The 2022 Major League Baseball season is officially here after a 99-day owner-imposed lockout, and if you want to tune into all the action, then we have you covered – whether you are in the UK or US. This guide also includes information on how to watch the games completely for free.
We also have other similar articles for the likes of Formula 1 and the NFL .
When does the 2022 MLB season start?
The MLB season has now kicked off. The final scheduled day of the season will be on 5 October 2022 .
You can see all the major dates and events – including the All-Star Game – over on the MLB website .
How to watch the 2022 MLB season in the UK for free
In 2022, the UK streaming service with the rights to the MLB is Apple TV+ – the streaming service’s first step into live sports offerings.
According to Apple’s official press release , the platform will host Friday Night Baseball, a weekly show of two games, along with live pre-and postgame shows. Meanwhile, MLB Big Inning will feature highlights and look-ins, and will air every weeknight.
The first double bill of Friday Night Baseball will air on Friday 8 April 2022. This will kick off with New York Mets at Washington Nationals at 7pm ET (12am BST, 9 April). This will then be followed by Houston Astros at Los Angeles Angels at 9:30pm ET (2:30am BST, 9 April).
As these will air in the middle of the night in the UK, we assume that Apple TV+ will have them available on-demand.
You can see the full Friday Night Baseball schedule over on the Apple website .
It will not be quite as much coverage as you will find in the US. However, there is a massive upside. Apple will be wavering its subscription fees for the first twelve weeks of the season, which means that you can effectively watch some games in the MLB 2022 season completely for free.
Just go to the sports section of the app, or search for Major League Baseball.
Even after this runs out, an Apple TV+ subscription will not break the bank. You can get one for just £4.99 per month, along with a seven-day free trial. In addition, if you are in the market for a new Apple device such as the new iPhone SE 3 , the iPad Air 5 or the iPhone 13 , you can get three months of Apple TV+ completely for free.
Last year, BT Sports had the rights to MLB. The license lasted up to the end of 2021. So far, we have not heard anything else about this channel – or any other major UK sports broadcaster – airing the 2022 season.
If this changes, we will update this article.
How to watch the 2022 MLB season in the US
Just like in the UK, Apple TV+ has the same rights in the US for Major League Baseball 2022. This platform will air both Friday Night Baseball and MLB Big Inning, but will also feature a new 24/7 livestream. This will air game replays, highlights, analysis, classic games and on-demand MLB content.
The same subscription-free model will apply for the first twelve weeks. In the US, Apple TV+ costs $4.99 per month, and you can still get a seven-day free trial if you are a new customer, or three months free when you purchase an Apple product from qualifying retailers.
Note that Apple TV+ has no blackout restrictions.
A big part of the Apple TV+ deal with MLB… there are no local blackout restrictions. — Maury Brown (@BizballMaury) March 8, 2022
Note that your local area will be subject to blackout rules via MLB.TV, so if you want to watch a hometown game, you will have to turn to the regional sports network in your area, most of which are owned by Fox.
Finally, there are other premium services you can use to stream the MLB, including Sling TV , Fubo TV , Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV .
Of all of those, Sling TV is the cheapest at $35 a month. You can get a seven-day free trial of Fubo TV, which then costs $65 per month (the same price as YouTube TV). Hulu with Live TV costs a steep $70 per month, but also includes access to ESPN+ and Disney+.
Author: Hannah Cowton-Barnes, Entertainment Editor, Tech Advisor
As Tech Advisor’s Entertainment Editor, Hannah is the resident expert in all things streaming, film and TV. Before joining Tech Advisor in 2019, she studied Theatre and Performance at the University of Leeds and created a website dedicated to geek culture and lifestyle. She’s also reviewed a whole range of gadgets including flagship smartphones, wearables and styling tools. Outside of Foundry, she’s written freelance pieces for Polygon, Metro and Den of Geek, and is proud to be a Women Techmakers Ambassador for Google.
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