Spectrum’s SportsNet LA, the television home for the Los Angeles Dodgers, is finally breaking into the streaming world.
For the first time this season, Dodgers fans in the Los Angeles market will be able to purchase a direct-to-consumer streaming service that includes live game broadcasts, though it will come at a price. The streamer, called SNLA+, is available to purchase at a price of $29.99 per month or $199.99 per year, according to the Los Angeles Times.
It’s a steep price compared to similar services offered for other MLB teams, which tend to be priced around $19.99 per month.
SNLA+ will include all live Dodgers broadcasts that air on the linear version of SportsNet LA, as well as all live pregame and postgame programming. The service will launch prior to the Dodgers’ season-opening game on Tuesday morning against the Chicago Cubs in Tokyo, Japan.
Interestingly, the Dodgers and SportsNet LA are launching this service in conjunction with MLB. The league is providing the team with the technology and infrastructure for the service, which will be available on MLB.com and the MLB app.
The partnership is notable as the Dodgers, with one of the most lucrative television deals in all of baseball, are likely to be one of the holdouts when it comes to the league’s plan to sell a nationalized package of local media rights in 2028. The team is currently flush with its $8.35 billion local rights deal that runs through 2039 and provides little incentive for the team to cede its media rights to the league. This partnership could be a small sign that the franchise is willing to work with MLB when the time comes, though that would surely require some concessions on the league’s part.
With the launch of SNLA+, 23 of 30 MLB clubs will have a direct-to-consumer streaming option for fans to purchase.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.