Spectrum is finally offering a streaming-only subscription for Dodgers

For the archetypal clip this season, Dodgers fans tin watercourse SportsNet LA without needing to bargain thing other they mightiness not want.

Spectrum is offering a streaming-only subscription to the Dodgers’ tv transmission for $29.99 per period oregon $199.99 per year, the institution is expected to denote Monday. The work volition beryllium successful spot erstwhile the Dodgers unfastened their play Tuesday successful Japan (3 a.m. PDT).

The streaming work volition beryllium called SNLA+ and volition beryllium offered successful concern with Major League Baseball, which volition supply the exertion and transportation the work connected MLB.com and the MLB app. SNLA+ subscriptions are lone disposable successful the Dodgers’ section tv market.

The streaming subscription includes unrecorded and archived games; pregame, postgame, postseason and offseason coverage; and further programs specified arsenic “Backstage Dodgers,” though SportsNet LA chopped backmost connected specified programming past year.

For years, Charter Communications — the genitor institution of Spectrum — had resisted streaming. Charter had agelong considered exclusivity arsenic the cardinal to minimizing its losses successful the grounds $8.35-billion section broadcasting declaration with the Dodgers, inherited successful its 2016 takeover of Time Warner Cable. So, if you wanted to ticker the Dodgers, the lone mode to bash truthful was to bargain a Spectrum tv bundle that included SportsNet LA.

However, arsenic cablegram and outer audiences shrink and streaming audiences expand, Charter opted to prosecute incremental income. In 2024, Charter provided SportsNet LA streaming for fans that bought broadband and cellphone work from Spectrum.

That enactment remains for this season, and Charter plans to measure each its SportsNet LA options aft the season. Fans besides proceed to get escaped streaming with immoderate Spectrum tv bundle that includes SportsNet LA.

The $29.99 monthly terms ranks astatine the precocious extremity for streaming subscriptions among MLB teams. NESN offers a $29.99 monthly subscription; the transmission carries the Boston Red Sox and Boston Bruins. YES offers a $24.99 monthly subscription; the transmission carries the New York Yankees and New Jersey Nets. FanDuel Sports West, formerly Bally Sports West, offers the Angels and Kings for a $19.99 monthly rate.

Sports Net LA carries lone the Dodgers. MLB runs streams for 3 of the Dodgers’ National League West rivals — the San Diego Padres, Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies — and offers each astatine $19.99 per month.

According to the league, 23 of its 30 teams person announced streaming subscriptions this season. Commissioner Rob Manfred hopes to bundle the streaming rights of arsenic galore teams arsenic imaginable and merchantability them to a precocious bidder successful 2028. The transportation to fans: Watch your squad wherever you are, with nary of the blackouts designed to support cablegram and outer providers.

In theory, that would make accrued nationalist broadcast gross that teams could divided equally. In reality, Manfred would person to transportation the owners of marquee teams specified arsenic the Dodgers and Yankees to delegate their streaming rights to the league for what mightiness beryllium little wealth than they marque now, possibly by providing unrelated fiscal incentives oregon opportunities.

The Dodgers did not delegate their streaming rights to MLB arsenic portion of the SNLA+ deal, according to a idiosyncratic briefed connected the woody but not authorized to remark publicly.