Roku secures exclusive deal for MLB Sunday Leadoff games, free streaming begins May 19
In a major update, streaming platform Roku has secured the exclusive rights for MLB Sunday Leadoff games. The live broadcasts will run from May 19th to September 15th, providing fans with 18 free baseball games throughout the season.
"MLB announced that Roku secured exclusive rights to a Sunday game, beginning this week and lasting through Sept. 15. Those games will also be available blackout-free to MLB.tv subscribers. Here’s the schedule MLB released …" - Alden_Gonzalez
The MLB Sunday Leadoff games were previously aired on Peacock, which could only be accessed with a paid subscription to the streaming service. The move to Roku is massive for baseball fans, as there is no subscription required to access the 18 scheduled games.
Many believe that this will go a long way to appeasing fans who have been frustrated by games being spread across a number of streaming services, many of which require a paid subscription. The move will also allow subscribers for MLB.TV to access the MLB Sunday Leadoff games without blackouts, something that has been a growing issue for many fans.
"Roku's MLB deal is now official. It will carry Sunday morning games, starting this Sunday with Red Sox-Cardinals. Multi-year deal also includes nightly clips delivered as VOD and available in MLB Zone/Sports Zone plus an MLB FAST channel." - @Ourand_Puck
The first MLB Sunday Leadoff as part of the exclusive partnership will take place this coming weekend. The Boston Red Sox and St. Louis Cardinals will be the first game airing following the new deal and is slated to start at 1:05 pm ET on May 19th.
The exclusive Roku deal will provide fans with free access to a number of important matchups this season
Unlike the previous deal with Peacock, fans will be able to access many important games without having to pay a service fee. Several high-profile games will be available for fans thanks to the switch. One of the games with potential playoff implications includes the Arizona Diamondbacks vs the Philadelphia Phillies on June 23rd.
Other important games that are slated to appear on the service include the Milwaukee Brewers against the Minnesota Twins on July 23rd, the Los Angeles Dodgers against the Arizona Diamondbacks on September 1st, and the Tampa Bay Rays against the Baltimore Orioles on September 8th.