MLB.com
Encyclopedia
MLB.com is the official site of Major League Baseball
and is overseen by Major League Baseball Advanced Media, L.P. (a subsidiary of MLB). MLB.com is a source of baseball-related information, including baseball news, statistics, and sports columns. MLB.com is also a commercial site, providing online streaming video and streaming audio broadcasts of all Major League Baseball games to paying subscribers, as well as "gameday", a near-live streaming box score of baseball games for free. In addition, MLB.com sells official baseball merchandise, allows users to buy tickets to baseball games, runs fantasy baseball
leagues (both free and paid), and runs auctions of baseball memorabilia.
MLB.com also contains the full, unabridged, official rules of the game.
console. Currently, MLB.tv offers video in qualities of 400K, 800K and 1.2MB. Currently, only Windows
, Mac
and PlayStation 3
officially support HD
-quality streams, but Linux
users may manually run the Autobahn video package to receive HD-quality streams. MLB.tv also offers gameday audio, which allows users to listen to games, without blackout restrictions. Some games provide commentary in Spanish, and games may have up to four audio streams (one for the home team, one for the away, and two of the same in Spanish). Not all audio streams are available at all times.
Normal blackout restrictions apply to games, and other countries may have blackout restrictions as well (see below.)
The costs of subscription depend on the quality the user will want to view, and the timing of payment:
All subscriptions of MLB.tv Premium include Gameday Audio.
Mosaic allowed you to show multiple games at once, and provided the following viewing modes:
When set on one main game, team information was shown to the right hand side of the game, including team line-ups, the boxscore, and team statistics. Users could also view their "player tracker", which would alert the user when a player in their chosen player list was active in a game.
Beginning with the 2009 season, Mosaic functionality was largely incorporated into the main viewing mode. Multiple-game viewing has been retained, with a choice of one, two side to side, two (one in the main window and one in a secondary 'picture in picture' mode), and four-game mode available.
, Canada
, South Korea
, Guam
and the US Virgin Islands, blackout restrictions apply. Games are blacked out to all users within the theoretical home television territory assigned to each team, irrespective of whether local television stations carry local games of those teams.. Contractual stipulations with Fox and ESPN
respectively mean that regular season Saturday games scheduled before 1900 EST (beginning 20 May 2006) and Sunday games scheduled after 17:00 EST are blacked out throughout the United States. During the post-season, all games are blacked out in the United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Guam and the US Virgin Islands. In all other countries and territories, no exclusivity rights have been granted and MLB.com is able to broadcast all games.
Any game that is blacked out (for any reason) is made available as an archived game approximately 90 minutes after the conclusion of each game.
MLB.com can check a viewer's origin by using an e-mail address's domain during registration, by using credit card billing information, or by IP address, but the inaccuracy of the ISP-based targeting used leaves many fans unable to watch games on MLB.com.
MLB Gameday Audio does not have blackout restrictions.
/iPod Touch
, iPad
, Android, BlackBerry
, and HP TouchPad
/webOS. The iPhone application features, "live audio, access for MLB.TV subscribers, in-game video highlights, pitch-by-pitch live data and more." The BlackBerry and Android application features "real-time scores, live audio, in-game highlights and more." The application costs $14.99 USD and is available on the App Store, Android Market
, and BlackBerry App World
stores. MLB sells a new application for each season, with the previous year's product being disabled. The 2011 iOS edition of MLB.com At Bat is only for devices running iOS 4, limiting its availability on older iPhones and iPod Touch devices.
The domain MLB.com was originally owned by Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. In September 2000, Morgan Lewis & Bokius and Major League Baseball entered into an agreement to transfer the domain to Major League Baseball.
:
"Consumers previously reported to the BBB their subscriptions were automatically renewed with MLB Advanced Media even though they had cancelled their plans within the specified cancellation period. MLB Advanced Media has taken steps to address these concerns by adding more prominent disclosures and an opt-out feature."
In 2009, opening week games were not available as archives, and users reported limited High Definition service available.
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
and is overseen by Major League Baseball Advanced Media, L.P. (a subsidiary of MLB). MLB.com is a source of baseball-related information, including baseball news, statistics, and sports columns. MLB.com is also a commercial site, providing online streaming video and streaming audio broadcasts of all Major League Baseball games to paying subscribers, as well as "gameday", a near-live streaming box score of baseball games for free. In addition, MLB.com sells official baseball merchandise, allows users to buy tickets to baseball games, runs fantasy baseball
Fantasy baseball
Fantasy baseball is a game where participants manage an imaginary roster of real Major League baseball players. The participants compete against one another using those players' real life statistics to score points...
leagues (both free and paid), and runs auctions of baseball memorabilia.
MLB.com also contains the full, unabridged, official rules of the game.
MLB.tv
MLB.tv is a subscription service which allows users to view games live, streamed through an internet browser (or MLB.tv Mosaic, see below), Apple TV or PlayStation 3PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
console. Currently, MLB.tv offers video in qualities of 400K, 800K and 1.2MB. Currently, only Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
, Mac
Macintosh
The Macintosh , or Mac, is a series of several lines of personal computers designed, developed, and marketed by Apple Inc. The first Macintosh was introduced by Apple's then-chairman Steve Jobs on January 24, 1984; it was the first commercially successful personal computer to feature a mouse and a...
and PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
officially support HD
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
-quality streams, but Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
users may manually run the Autobahn video package to receive HD-quality streams. MLB.tv also offers gameday audio, which allows users to listen to games, without blackout restrictions. Some games provide commentary in Spanish, and games may have up to four audio streams (one for the home team, one for the away, and two of the same in Spanish). Not all audio streams are available at all times.
Normal blackout restrictions apply to games, and other countries may have blackout restrictions as well (see below.)
The costs of subscription depend on the quality the user will want to view, and the timing of payment:
| MLB.tv Premium (800K or 1.2MB) | MLB.tv (400K) | Gameday Audio | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly | $24.95 | $20.95 | Not available as a subscription |
| Yearly | $119.95 | $99.95 | $19.95 |
All subscriptions of MLB.tv Premium include Gameday Audio.
MLB.tv Mosaic
Mosaic was a downloadable program which provided features not available when streaming through a web browser. It was only available to subscribers of MLB.tv Premium. Live games were shown, and on-demand games available for a period of two days previous to the current date. Major League Baseball has not used MLB.tv Mosaic since the 2008 season.Mosaic allowed you to show multiple games at once, and provided the following viewing modes:
- 6 games tiled across the screen.
- 4 games tiled across the screen.
- One main game, with 2 games tiled on the right hand side.
- One main game, with 3 games tiled on the right hand side.
- One main game (which can be made full-screen)
When set on one main game, team information was shown to the right hand side of the game, including team line-ups, the boxscore, and team statistics. Users could also view their "player tracker", which would alert the user when a player in their chosen player list was active in a game.
Beginning with the 2009 season, Mosaic functionality was largely incorporated into the main viewing mode. Multiple-game viewing has been retained, with a choice of one, two side to side, two (one in the main window and one in a secondary 'picture in picture' mode), and four-game mode available.
Blackout restrictions
MLB.com has been providing streaming video since the 2002 season, with only audio available before that. However, in the United StatesUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, Guam
Guam
Guam is an organized, unincorporated territory of the United States located in the western Pacific Ocean. It is one of five U.S. territories with an established civilian government. Guam is listed as one of 16 Non-Self-Governing Territories by the Special Committee on Decolonization of the United...
and the US Virgin Islands, blackout restrictions apply. Games are blacked out to all users within the theoretical home television territory assigned to each team, irrespective of whether local television stations carry local games of those teams.. Contractual stipulations with Fox and ESPN
ESPN Major League Baseball
ESPN Major League Baseball is a promotion of Major League Baseball on ESPN and ESPN2, with simulcasts on ESPNHD or ESPN2HD. ESPN's MLB coverage debuted on April 9, 1990 with three Opening Day telecasts. ESPN Major League Baseball is guaranteed to remain on air until 2013.The title is derived from...
respectively mean that regular season Saturday games scheduled before 1900 EST (beginning 20 May 2006) and Sunday games scheduled after 17:00 EST are blacked out throughout the United States. During the post-season, all games are blacked out in the United States, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Guam and the US Virgin Islands. In all other countries and territories, no exclusivity rights have been granted and MLB.com is able to broadcast all games.
Any game that is blacked out (for any reason) is made available as an archived game approximately 90 minutes after the conclusion of each game.
MLB.com can check a viewer's origin by using an e-mail address's domain during registration, by using credit card billing information, or by IP address, but the inaccuracy of the ISP-based targeting used leaves many fans unable to watch games on MLB.com.
MLB Gameday Audio does not have blackout restrictions.
MLB.com At Bat
MLB.com At Bat is a mobile application available of different platforms including the iPhoneIPhone
The iPhone is a line of Internet and multimedia-enabled smartphones marketed by Apple Inc. The first iPhone was unveiled by Steve Jobs, then CEO of Apple, on January 9, 2007, and released on June 29, 2007...
/iPod Touch
IPod Touch
The iPod Touch is a portable media player, personal digital assistant, handheld game console, and Wi-Fi mobile device designed and marketed by Apple Inc. The iPod Touch adds the multi-touch graphical user interface to the iPod line...
, iPad
IPad
The iPad is a line of tablet computers designed, developed and marketed by Apple Inc., primarily as a platform for audio-visual media including books, periodicals, movies, music, games, and web content. The iPad was introduced on January 27, 2010 by Apple's then-CEO Steve Jobs. Its size and...
, Android, BlackBerry
BlackBerry
BlackBerry is a line of mobile email and smartphone devices developed and designed by Canadian company Research In Motion since 1999.BlackBerry devices are smartphones, designed to function as personal digital assistants, portable media players, internet browsers, gaming devices, and much more...
, and HP TouchPad
HP TouchPad
The HP TouchPad is a tablet computer which was developed and designed by Hewlett-Packard. The HP TouchPad was launched on July 1, 2011, in the United States; July 15 in Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany; and August 15 in Australia....
/webOS. The iPhone application features, "live audio, access for MLB.TV subscribers, in-game video highlights, pitch-by-pitch live data and more." The BlackBerry and Android application features "real-time scores, live audio, in-game highlights and more." The application costs $14.99 USD and is available on the App Store, Android Market
Android Market
Android Market is an online software store developed by Google for Android OS devices. Its gateway is an application program called "Market", preinstalled on most Android devices, allows users to browse and download mobile apps published by third-party developers...
, and BlackBerry App World
BlackBerry App World
BlackBerry App World is an application distribution service and application by Research In Motion for a majority of BlackBerry devices. The service provides BlackBerry users with an environment to browse, download, and update third-party applications. The service went live on April 1, 2009...
stores. MLB sells a new application for each season, with the previous year's product being disabled. The 2011 iOS edition of MLB.com At Bat is only for devices running iOS 4, limiting its availability on older iPhones and iPod Touch devices.
MLB.com Fantasy
MLB.com Fantasy has many games and simulations, including Beat the Streak, and MLB 2009 Fantasy Baseball. Beat the Streak is where you pick a player for each day, and if that player gets at least one hit, your streak continues. MLB 2009 Fantasy Baseball is where you can make up to five teams and choose players for the teams. Depending on how well your players do is how well you score.History
The previous website for Major League Baseball was www.MajorLeagueBaseball.com.The domain MLB.com was originally owned by Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP. In September 2000, Morgan Lewis & Bokius and Major League Baseball entered into an agreement to transfer the domain to Major League Baseball.
Customer service complaints
According to the Better Business BureauBetter Business Bureau
The Better Business Bureau , founded in 1912, is a corporation consisting of several private business franchises of local BBB organizations based in the United States and Canada, which work through their parent corporation, the Council of Better Business Bureaus .The Better Business Bureau, through...
:
"Consumers previously reported to the BBB their subscriptions were automatically renewed with MLB Advanced Media even though they had cancelled their plans within the specified cancellation period. MLB Advanced Media has taken steps to address these concerns by adding more prominent disclosures and an opt-out feature."
In 2009, opening week games were not available as archives, and users reported limited High Definition service available.