MLB fans in Pittsburgh can watch the Pirates live without cable on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh with DIRECTV STREAM Choice, or Fubo. Out-of-market fans can watch the team with an MLB.TV subscription.
Table of Contents
- The most important channels for Pirates fans
- Pirates “in-market vs. out-of-market” games likely going away
- AT&T Sportsnet Pittsburgh in Flux
- Watch Pirates baseball on fuboTV
- Watch Pirates baseball on DIRECTV STREAM
- Watch the Pirates out-of-market
- ESPN+ – watch the Pirates on a rare occasion
- How to watch the Pirates on national TV
- More MLB Teams
As a great sports town, fans in Pittsburgh will watch the Pirates in good seasons, and bad ones. In this Pittsburgh Pirates viewing guide, I will break down the best, and cheapest, options for live streaming Pirates baseball on a wide array of devices, including Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Samsung Smart TVs, to name a few.
Our top pick, DIRECTV STREAM “Choice” offers MLB Network, ESPN, TBS, FS1, and ACC Network for watching Pitt basketball and Pitt football. With the exception of streaming exclusive games, in-market Pirates fans can watch every game on DIRECTV STREAM “Choice.”
Watch MLB Network, ESPN, FS1, TBS, ACC Network, and more. | $99.99 / month | 5 Day Free Trial |
Upgrade to fuboTV Sports Lite to get access to MLB Network. | $84.99 / month | 7 Day Free Trial |
For out-of-market Pirates fans. | $24.99 / month | Signup for MLB.TV on ESPN+ |
The most important channels for Pirates fans
With AT&T Sportsnet Pittsburgh in flux as a new operator is found, more Pirates games in 2023 will air on MLB network, and possibly on MLB.TV.
| Fubo | DIRECTV STREAM – Choice | Hulu + Live TV | Sling TV Blue + Sports Extra | YouTube TV | |
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| $74.99 / month | $99.99 / month | $69.99 / month | $46 / month | $72.99 / month |
Pirates “in-market vs. out-of-market” games likely going away
When AT&T Sportsnet Pittsburgh was the holder of local TV rights to Pirates games, MLB.TV was blacked out in Pittsburgh. However, with AT&T Sportsnet RSNs shutting down, MLB will likely air Pirates games this season on MLB Network, and possibly MLB.TV, to a national audience. This means Pittsburgh pro sports will no longer have in-market vs. out-of-market rules.
AT&T Sportsnet Pittsburgh in Flux
As of March 31st, 2023, Warner Bros. Discovery, the parent company of the AT&T Sportsnet RSNs, will be shutting down its operations and looking for a new operator. This means Pirates games may not air on AT&T Sportsnet Pittsburgh for the entire MLB season. However, because of AT&T Sportsnet’s cable TV contracts, the team or MLB will likely operate the channel in the near term.
Watch Pirates baseball on fuboTV
Not only does fuboTV carry MLB Network, the platform is also our top pick for live streaming the Pittsburgh Steelers during the NFL season.
On fuboTV Pittsburgh fans can watch NFL action on FOX, CBS, ESPN, and NBC. In addition, fuboTV allows users to record an entire team’s season to DVR, rather than having to record each game one by one. This is a big plus for Pirates and Penguins action, since the MLB and NHL seasons are so long.
Read our fuboTV sports review.
Watch Pirates baseball on DIRECTV STREAM
DirecTV Stream “Choice” gets you MLB Network, as well as the channels you need for streaming the Steelers.
Read our DirecTV Stream review for sports fans.
Watch the Pirates out-of-market
With AT&T Sportsnet Pittsburgh shutting down, MLB.TV may be taking over a chunk of Pirates games.
MLB.TV is the premium out-of-market option for MLB fans. With MLB.TV fans can circumvent the regional broadcast rules and watch any game they like, including Pittsburgh Pirates games. If you want to follow just one team all summer, the rate drops to a one time annual fee of $109.99.
ESPN+ – watch the Pirates on a rare occasion
ESPN+ carries one out-of-market MLB game per day during the regular season. While adding ESPN+ won’t allow you to follow the Pirates pitch for pitch, you will get a diverse lineup of MLB games, and may get treated to a Pirates game once in a blue moon.
Read our ESPN+ review.
How to watch the Pirates on national TV
Unlike the Yankees or Red Sox, the Pirates have a regional following, and as such, won’t be on national TV as often as some teams. When the Pirates do take the big stage, and AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh is blacked out, here is how to watch.