If you want MLB.tv this season, you’ll need to jump through ESPN’s hoops

Update 2/8 [4:40 p.m. ET]: This post has been updated to clarify current MLB.tv subscribers that are setup for auto-renewal will not need an ESPN Unlimited subscription this season.

Pitchers and catchers report to spring training in just a matter of days, meaning baseball season is right around the corner.

But this season, fans who do not live in their favorite team’s local market might face a bit of confusion when signing up for MLB’s out-of-market package, MLB.tv. Last year, as part of a short-term media rights reshuffling, MLB licensed its out-of-market streaming package to ESPN for use in the network’s new direct-to-consumer app.

Initially, the idea was that fans would not need to use MLB’s app for MLB.tv; they could simply purchase the product through the ESPN app and watch games there. That changed shortly after the deal was announced. For at least the 2026 season, fans will still be able to access MLB.tv directly through MLB’s platforms. But there’s a big catch.

With few exceptions, MLB.tv subscribers will also need to be ESPN Unlimited subscribers to purchase the package. In other words, MLB.tv now requires a double subscription. You’ll need to purchase MLB.tv, which is priced at $150 per season for new subscribers and $135 for returning subscribers, in addition to the ESPN Unlimited plan, which is $30 per month.

Now, there are some caveats. MLB.tv offers a free month of ESPN Unlimited upon signup. MLB.tv subscribers can cancel the ESPN Unlimited subscription during their free trial and still retain access to MLB.tv throughout the entire season. Likewise, if you already have access to ESPN Unlimited through your cable, satellite, or virtual TV provider, there’s no need to pay the extra $30 per month. Additionally, if your MLB.tv subscription is set to be auto-renewed from last season, you will not need an ESPN Unlimited subscription.

Regardless, this is insanely confusing for fans. No doubt, several MLB.tv subscribers will be fooled into paying for an ESPN Unlimited subscription they don’t need, either by failing to cancel during the one-month free trial or paying the $30 per month when they already have ESPN Unlimited included in their pay TV bundle.

It’s increasingly looking like the confusion around ESPN Unlimited is a feature and not a bug. The transparency about what content will be locked behind the ESPN Unlimited paywall, and who exactly has access to ESPN Unlimited at any given moment, has been piss poor.

Just last month, tennis fans were outraged that Australian Open matches that had traditionally aired on the significantly more affordable ESPN+ had quietly moved to ESPN Unlimited. And since the app’s launch in August, only certain pay TV providers have been able to authenticate their subscribers into ESPN Unlimited, despite ESPN’s suggestion that everyone who pays for ESPN through a cable or satellite bundle would have access.

Whether intentional or not, the mass confusion that ESPN Unlimited has created has likely led to more subscribers for ESPN. Desperate fans will pay for access to their content at any cost. And ESPN is capitalizing on that desperation.