This is the same as last year, so I understood that coming in, but something that's really thrown me for a loop is this: I travel and got MLB.TV to watch Twins games when I'm on the road. However, last week when I was in San Francisco and San Diego, Twins home games were blacked out for me. When I called MLB.TV they told me that because my billing information for my credit card was a Minnesota address, I was blacked out for those games due to local broadcast restrictions. What's the point, then?

MLB.TV service? Cancelled.

Not in Canada.

use proxy servers, show those mlb.tv/fox bastards!

Alex, those MLB.TV people have no idea what they are talking about. MLB.tv is supposed to be blacked out by IP address not by billing info. It's exactly for people like you. I have no idea why they said that. I'd call back and talk to someone else and tell them you know it's supposed to be based on IP address.

Philip,

You were right -- last year MLB.TV was based off of IP address. I was able to watch my Tigers play because my DSL connection had a Chicago IP address (I am in Northwest Ohio). This year I signed up again, but after the first game was blacked out I realized they changed their policy to use the credit card billing address. Luckily this was easy to get around -- I had a friend sign up who lives out of state and we split the cost.

That is the dumbest thing I ever heard. I love the product MLBAM produces but their administration is horrible. This combined with their decision to limit the use of players names for fantasy leagues (luckily the courts sided against MLBAM)

I live in Alexandria, VA and the Twins @ White Sox was blacked out.

My Credit Card is VA...

Anyone have an answer why?

Steve - All games were blacked out yesterday until 7PM because of FOX's national broadcast and the blackout rules surronding that. A) That game was on FOX in the midwest B) FOX is blacking out all baseball games on MLB.tv until their games are over, regardless of where they are, to get people on their television sets and off the computers. Sucks, I know. Don't expect to see much MLB.tv Saturday afternoons this year. Because even if a game starts at 1PM and the FOX games start at 4, they are blacking out that 1 o'clock game.

Michael,

This year, MLB re-districted a lot of the IPs for certain teams which can all be found on their website. So, you very well could have been just moved back under the Tigers zone.

Phillip,

Do you know where, if anywhere, MLB dictates how their blackout policy works for MLB.TV? I looked in the agreement and it merely tells you which zip codes are blacked out for which teams. It never tells you how your individual computer is identified.