MLB TV: How Can You Tell Which Teams Are Blacked Out?

By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man – Buy Me a Coffee!

TV Answer Man, I am thinking of getting MLB TV but I’m not sure which teams will be blacked out in our market of Des Moines. How can you check to see before ordering? – Tim, Des Moines, Iowa.

Tim, that’s a great question. Major League’s blackout policy has infuriated fans for years. The territorial blackout map is so Byzantine that fans in Guam can’t even watch the San Francisco Giants and Athletics. Guam, for goodness sake.

And with MLB TV – the league’s package of out-of-market games – costing $149.99 for the season or $29.99 a month, you want assurance that you will be able to watch your teams of choice.

So, here’s how to do it:

Go to this web page and input your zip code. In this case, we will use a zip code for Des Moines: 50047.

As you can see, the Des Moines area is a blackout zone for six teams: Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals and Minnesota Twins.

That is ridiculous, but it’s league’s policy. Somehow, the MLB executives have determined that fans in Des Moines should either be able to watch those six teams on TV in market or travel to those cities to watch the games. Either way, it means Des Moines residents are unable to watch them via MLB TV’s out-of-market plan.

Your only solution is that if the teams are available through MLB’s in-market team plans which you can see here. For example, the Royals are available in Iowa. See this page for more details. The problem here, however, is that you would need to subscribe to multiple in-market plans which start at $99 for the season rather than just get MLB TV’s out of market plan for $149 and see all the teams. Not exactly cost-effective. To get all six teams blacked out in Des Moines, you would have to pay hundreds of dollars.

The good news here is that MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has spoken frequently about the league’s need to modify the blackout policies so let’s hope that change is coming. But for 2026, it is what it is.

Tim, I hope that answers your question, even if not satisfactorily. Happy viewing and stay safe!

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