The MLB does not have a plan to live stream Cleveland Guardians games amid mass fan frustration on the limited options to watch, according to the baseball team.
Nothing is as fun as watching the Guardians in person, but streaming online is a great alternative. So what happens when you can't do either? Well, that’s what die-hard fan Bill Howie is dealing with right now.
"Yesterday I was looking forward to it, I was like, 'it's quitting... it's going to be a late game, but I still would like to watch part of it before I go to sleep for the night... try this — that didn't work. Try that — that didn't work,'" Howie said.
He is one of the dozens of fans News 5 spoke to Friday who, despite paying for a Bally Sports+ membership, couldn’t watch Opening Day. Viewers flooded the comments of a station post on social media to express their frustration.
One viewer said it's ridiculous because streaming services add up, and another said everyone needs to fight against this. Some users were able to watch with Spectrum, but those services aren’t offered in all areas — like where Howie lives near Canton.
Why is this happening?
Streaming provider YouTubeTV dropped Bally Sports Regional Networks after their deal with the sports network expired. MLB.tv streams games, but because of regional blackouts, Howie can't watch there either.
The future of Bally's itself is in question after parent company Diamond Sports Group missed a bankruptcy payment in March.
What can be done?
Bally's told News 5 it would not comment on the situation but did provide an information sheetfor viewers on how to watch.
The games are available on DirecTV Stream and Fubo TV. Another option is Bally Sports app and BallySports.com — but only if the fan has a specific pay-TV subscription.
News 5 also reached out to the Guardians, to which their spokesperson resent an MLB statement from mid-March.
“Major League Baseball is ready to produce and distribute games to fans in their local markets in the event that Diamond or any other regional sports network is unable to do so as required by their agreement with our Clubs,” the statement reads in part.
News 5 followed up and asked if they would do it now since so many fans are struggling to watch.
"Streaming isn't permitted due to the current contract," spokesperson Curtis Danburg replied.
After the Guardians' loss against the Mariners, fans just want some good news. Being able to find more streaming services to watch games would be a start.
"That's what I'd like to see — a reliable place to watch," Howie said. "I would gladly pay it like I'm paying Bally's now, but we don't have that right now."
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