Tuning in to Mariners baseball: A how-to guide

The Seattle Mariners are back in action after a long winter, but you may have struggled trying to watch them during opening week. The first four Mariners games against the Cleveland Guardians were shown on three different streaming services. That may sound daunting for anyone who just wants to sit down, turn on the TV, and enjoy America's pastime.

KUOW’s Vaughan Jones is a devoted baseball fan. He told Rob Wood what he’s learned about options for watching Ms games this season.

This interview has been edited for clarity.

Rob Wood: How did we get into this mess in the first place?

Vaughan Jones: Last year, the Mariners made the decision to shutter their regional sports network, ROOT Sports Northwest. Now, the Mariners are broadcasting and streaming through Major League Baseball, on something called Mariners TV. The streaming service costs $100 for the whole season, or $20 a month. That's just to watch the Mariners.

If you double those prices, you get to watch all 30 MLB teams on any given night. You could also add it to your cable package if you have Xfinity, DirecTV, or Spectrum, but fans did struggle to find those channels on cable, and some found out on opening day that they had to pay extra to add it to their package.

Because of the Mariner's success last season, they also have at least 15 games that are only nationally televised, or streamed on places like ESPN, Apple TV Plus, NBC, and Peacock. If all of that sounds confusing, that's because it is, especially because communication from the Mariners on how to watch was really unclear leading up to opening day.

I will say the Mariners now have a handy How To Tune In webpage that tells you which games are on which services, and what channel they are on your cable subscription. I went with the Mariners/MLB streaming bundle at $200 for the season. That’s a pretty hefty price tag, but it eliminates a lot of the complications for me. I don't have cable and I don't want to figure that out. So, I’m paying the price of not being confused.

Why did ROOT Sports Northwest fail?

It was a combination of a few things. For one, cord cutting and moving away from cable became prevalent across the US, and their subscription numbers really plunged because they didn't have a prominent online streaming option until their final year.

They also lost the Seattle Kraken broadcasting rights in 2024 to King 5 and Amazon. And once the writing was sort of on the wall there, the Portland Trailblazers also left to start streaming with the NBA. So, the Mariners were the only major team remaining on ROOT, a station they owned and were pouring money into. ROOT lost 2 million subscribers in about a decade, and by 2025, it was just sort of untenable to keep operating.

What do you think changes when baseball leans toward streaming rather than traditional television?

The Mariners are one of 13 teams that operate using MLBs streaming service. As those teams drop out of more traditional TV contracts, like with ROOT, that can lead to confusion for fans, especially because these changes are largely recent. The first time MLB worked with a team directly was 2023, and now in just three short years we're up to 13 teams.

I also think what's becoming universal for baseball fans is having to explain to an older family member what Apple TV Plus is, or how streaming works, or why they can't just watch the game on cable. I will say there are some positives though. I can watch Mariners games on my way home from work, just on the bus, and MLB’s streaming service has a very cool multi-view feature, which means I can watch multiple games happening at once. So, it's not all bad, but it is definitely kind of confusing.

Do the Ms have a plan for making it easier for local fans to watch games in the future?

For those who just want to stick with cable or have an antenna, KING 5 is going to broadcast 10 games over the next few months, starting next week on April 10th. It is only 10 games out of 162, but it's something, and sort of a way for fans to find their bearings as they figure out what works best for them in this new streaming landscape.

Well, we're talking on the radio right now. Is that a more timeless and less challenging option for catching a game at this point?

Yeah, if you can bear to turn your dial away from 94.9 FM, all Mariners games are broadcast on 710 AM. You don't get the visual element, but there is as a baseball fan, something special about listening to baseball on the radio. The announcers have to sort of paint a picture with their words, and it's definitely a different experience from watching on TV, and also much cheaper.

Listen to the interview by clicking the play button above.