NEW YORK, NY – Major League Baseball (MLB) and YouTube announced last week MLB Game of the Week Live on YouTube will return next month.
Fifteen MLB games – including a Toronto Blue Jays game – will be featured on YouTube during the 2022 regular season. They will be available to stream for free in 182 countries including Canada.
“Today’s announcement marks the fourth season of this live streaming deal between YouTube and MLB, and continues the decade-long relationship between the two companies,” an MLB press release says.
“Since the start of the live games partnership in 2019, MLB content on YouTube has generated 5.4B views and 425M watch hours, with half of the audience under 35-years-old.”
Games scheduled to air live on YouTube so far include the Washington Nationals at Colorado Rockies on May 5 at 3:10 p.m. ET, Milwaukee Brewers at Cincinnati Reds on May 11 at 12:35 p.m. ET, Arizona Diamondbacks at Chicago Cubs, May 20 at 2:20 p.m. ET, Detroit Tigers at Minnesota Twins, May 25 at 1:10 p.m. ET, Kansas City Royals at Cleveland Guardians, June 1 at 1:10 p.m. ET, Toronto Blue Jays at Kansas City Royals, June 8 at 2:10 p.m. ET and Minnesota Twins at Seattle Mariners, June 15 at 4:10 ET.
“Fans will be able to access each broadcast for free from anywhere they can watch YouTube, including the free YouTube app on smart TVs, simply by tuning into MLB’s YouTube channel, or for YouTube TV members, on a dedicated channel via the app,” the press release says. (The YouTube TV option is not yet available to Canadians.)
“Back for 2022 is the “YouTube Player of the Game,” where fans watching on mobile devices and computers can vote for the standout player, who will receive a trophy during the postgame show.”
MLB Network’s production team will produce all 15 broadcasts, while Scott Braun will do play-by-play and former MLB All-Star Yonder Alonso will call the games. MLB Network host and reporter Siera Santos will host a pregame show that airs live on YouTube, starting 30 minutes before the scheduled start time of each game.
“Several only-on-YouTube features will also be part of the broadcast productions this season, including the return of the live chat featuring game commentary from MLB superfan YouTube creators,” the press release explains.
“In-game polls that keep fans engaged and connected with the announcers throughout the game will also return. Fans watching on YouTube TV with a membership will also have the ability to re-watch key plays tied to the exact moment they are watching, and check out real-time stats from the game.”
“YouTube became Major League Baseball’s official partner to stream live games four years ago and it’s been incredible to continue to grow the game in compelling and innovative ways on our platform,” said Jon Cruz, head of sports partnerships at YouTube, in the release.
“One of the biggest commonalities within our partnership is maintaining a ‘fan-first’ perspective, so we’re proud to continue to keep our games free and accessible to fans in over 182 countries around the word while delivering the best of baseball in ways only YouTube can do.”
“We value our continued partnership with YouTube and the opportunity to build on the experience the MLB Game of the Week on YouTube brings to fans,” said Dominick Balsamo, senior vice-president, global media and business development at MLB.
“YouTube’s creative approach to fan engagement lets viewers feel like they are a part of the broadcast, and we look forward to another season of bringing fans closer to the game through their unique presentation.”
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