How To Watch And Stream The 2021 MLB Playoffs

Major League Baseball playoff action may beryllium the champion episodic play to beryllium had connected your surface this fall. From Oct. 5 and 6, erstwhile the American League and National League wild-card games, respectively, are scheduled to beryllium played, to perchance Nov. 3, erstwhile the champagne would travel pursuing a championship-deciding, World Series Game 7, the 2021 MLB playoffs committedness to battalion arsenic galore arsenic 43 high-stakes games into 4 weeks. 

If you’re a cablegram oregon outer subscriber with a decently divers transmission lineup, you should beryllium bully to go. But if you’re a cord-cutting escaped agent, past you request a program for streaming and watching each the MLB postseason action. 

Should you spell with YouTube TV? Would Hulu Plus Live TV work? Sling TV? Something else? You tin find answers here. We’re moving done 5 of the starring live-TV streaming services, and assessing however each volition conscionable your playoff-baseball needs. We besides instrumentality a look astatine MLB.TV, and springiness immoderate emotion to free-TV fans with a digital-antenna recommendation. 

If each this sounds similar a batch to instrumentality in, it is. MLB doesn’t marque it casual connected armchair fans who privation to travel each transportation facing Mookie Betts and the 2020 World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers, Jose Altuve’s Houston Astros, Christian Yelich’s Milwaukee Brewers and more.

After the wild-card games, determination are 3 rounds of playoff action: Each league has 2 part series, followed by 1 league title bid each; and, then, of course, the singular World Series. (This math, by the by, does not relationship for immoderate imaginable regular-season tie-breaker games.)  

From there, the 2021 MLB playoff schedule is divided among a full of five networks — ESPN, FS1, the MLB Network, TBS and Fox. You’ll need: ESPN to ticker the AL Wild Card Game; TBS for the NL Wild Card Game, positive each the NL Division Series games and the NL Championship Series; FS1 and the MLB Network for the AL Division Series games; FS1 and Fox for the AL Championship Series; and, finally, Fox for the World Series. 

But wherever to watercourse and how? It’s clip to measurement up to the plate, and find out.

YouTube TV

YouTube TV is the MVP of this rundown.  It’s the lone live-TV streaming work discussed present with a basal bundle that’ll (maybe) get you each MLB postseason inning.

Note, basal doesn’t mean cheap: YouTube TV’s modular monthly service costs $65. For that investment, you get much than 85 live-TV channels, including ESPN, FS1, TBS, the MLB Network, and, depending connected your sum area, your local, over-the-air TV stations, including Fox. (Conversely, if you and your zip codification aren’t truthful lucky, past you won’t get Fox with YouTubeTV.)

As with the different live-TV services noted here, determination are nary installation fees, instrumentality fees oregon contracts. And, arsenic with the competition, YouTube TV is supported connected a fig of devices and streaming media players. One heads-up for Roku users: YouTube TV is currently not disposable successful the Roku transmission store. Until YouTube TV’s genitor institution (aka Google) and Roku resoluteness their months-long declaration dispute, caller users who haven’t antecedently downloaded the app volition person to settee for watching YouTube TV successful work-around manner via the YouTube channel.

As of publication, YouTube TV was offering caller users a free trial, followed by a $10 discount disconnected a monthly subscription (for the archetypal 3 months).

Watch the 2021 MLB playoffs connected YouTube TV (subscription required)

DirecTV Stream

The precocious launched, rebranded live-TV streaming work (formerly known arsenic AT&T TV) follows the no-contract, no-hassle, loads-of-channels publication of YouTube TV. And cablegram vets volition beryllium acquainted with its tiered packages and pricing.

As acold arsenic 2021 MLB playoff enactment goes, if you’re a completist, past you’ll request DirecTV Stream‘s $85-a-month “Choice” package. It features much than 90 live-TV channels, including ESPN, FS1, MLB Network, TBS and, depending connected your sum area, your section Fox station.

If you don’t attraction arsenic overmuch astir American League teams, specified arsenic the Houston Astros, past you tin get by with DirecTV Stream‘s $70-a-month “Entertainment” tier. It offers much than 65 channels, including each the playoff-baseball channels you’ll request — except MLB Network. (So, to beryllium clear, this enactment means you’d miss immoderate AL Division Series action.)

Watch the 2021 MLB playoffs connected DirecTV Stream (subscription required) 

Hulu Plus Live TV

In a way, Hulu Plus Live TV is a streaming work for extremely old-school shot fans — the folks who see the American League an inferior upstart to the National League. Translation: A monthly Hulu Plus Live TV subscription (regularly priced astatine $65) volition get you much than 75 channels, including ESPN, FS1, TBS and perchance your section Fox station, but not the AL Division Series-airing MLB Network.

Hulu Plus Live TV does person thing its competitors don’t: Access to standard, ad-supported Hulu, including new Hulu archetypal shows specified arsenic “Only Murders successful the Building” and “Dopesick.”

As of publication, Hulu Plus Live TV was offering caller subscribers a seven-day escaped trial, followed by $10 disconnected the archetypal 3 months of a monthly subscription.

Watch the 2021 MLB playoffs connected Hulu Plus Live TV (subscription required)

FuboTV

For $65 a month, FuboTV’s “Starter” tier offers arsenic galore arsenic 110 channels, including ESPN, FS1 and, erstwhile again, depending connected your area, your section Fox station. An $8-a-month add-on package, known arsenic “Fubo Extra,” volition get you MLB Network, too. If you spell for the “Elite” tier, you’ll get 158 channels, plus the “Fubo Extra” channels, bundled unneurotic for $80 a month.

Note we’ve haven’t said thing astir TBS: FuboTV doesn’t person it. So, if you’re a diehard instrumentality of the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants and different National League teams, then FuboTV may conscionable not beryllium the ticket. (Remember: TBS is the only transmission for NL playoff enactment earlier the World Series.)

As of publication, FuboTV was offering caller users a escaped trial.

Watch the 2021 MLB playoffs connected FuboTV (subscription required)

Sling TV

Among the services covered here, Sling TV has the cheapest live-TV prices: $35 a period for its alleged “Orange” and “Blue” tiers. But here’s the thing: To get every 2021 MLB playoff game, you’ll request the $50-a-month, “Orange & Blue” service, plus the $15-a-month MLB Network-delivering “Sports Extras” package. So, yup, $65 a month, conscionable similar the competitors.

If you don’t caput skipping the NL Wild Card game, past you tin get by with the ESPN-free “Blue” tier. That’ll bring you FS1, TBS and potentially your section Fox station. Complete the subscription with the “Sports Extra” add-on, priced astatine this level for $11 a month. All together, you’ll person everything you request (but the NL Wild Card game) for $46 a month.

As of publication, Sling TV was offering the “Orange” and “Blue” tiers to caller users for conscionable $10 each for the archetypal month; the woody for the “Orange & Blue” tier was $20 for the archetypal month.

Watch the 2021 MLB playoffs connected Sling TV (subscription required) 

Indoor HD integer TV antenna

If you’re inactive with us, and haven’t fixed up figuring retired which streaming enactment volition springiness you the astir bang for your playoff-baseball buck, past we connection you the U Must Have amplified, indoor HD integer TV antenna.

For a level $30, it’ll present immoderate live, Fox-aired games, including the World Series, to your HDTV acceptable — positive everything other offered by the different free, integer channels successful your area.  No subscription, nary monthly fee. Just link the U Must Have to your set, and watch. It’s the 20th period TV-viewing acquisition with 21st period technology.

The U Must Have antenna boasts astir 14,000 lawsuit reviews connected Amazon — and a four-and-a-half prima rating.

Not to complicate things, but support successful caput that the crushed cablegram TV became a happening is that immoderate neighborhoods conscionable don’t get precise bully TV reception. Today’s integer antennae are acold amended than the rabbit ears of yore, but adjacent they tin lone bash truthful overmuch if your location is reception-challenged.

And 1 much thing: As noted above, the live-TV streamers can’t warrant that you’ll get each your section TV stations. So, if you unrecorded successful an country wherever your, say, YouTube TV subscription will not see Fox, past you’re going to request a integer antenna to prime up the free-TV channel.

U Must Have indoor HD integer TV antenna, $30

MLB.TV

Our precise past enactment is the simplest: With a MLB.TV subscription, you tin ticker each azygous MLB playoff crippled — nary ifs, ands oregon buts. There’s conscionable 1 precise large caveat: If you’re a existent cord-cutter (meaning, you don’t have a TV provider), past you can’t ticker the games live. (Local-TV blackouts volition use to MLB.TV users who do person TV providers, so, truly, thing is perfect.)

For each subscribers, postseason games volition beryllium disposable to watercourse connected MLB.TV 90 minutes after they conclude. Archived enactment is inactive a batch of enactment — and it’s each successful 1 place.

As of publication, a new, yearly MLB.TV subscription could beryllium had for $26.99. (The subscription volition expire earlier the commencement of 2022’s MLB outpouring training.) A seven-day escaped proceedings was besides available.

Watch the 2021 MLB playoffs connected MLB.TV (subscription required)

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