By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –@tvanswerman

TV Answer Man, I am confused about the MLB Extra Innings free preview. Does it end after Wednesday or go through Thursday, April 6 and end on Friday? The preview says it ends on April 6, which is Thursday. But what does that mean? There will be no free games on Thursday? Help!! — Janet, Evanston, Illinois.

Janice, DIRECTV, Comcast and Dish are among the pay TV providers that have been holding a free preview of the MLB Extra Innings package. (Consult your on-screen guide to see if your TV provider has the free preview.)

Amazon: See today’s ‘1-Day-Only’ deals.

The Extra Innings plan, which includes up to 90 out-of-market games every week, normally costs $149.99. (Most pay TV operators are also including MLB.TV in their Extra Innings plans at no extra cost.)

The TV providers have said the preview would start on March 30 (opening day) and end on Thursday, April 6. The ‘end on April 6’ part has confused a few readers (at least) who have asked me via e-mail if the preview has ended because today is April 6.

But I am happy to report that ‘end on April 6’ means that April 6 is the last day of free games. The preview will end after the April 6 games are completed.

I agree with the readers that the pay TV ops could have done a better job of stating this, such as saying the free preview would extend through April 6, not end on April 6. But so it goes…

By the way, MLB.TV is not offering a free preview to start the 2023 campaign, but you can get a seven-day free trial at any time during the season.  The online package of out-of-market games costs $149.99 for the entire 2023 season or $24.99 a month. You can also order a single team plan for $129.99.

Amazon: See today’s best-selling TVs.

Local blackouts still apply in the 2023 MLB TV and MLB Extra Innings plans. You cannot watch the team or teams in your local market with a subscription to either. You can determine which teams would be blacked out in your zip code here.

However, there is one thing that fans are doing to avoid blackouts. Learn more here.

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Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com Please include your first name and hometown in your message.

— Phillip Swann
@tvanswerman