This is my first year with a MLB.tv package. 10 games into the season, I wanted to record some initial thoughts on it. Bottom line, it is a fantastic value if you like baseball. The ability to watch almost any game that I want is great, and I especially like the ability to jump from game to game depending on what is going on. MLB has gotten the little things right, as well. You can usually choose a home or away television feed, as well as being able to choose between a TV and radio audio feed.
It is not perfect, of course. I live in St. Louis, so I don't get to watch any live Cardinals games through MLB.tv, as certain live games are blacked out based on whether a local cable channel has paid for television rights for your local team. I can watch all Cardinals games in replay, as well as having access to highlight clips when uploaded by MLB, so it isn't a total blackout. Honestly, I can't find anything unreasonable about this. Local cable sports networks pay a LOT of money for the rights to broadcast games for certain teams in certain regions, so it would be stupid in the long-term to undercut that revenue stream.
The thing that IS annoying is the fact that when they say that they blackout games due to your "location," that is actually a lie. If a game has been picked up by FOX for broadcast anywhere, it is blacked out for the entire world. Case in point, as I am typing this, the Washington Nationals are playing against the Atlanta Braves, a game I want to see, and that game is NOT being shown on FOX in St. Louis. However, it is being shown on FOX in other parts of the country, so it is blacked out for me, even though I don't have the option of watching it on my local FOX affiliate. I really want to watch that game, too, but the brilliant minds at FOX have decided that I get to watch the stupid, loser-face Cubs, instead.
So, that is an annoyance, but in total this is looking like it will be a bargain, even if there are a few games that I have to watch on replay after the game is over.
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