A month into the 2024 MLB season, in-market Pittsburgh Pirates fans have a way to watch the team’s games without a cable or satellite subscription.
SportsNet Pittsburgh has launched a direct-to-consumer (DTC) service called SNP360, allowing Pirates and Penguins fans to watch live games and other content.
SNP 360, modeled after sister network NESN’s NESN 360 service, costs $17.99 monthly. It offers live Penguins and Pirates games that do not air as national exclusives and other live and library content. An annual plan does not appear to be available (yet, at least).
The service is cheaper monthly than NESN 360, which costs $29.99 per month or $180 for the first year under a current offer.
Given how streaming-hesitant the regional sports network (RSN) was in previous years before its sale to the Fenway Sports Group (FSG) and rebranding last year, launching a DTC service is a welcome step for those in the Pittsburgh market. $18 per month without a cable subscription isn’t cheap, but it’s on the lower end of the range established in other markets. MLB, for example, is charging $19.99 monthly for in-market access to Diamondbacks, Padres, and Rockies games.
While there may only be a modest number of signups over the next few months for Pirates games, I’d fully expect a spike come hockey season despite the Penguins’ disappointing 2023-24. The team is perennially one of the NHL’s strongest local draws, and allowing those who ditched traditional cable subscriptions to watch the games again can only result in more people watching come next season.
About Joe Lucia
I hate your favorite team. I also sort of hate most of my favorite teams.