MLB.TV Celebrates Ten Years of Live-Game Streaming

Ten years ago, MLB Advanced Media developed a new technology that enabled fans from around the world the ability to access a Yankees-Rangers matchup via a media player just larger than a postage stamp. More than 25,000 live games and millions of subscribers later, MLB.TV is the most widely distributed – accessible on thousands of computers, mobile phones, tablets, and connected devices with one subscription – and successful live video subscription product in digital media.

“Thanks to the vision of Commissioner Selig and the 30 Club owners, we are grateful for the opportunity to have served so many fans their daily installment of live baseball over the past decade,” said Bob Bowman, president & CEO, MLBAM.

After its debut in 2002, MLB.TV earned its share of praise, including from the Yankees Derek Jeter.

“It’s expanding, which is a good step,” Jeter said. “We may get into a situation where you don’t have to have a specific channel to see a game. It will reach more people, because fans that follow teams but can’t see them because they live on the other coast will now have a way to see their team play.”

At that time, others shared perspectives similar to the All-Star shortstop. Meanwhile, others were critical and skeptical. Today, MLB.TV is streamed live 1.1 million per day, for a total of 1.5 billion live video streams since 2002.

“The interest in our teams day in and day out is the best in the world for eight months every year,” said Dinn Mann, executive vice president, Content, MLBAM. “MLB.TV was launched to serve that appetite, and we’ve looked to those great fans for our mission all along: deliver the game they love, live, on whatever screen is handy and with technology that raises the bar.”