View source for Major League Baseball blackout policy

{{short description|Rules governing blackouts of Major League Baseball telecasts}}
{{Tone|date=April 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}}

[[Major League Baseball]] (MLB) has rules for exclusive broadcasting, called "[[blackout (broadcasting)|blackout]]" rules, which bar certain areas from watching certain live games.<ref>{{Cite web |title=MLB.TV {{!}} Blackout Policy |url=https://www.mlb.com/live-stream-games/help-center/blackout-policy |access-date=2024-05-01 |website=MLB.com |language=en}}</ref> Most blackouts exist for two reasons: to set a given team's local broadcaster's exclusive broadcast territory, which induces cable systems in those areas to carry the [[regional sports network]]s that carry the games, as well as MLB's desire to drive stadium attendance.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Rivera |first=Joe |date=2023-03-28 |title=MLB blackout restrictions, explained: Map shows why you can't watch out-of-market baseball games in 2024 |url=https://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/news/mlb-blackout-restrictions-map-2023-baseball-games/m843wsljyvrrdmf50zjhusre |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231229143753/https://www.sportingnews.com/us/mlb/news/mlb-blackout-restrictions-map-2023-baseball-games/m843wsljyvrrdmf50zjhusre |archive-date=2023-12-29 |access-date=2024-05-01 |work=[[The Sporting News]]}}</ref>

==United States==
[[Image:MLB Blackout Areas.svg|right|thumb|335px|U.S.A. MLB blackout map]]
Almost every part of the [[contiguous United States]] has at least one team blackout in place, with some having more. Every team has a home market blackout, while some teams have blackout areas that extent into several surrounding states. For example, the [[Kansas City Royals]] are blacked out in the states of [[Missouri]] (except in the [[St. Louis]] metro area), [[Kansas]], [[Nebraska]], [[Oklahoma]], [[Arkansas]], and [[Iowa]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Zimmerman |first=Jeff |date=July 26, 2012 |title=Blackout Rules and the Royals |url=https://www.royalsreview.com/2012/7/26/3188334/blackout-rules-and-the-royals |access-date=May 2, 2023 |website=Royals Review |language=en}}</ref>

The state with the most regional blackouts is [[Iowa]], which is blacked out by six teams {{emdash}} the [[Milwaukee Brewers|Brewers]], the [[St. Louis Cardinals|Cardinals]], the [[Chicago Cubs|Cubs]], the Royals, the [[Minnesota Twins|Twins]], and the [[White Sox]] {{emdash}} even though all are a multi-hour drive away.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Diamond |first=Jared |title=Baseball Isn't Heaven in 'Field of Dreams' Town. It's Blacked Out. |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/baseball-field-of-dreams-mlb-black-out-iowa-11628824835 |access-date=May 2, 2023 |website=WSJ |language=en-US}}</ref>

Local broadcasts are not necessarily available in the whole blackout territory. For example, [[Bally Sports Wisconsin]] is unavailable in Iowa, so Brewers games are not broadcast anywhere in the state, neither on local channels nor on streaming. [[Las Vegas]] is another example of fans having restricted viewership, as the [[Arizona Diamondbacks]], [[Athletics (baseball)|Athletics]], [[Los Angeles Angels]], [[Los Angeles Dodgers]], [[San Diego Padres]], and [[San Francisco Giants]] are all blacked out.

Due to the fact that they play in Canada, the [[Toronto Blue Jays]] do not have any blackout territory in the United States. However, some MLB teams have blackouts that extend into Canada.

=== ESPN ===
A new contract between [[ESPN]] and Major League Baseball in 2012 virtually eliminated local blackouts involving the network's Monday and Wednesday night games, allowing ESPN coverage to co-exist with that of the local broadcasters in home markets.<ref>{{cite news|title=ESPN Signs New Deal With MLB Through '21 Worth An Average Of $700M Annually|url=http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2012/08/28/Media/MLB-ESPN.aspx|work=Sports Business Daily|date=August 28, 2012}}</ref> The agreement took effect at the start of the {{MLB Year|2014}} season and lasted until 2021.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Weisman |first=Jon |date=August 28, 2012 |title=ESPN, MLB to extend deal |url=https://variety.com/2012/tv/news/espn-mlb-to-extend-deal-1118058345/ |access-date=May 2, 2023 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref>

A contract extension between ESPN and MLB was struck in 2021, and was supposed to last until 2028 but ended in 2025 due to a clause allowing an opt out of the contract.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Polacek |first=Scott |title=MLB, ESPN Announce New Broadcasting Contract Through 2028 |url=https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10002590-mlb-espn-announce-new-broadcasting-contract-through-2028 |access-date=May 2, 2023 |website=Bleacher Report |language=en}}</ref>

=== Apple TV ===
In March 2022, MLB and [[Apple Inc.|Apple]] signed a streaming deal worth $85{{nbsp}}million annually. Through this streaming deal, Apple will broadcast a doubleheader every Friday, during the regular season on their streaming platform [[Apple TV+]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Halicke |first=Chris |date=March 9, 2022 |title=MLB, Apple Announce Streaming Deal For Exclusive Friday Night Games |url=https://www.si.com/mlb/rangers/around-mlb/apple-tv-deal-exclusive-friday-night-games |website=Si.com}}</ref>

=== Bally Sports bankruptcy ===
Due to the parent company of the [[Bally Sports|Bally Regional Sports]] network, [[Diamond Sports Group]], applying for bankruptcy, there have been calls to end the blackout rule so that local fans can no longer rely on only cable providers to watch their teams' games.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stephanie |first=Apstein |date=February 1, 2023 |title=MLB Indicates It Could Produce Local TV Broadcasts and End Blackouts for Some Teams |url=https://www.si.com/mlb/2023/02/16/mlb-potential-produce-local-tv-broadcasts-end-blackouts |website=Si.com}}</ref>

==Canada==
[[File:Canadian MLB blackout area.svg|right|thumb|335px|Canadian regions subject to
{{legend|#144A9B|Toronto Blue Jays exclusively}}
{{legend|#005F50|Shared with [[Seattle Mariners]]}}
{{legend|#7D1703|Shared with [[Minnesota Twins]]}}
{{legend|#DD2726|Shared with [[Boston Red Sox]]}}
Note: Toronto Blue Jays territory covers all of Canada]]
The [[Toronto Blue Jays]]' blackout territory includes all of [[Canada]]. However, they must share [[British Columbia]] and [[Alberta]] with the Seattle Mariners, [[Saskatchewan]] and [[Manitoba]] with the Minnesota Twins, and [[the Maritimes]] with the Boston Red Sox. In the past, the province of [[Quebec]] was not included in Toronto's territory, as it belonged to the [[Montreal Expos]] exclusively. Toronto and Montreal shared all territory outside of [[Ontario]] and Quebec. Toronto Blue Jays games are aired on [[Sportsnet]] in Canada. Also, Blue Jays games broadcast nationally [[Terrestrial television|over-the-air]] on the [[CBC Television|Canadian Broadcasting Corporation television network]] have occasionally been subject to local blackout on [[CBET-TV]] in [[Windsor, Ontario]], to protect the territorial rights of the [[Detroit Tigers]] across the [[Detroit River]]. No American RSNs are available on Canadian specialty television providers.

==Consumer devices==
Consumer devices that enable television subscribers to transmit their home television feed outside their host area to a remote location over the [[Internet]], a practice called [[placeshifting]], have drawn the ire of MLB. MLB's position is that subscribers who wish to watch MLB telecasts while traveling either settle for the local telecasts available or subscribe to MLB's own broadcasts for an additional fee. Consumer advocates insist the practice is legal since the remoted content is already purchased and is merely placeshifted by the subscriber; they claim MLB is asking fans to pay twice for the same content. MLB counters that travelers utilizing placeshifting technology are undercutting the blackout rights MLB grants to local and national broadcasters, as well as MLB's own internet service.{{Citation needed|date=October 2015}}

In 2009, MLB launched [[MLB Network]] on basic cable similar to the [[NFL Network]]. As part of the new network, MLB has told owners to reduce their blackouts due to outrage amongst fans and letters pouring into MLB's offices. In particular, MLB is looking to address the availability of regional sports networks outside teams' immediate home markets. Ostensibly, if teams/channels are not available in certain locations, teams could lose their claims to such areas and coverage would be replaced by the MLB-controlled ''Extra Innings'' service.{{Citation needed|date=October 2015}}

== Radio blackouts ==
In MLB, there are radio blackouts. [[Major League Baseball on ESPN Radio|ESPN Radio]] has exclusive rights to the World Series and only the [[flagship station]]s of the two participating ballclubs can originate coverage, though their broadcasts are also available on [[Sirius XM]] (as of April 2021, both on satellite radio and streaming<ref>{{cite press release|title=Sirius XM: Major League Baseball and SiriusXM Expand Agreement; Games Now Available to SiriusXM's Streaming-Only Subscribers|publisher=SiriusXM|date=April 12, 2021|url=https://www.marketscreener.com/quote/stock/SIRIUS-XM-HOLDINGS-INC-14962202/news/Sirius-XM-nbsp-Major-League-Baseball-and-SiriusXM-Expand-Agreement-Games-Now-Available-to-SiriusX-32947370/|access-date=April 13, 2021}}</ref>), as well as the subscription Gameday Audio package on [[MLB.com]] and MLB.tv. All other network affiliates of the two clubs must carry the ESPN Radio feed, and they may not even be able to do so if they compete with an ESPN Radio affiliate in the same market. Additionally, the two flagships must broadcast ESPN Radio national commercials during their game coverage (though they can run live commercial reads for local sponsors during broadcasts and sell ads during typically extended pre/post-game shows. [[WCNN]], the Braves' flagship station, occasionally didn't air such national commercials and aired its normal local advertising during its coverage 2021 World Series, and also didn't credit ESPN's sponsorship). The flagship stations are also required to credit the same presenting radio sponsor of the World Series as ESPN Radio (in recent years, [[AutoZone]]).

Additionally, radio stations (including flagships) are not allowed to broadcast any MLB games in the live [[Internet]] [[streaming media|streams]] of their station programming outside of the flagship station's DMA (example: [[WDAE]], which is the Rays Radio Network flagship, is only allowed to stream its coverage within Pasco, Pinellas, and Hillsborough counties) or on out-of-market radio affiliates that carry the station's main signal. (MLB makes its own streams of the team networks available for a fee.) Some stations will replace the game with a recorded message explaining why the game cannot be heard on their stream. Others will simply stream the station's regularly scheduled programming that is being preempted by the game. Additionally, ESPN Radio also restricts online streaming of their coverage of regular season games to listeners located both within the United States and outside the markets of the teams involved in the games, regardless of the application used.

During the 2021 Postseason, the [[Atlanta Braves Radio Network|Atlanta Braves]] streamed its coverage of their entire postseason run completely free of geo-blocking restrictions, including their NLDS, NLCS, and World Series appearances.

== See also ==
*[[Syndication exclusivity]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}
*{{citation
| url=https://www.espn.com/mlb/news/story?id=2870960
| title=Singin' the 'Baseball Blackout Blues'
| work=[[ESPN.com]]
| date=May 15, 2007}}

{{Major League Baseball on national television}}
{{Major League Baseball on the radio}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blackout policy}}
[[Category:Major League Baseball on television]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball on the radio]]
[[Category:Major League Baseball controversies]]