make matters worse, if your cable package lacks these games, frustrations mount further.
This blackout issue is not unique to the Carolinas; fans in Iowa face similar challenges, as they are locked out of local broadcasts for teams like the Cardinals, Cubs, Royals, Twins, White Sox, and Brewers. For fans situated far from their home teams, this is a maddening situation, especially since making a multi-hour drive to attend a game isn’t always feasible. Ideally, MLB would abolish territorial blackouts altogether, but this is easier said than done. That said, the situation isn’t solely MLB’s fault. While they have acknowledged the blackout problem, they don’t control local television rights, which remain in the hands of individual clubs.
MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has emphasized the need for teams to prioritize a broader reach. He advocates for a future where the league has more control over local broadcast deals. If MLB were to manage these rights fully, Manfred believes it could ease negotiations for league-wide streaming packages, akin to the NBA’s lucrative $77 billion deal with major streaming platforms last year. “We made clear to the clubs that blackouts were a problem, and that reach should be a priority,” Manfred told The Athletic. “And I think they were responsive to us making those arguments.”
While SNY’s standalone streaming service is a positive step forward, it doesn’t resolve MLB’s outdated blackout policies. Until territorial blackouts are fully eliminated, fans will remain stuck in limbo, paying for access they cannot use.
