MLB TV is not included with Paramount Plus
Paramount Plus does not carry MLB TV, the league's streaming service for out-of-market regular season games. If you want to watch baseball on Paramount Plus, your options are limited to whatever games the network chooses to broadcast — typically a handful of regular season matchups and postseason coverage, depending on the year and your region.
MLB TV is a separate subscription you buy directly from Major League Baseball, not through Paramount Plus or any other streaming bundle. It costs around $140 per year for the full season, though prices and blackout rules change annually. The service lets you watch most out-of-market games live or on demand, but it blacks out your home team's local broadcasts and some nationally televised games.
If you want to watch your local team play, you will need your regional sports network instead — usually available through cable, a cable-replacement service like YouTube TV or Hulu with Live TV, or the team's own streaming app.
Key Takeaways
- Paramount Plus shows only the baseball games it has broadcast rights to, which is a small fraction of the MLB schedule.
- MLB TV is a separate subscription from MLB.com that covers out-of-market games but blacks out your home team and nationally televised matchups.
- To watch your local team, you need access to the regional sports network that holds those broadcast rights, usually through cable or a live TV streaming service.
- Paramount Plus does not bundle MLB TV or regional sports networks into any of its subscription tiers.
What games Paramount Plus actually broadcasts
Paramount Plus carries baseball games through its parent company CBS, which holds some broadcast rights to regular season and postseason games. The number of games varies by season and depends on which matchups CBS has purchased rights to air. In recent years, this has meant roughly a dozen regular season games spread across the season, plus potential playoff coverage.
You can find out which games are coming up by checking the Paramount Plus schedule directly in the app or on its website. Games are usually marked clearly in the sports section. If a game is not listed there, Paramount Plus is not broadcasting it, and you will need another source.
The games that do appear on Paramount Plus are included with any active Paramount Plus subscription — you do not pay extra. But this is not a substitute for a dedicated baseball streaming service if you follow a specific team or want consistent access throughout the season.
How MLB TV works and what it covers
MLB TV is the official streaming service for Major League Baseball. It shows most regular season games from every team, but with significant blackout restrictions. Games involving your home team are blacked out in your region, as are most games broadcast nationally on ESPN, Fox, or MLB Network.
You buy MLB TV directly from MLB.com, not through Paramount Plus or any other streaming platform. The annual subscription runs roughly $140, though MLB sometimes offers discounts during the offseason or for partial-season access. You can also add it to some cable packages, but the standalone version is what most cord-cutters use.
The blackout rules are the main limitation. If you live in the New York area and want to watch the Yankees, MLB TV will not let you stream their games — you need YES Network, which is available through cable or certain live TV streaming services. The same applies to every other team in every other market.
Regional sports networks and local team broadcasts
Your home team's games are almost always broadcast on a regional sports network specific to that market. These networks are not part of Paramount Plus. To watch them, you need either a cable subscription that includes the network, or a live TV streaming service that carries it.
Services like YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV, and Sling TV carry different regional networks depending on your location. Before you sign up for any of them, check their channel list for your specific market — regional sports networks are not uniform across the country, and not every service carries every network.
Some teams also run their own streaming apps or websites where you can watch games, though these often require a cable login or a separate paid subscription. Check your team's official website to see what streaming options they offer.
Comparing your baseball streaming options
If you want to watch baseball regularly, you are likely looking at more than one subscription. Here is what each service covers:
| Service | What It Covers | Cost | Blackouts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paramount Plus | A handful of CBS-broadcast games per season | Included with subscription ($6–$13/month) | None — all games are available nationwide |
| MLB TV | Out-of-market games from all teams | ~$140/year | Home team, nationally televised games |
| Regional sports network (cable or live TV service) | Your home team's local broadcasts | Varies ($50–$150+/month for live TV service) | None for local games |
| ESPN Plus | Select regular season and playoff games | $11/month or $110/year | Varies by game |
Most baseball fans end up with a combination: MLB TV for out-of-market games, a regional network subscription for their home team, and Paramount Plus or ESPN Plus for whatever additional games those services happen to broadcast. The exact combination depends on which team you follow and how many games you want to watch.
Why MLB TV has blackouts
Blackouts exist because regional sports networks and local broadcasters paid for exclusive rights to show games in specific markets. MLB TV respects those contracts by blocking out-of-market viewers from watching local broadcasts. This protects the regional network's investment and ensures they have an audience for their broadcasts.
Nationally televised games are blacked out on MLB TV for the same reason — ESPN, Fox, and MLB Network paid for the right to be the only place those games appear on television. MLB TV cannot show them because it would undercut the value of those broadcast deals.
These blackout rules frustrate many fans, but they are built into how baseball broadcasting works. If you live outside your home team's market, MLB TV is your main option for watching them regularly. If you live in-market, you need the regional network.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use a VPN to watch blacked-out games on MLB TV?
MLB TV's terms of service prohibit using a VPN to bypass blackouts, and the service actively works to detect and block VPN traffic. Using one to circumvent blackouts violates the terms you agree to when you buy the subscription. Whether MLB enforces this against individual users varies, but the risk exists.
Does Paramount Plus ever show playoff games?
Paramount Plus may broadcast some playoff games depending on CBS's broadcast rights in a given year. Check the Paramount Plus schedule as the postseason approaches to see what games are available. Playoff coverage is not may provide every year and varies by round.
What if I want to watch a specific team that is not my home team?
MLB TV is designed for this. You can watch any out-of-market team's games throughout the season, as long as they are not blacked out due to national broadcasts. If the team you want to follow is your home team, you will need the regional sports network instead.
Is there a way to watch baseball without paying for multiple subscriptions?
Not really, unless you only want to watch the games Paramount Plus and ESPN Plus broadcast. A single subscription will not cover all baseball — you will need at least two services if you want consistent access to a specific team plus other games. Cable with sports channels is one option, but it costs more than most streaming services.
Do I need Paramount Plus to watch baseball at all?
No. Paramount Plus is optional for baseball. You can watch your home team through the regional sports network, out-of-market games through MLB TV, and nationally televised games through ESPN or Fox. Paramount Plus just adds a few extra games if you already have the subscription for other reasons.