MLB, YouTube to air 4 September games
YouTube and Major League Baseball on Wednesday announced the September lineup of four games to air as MLB Game of the Week Live on YouTube during the stretch run of the 2020 regular season. The four games will begin with the Miami Marlins vs. Atlanta Braves on Monday, Sept. 7, live at 1 p.m. ET. Fans can access each broadcast for free, from any device simply by tuning into MLB's YouTube channel, or for YouTube TV members, on a dedicated channel via the app.
The 2020 MLB Game of the Week Live on YouTube schedule follows. Games 1 and 2 will be exclusive to YouTube while Games 3 and 4 also will air on the Clubs’ Regional Sports Networks.
Game 1: Miami Marlins vs. Atlanta Braves, Monday, Sept. 7 @ 1 p.m. ET
Announcers: MLB Network’s Scott Braun, Kevin Millar and John Smoltz
Note: Millar spent the first five seasons of his 12-year MLB career with the Marlins and Smoltz spent 20 years with the Braves during his Hall of Fame career.
Game 2: Milwaukee Brewers vs. Detroit Tigers, Wednesday, Sept. 9 @ 1 p.m. ET
Announcers: MLB Network’s Scott Braun, Dan Plesac, Sean Casey and Jon Morosi
Note: Plesac made three All-Star Games as a member of the Brewers and Casey hit .529 during the 2006 World Series with the Tigers.
Game 3: Kansas City Royals vs. Milwaukee Brewers, Friday, Sept. 18 @ 8 p.m. ET
Game 4: Cincinnati Reds vs. Minnesota Twins, Friday, Sept. 25 @ 8 p.m. ET
“We loved working with MLB last season to bring games to fans across the world and we saw an average of 1.2 million fans tuning in to each game,” said Tim Katz, Head of Sports and News Partnerships, YouTube. “YouTube offers fans a unique experience that is free and easy to use and allows them to engage with their favorite teams. Though this season is unlike any other, we’re thrilled to bring this great content to our users.”
“The fan response and engagement with our games on YouTube last year was overwhelmingly positive. This partnership allows our fans to watch MLB games on a popular platform that features a creative presentation,” said Dominick Balsamo, MLB Senior Vice President, Global Media & Business Development. “This September, YouTube will be part of what promises to be an exciting and unprecedented pennant chase with teams competing for position in a new Postseason format.”
For the second year in a row, every YouTube game will be uniquely produced for the platform by MLB Network’s Emmy Award-winning production team, and YouTube will serve as the live game distribution partner globally. To amplify viewer engagement, YouTube creators and various voices across baseball will provide live game commentary via a live chat within each broadcast. Each broadcast will feature live pre- and post-game content, featuring MLB and YouTube-themed content. Check out this recap of last year’s games and highlights from some of the special YouTube features.
Every broadcast can be accessed for free without having to log in by simply going to YouTube.com/MLB or by searching “MLB” in the YouTube app. The games will also stream live via the "MLB Game of the Week Live on YouTube" channel on YouTube TV (subscription required) and on featured MLB Club YouTube channels. Fans can subscribe to the official MLB YouTube channel to receive updates.
YouTube has also expanded their in-game features, including the ability to poll viewers throughout the game and view a pinned chat so you can keep up with live commentary, plus set a reminder to tune into a game. If you’re watching on YouTube TV with your membership, you can also re-watch key plays tied to the exact moment you’re watching or check out real-time stats from the game.
YouTube has been a long-standing content home for MLB and its 30 clubs, hosting highlights and classic games for more than a decade. MLB’s first season of exclusive game broadcasts on YouTube and YouTube TV, a 13-game package produced by MLB Network that began in July 2019 generated 1.2 million live average views per game.
MLB, which has been livestreaming games since 2002, started its YouTube channel in 2005. The league has built a rabid audience on the platform, generating 1.7B views in 2019 alone.