Baseball is well regarded as the national game of the United States, and MLB.TV is its heart. The channel and its staff work hard all year to provide its audience with the best of sports and entertainment.
However, it’s downright frustrating to miss a home run due to an MLB blackout, which has become a common occurrence in recent times.
What is MLB Blackout? Can you bypass it? We answer these questions and more in this post.
Why Is MLB Blackout?
Every MLB game is subject to a local or regional blackout. It doesn’t sound very pleasant to us as viewers, but there is a reason why the executives follow this particular business model. It is not to send away viewers like us from the game but to follow certain broadcast rights.
Big media companies and broadcast stations negotiate these broadcasting rights before every season. These rights cover specific games or teams for a time frame in the year. So when agreed upon, the broadcasting rights exist solely with that station or company like FOX, ESPN, etc.
So it is quite common that the station does not want to share the rights to broadcast games under their contract. Moreover, not many stations offer online streaming of MLB games.
In these situations, sometimes even MLB cannot broadcast a game because they do not have the rights to it. This means missing out on important games during the season and losing track of your favorite team’s progress.
Fortunately, there are ways to get around MLB blackout. Whether you’re streaming the games on an iOS or Android device, you can ensure you never miss a moment by keeping blackouts at bay.
How to Bypass MLB Blackout on iPhone
You can bypass the MLB blackout and tune into the station streaming your game in real-time. iPhone users can do this in the following ways:
Step 1. Set fake location on iOS devices
The first step is to set a fake location on your iOS device. Setting a fake location opens your device to many possibilities of finding good quality streams from around the globe. To achieve this feat, you need a tool called MockGo. It makes spoofing your location very easy and simple.
Here are some key features of MockGo:
- It teleports your device to anywhere in the world in one click
- It can simulate movement between two spots
- It can simulate movement between two routes
- You can use a joystick for more control in location spoofing mode
Follow the simple steps below to mock your location on iOS. MockGo is very simple and safe to use.
- Get MockGo for your Mac or Windows PC. Install the program, then launch it.
- Next, connect your iOS device to the computer with the help of a lightning cable and then click 'Start.'
- A new window will open with a map. The map will show your current location based on the iOS device's GPS.
- Now you need to activate the teleport mode by clicking the 1st icon on the top right.
- Enter the name of the location in the search bar where you wish to teleport. Press 'Go' after you decide on a mock location.
- As the system understands your instructions, a popup box will emerge saying 'Move Here.' Click on the popup box.
- That's it! Your location is now changed, and you will see the spoofed location on the new map.
Step 2. Set up the ExpressVPN iOS app
You may also need to download a good-quality VPN app on your phone to move to the next step. The VPN runs your connection through a remote server on your device, which will trick the MLB stream and let you enjoy your games.
If the MLB games are under a national blackout, you can connect to a server in a geographically close country like Mexico to enjoy the game. The Canadian servers might also not work in a national blackout because the Toronto Blue Jays are also a part of the league.
The best VPN to use in this scenario is ExpressVPN. ExpressVPN comes with the following features:
- It runs with iOS 12, 13 and 14
- It runs on iPhone 12, SE, XS, XR, iPad
- It gives you a private browsing experience with top-notch security
- It hides your phone's IP address and protects your data
- The service has a 30-day money-back guarantee. There is a 7-day trial as well.
Follow these steps to set up ExpressVPN on your device to watch MLB games:
- On the order page, confirm your subscription for ExpressVPN
- Download and install ExpressVPN on your iOS device
- Connect to any of the 160 locations
- Start using the internet to find an MLB stream
How to Bypass MLB Blackouts on Android
If you wish to bypass the MLB blackout on the MLB At Bat app on Android, we would like you to know that it is harder than ever. The app developers are constantly improving the tech that detects VPN connections.
You can no longer use a fake GPS app on Android to spoof your location and use a VPN server. MLB At Bat now requires your GPS location before you proceed to click on any matches.
If the app sees you using a mock location, it will immediately block you from going any further.
Here are some tips which can still work on bypassing the MLB blackout on Android, but we do not guarantee the effectiveness of any of these tips.
- You need to root your Android device, which is a complicated process. It can brick your device if not done properly. You can also go to someone who is trained in this domain to avoid damaging your device.
- Download and install the FakeGPS app or an alternative app meant to spoof Android’s GPS.
- Download and install MLB At Bat. If you already installed it, clear your cache in the device's storage setting.
Now your have three options to try:
Option 1:
- Get the Hide Locations app from the Xposed Module.
- In Settings> Developer, Mode allows mock locations and then uses the GPS spoofing app of your choice.
- Open 'Hide Mock Locations' and set it to blacklist mode
- Add the MLB At Bat to blacklist mode
- Open your VPN app and choose a location that does not fall under blackout
- Connect to the location and enjoy the stream!
Option 2:
- Use the Root Explorer to move the GPS app from “/data/app to /system/app” area (as this step requires rooting)
- Restart your device and head to “Settings > Developer Options > switch off mock locations”
- Open the location spoofing app and set the location somewhere outside the blackout region
- Open your VPN application and connect to a server outside the blackout regions and enjoy
Option 3:
- Install XPrivacy because this step requires rooting your device
- Upon installing MLB At Bat, you will find a list of permissions. Now open the Settings app on your device
- Tap on 'Randomize Now'
- Type an IP address outside the blackout region
- Restrict all permissions except internet
- In Android settings, set location to a 'High Accuracy' mode
- Finish the installation of MLB At Bat and enjoy your stream!
How to Bypass MLB.TV Blackouts in a Web Browser
A VPN easily changes the IP address of your web browser to a remote address. After you connect to the VPN on your computer, clear the cookies and refresh your page. You will find a stream that works with your fake IP address. Make sure that you pick a server from the location where the MLB blackout does not apply.
If you choose the location's server under blackout, you will receive the 'we are sorry' prompt. We suggest connecting to a country geographically near to keep your internet speed running high during streaming.
FAQs
Is It Illegal to Use VPN to Stream MLB.TV?
No, it’s perfectly legal to use a virtual private network for bypassing MLB blackouts. However, there are restrictions on bypassing the blackout terms. It states that MLB has the right to report this misconduct to law enforcement agencies.
Does MLB Apply Blackouts Based on a Viewer’s Billing Address?
You can check a zip code on the MLB website to see which games are blacked out in an area.
Are there any alternatives to MLB.TV?
Yes, there are alternatives to MLB.TV. The best ones are:
- Fubo TV
- Hulu
- Sling TV
- YouTube TV
- AT&T TV Now
These services also require a US address and payment method to work but are less stricter than MLB.TV.
Conclusion
We hope that the tools and tricks mentioned above can help you enjoy your chosen MLB games without delay. Keep in mind that the app keeps changing its rules, so you need to stay up to date with the latest workarounds to stream MLB games with the help of a VPN tool.