iPhones and iPads Get a Free Month of MLB.tv Streaming

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Just in time for opening day, Major League Baseball’s MLB.tv app for iPhone and iPad is getting a month of free, live game streams.

As with all streaming on MLB.tv, you’re limited to out-of-market games, so forget about watching your favorite team on an iPhone or iPad if they’re also playing on television in your area. In other words, MLB.tv is a great service for fans away from home or outright baseball fanatics. Volvo is sponsoring the promotion.

Still, the free streaming deal has a few catches: You’ll still have to buy the MLB At Bat iPhone or iPad apps, which cost $15 each and include other features such as highlights and radio broadcasts. The iPhone and iPad apps are sold separately, so buying one doesn’t give you access to the other. Also, MLB launches new At Bat apps for every season, so you’ll have to pay another $15 per app in 2012.

Those drawbacks haven’t stopped MLB At Bat from being lucrative for Major League Baseball. It’s currently the top-grossing app on the iPhone charts, and last year’s version was the highest-grossing app of 2010.

This year, MLB is bringing live game streams to Android phones for the first time. The app will work on Android versions 2.2 and higher, with Adobe Flash installed and at least an ARM v7 processor. Live streams are also available on a slew of set-top boxes, including Apple TV and Sony’s Playstation 3, but only the iPad and iPhone apps are getting a month free.

The basic MLB.tv service costs $20 per month or $100 for the season, and a premium version, which adds DVR capabilities, multi-game views, and both home and away broadcasts, costs $25 per month or $125 for the season. Prices drop as the season goes on.

(via Business Insider)