Major League Baseball will resume production and distribution of all San Diego Padres domestically distributed games beginning Wednesday, May 31 when they face the Miami Marlins at 6:40 PM Eastern/3:40 PCB. The new arrangement, which gives fans the option to watch on television or stream digitally, expands the reach of Padres games from about 1.130 million homes to about 3.264 million homes in Padres home television territory. An increase of 2.131 million homes represents a +189% rise in reach.
Beginning May 31, fans in the Padres’ home television territory will be able to watch games on listed linear television. San Diego Padres On the following channels:
As a result of the new arrangement, Padres fans can now sign up for a new direct-to-consumer streaming subscription at MLB.TV for $19.99 per month or $74.99 for the remainder of the season. The offer is limited to Padres fans in the club’s home television territory and is a separate service from the MLB.TV out-of-market package. By offering a direct-to-consumer streaming option on MLB.TV in club territory for the first time, MLB can eliminate the blackout for Padres games previously distributed on Bally Sports San Diego. Fans can find more information about Padres game availability at Padres.com/tunein.
To make the transition as convenient as possible for fans, Padres games played through Sunday, June 4 will be available for free on MLB.com, Padres.com and the MLB apps on mobile and connected devices through MLB Login.
“As Commissioner Manfred previously stated, Major League Baseball remains committed to producing and distributing Padres games to fans throughout the Padres region,” said MLB Chief Revenue Officer Noah Gordon. “We are disappointed that Diamond Sports Group has failed to honor its contractual agreement with the club, and we are taking this opportunity to review the distribution model, eliminate blackouts on local games, improve broadcasts and expand Padres games by more than 2 million homes.”
“Through the power of Major League Baseball and the Padres, we are working to elevate the game broadcast experience for all Padres fans,” said Billy Chambers, MLB executive vice president of local media. “New technology, better picture quality and increased accessibility are what we’re working to tell the story better every night.”
“We are preparing for this exciting moment,” Padres CEO Eric Grubner said. “The Padres are excited to be the first team to partner with Major League Baseball to offer a direct-to-consumer streaming option without blackouts through MLB.TV, while preserving distribution in our market through traditional cable and satellite television providers. Our fans now have access to digital and traditional content in San Diego and beyond. The sites will provide unprecedented access to Padres games.
Padres primary television broadcasters Dan Arcillo, Mark Grant and Bob Scanlon will continue in their existing roles, while a fan radio team of Jesse Agler and Tony Quinn Jr. will call games from the booth. Fans can continue to expect the highest quality Padres game broadcasts fueled by our expertise in producing and distributing Major League Baseball live games. Since 2009, Major League Baseball has owned and operated MLB Network, which produced 15 seasons of live games, was critically acclaimed for its content and won 41 National Sports Emmy Awards in 13 different categories. Major League Baseball became the first professional sports league to live-stream a regular season game on August 26, 2002. Last season, baseball fans streamed more than 11 billion minutes of live baseball games and content on MLB.TV, a record for the service. It is on pace to break even in 2023.