MLB.TV Blackout Bypass Status
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I test VPN and Smart DNS services’ ability to bypass MLB.TV blackouts across multiple devices throughout the season. This page tells you what’s currently working and what isn’t. The results are based on my own personal testing, not claims made by the service providers themselves. If a VPN happens to stop working mid-season, I’ll update this page as soon as I’ve verified it.
A “Yes!” means I have successfully bypassed blackouts using the provider in that row on the device in that column. An ✗ means I’ve tested and it’s not working.
| Provider | Type | Roku | Fire TV Stick | Apple TV | PC | Android | iPhone/iPad | Last tested | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NordVPN | VPN | Yes!* | Yes! | Yes! | Yes! | ✗ | ✗ | Wed Jun 3 | Get It → |
| Surfshark | VPN | Yes!* | Yes! | Yes! | Yes! | Yes! | ✗ | Wed Jun 3 | Get It → |
| Unlocator | VPN | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | Yes!** | ✗ | ✗ | Sat Apr 18 | Get It → |
| Unlocator | Smart DNS | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | Sun Apr 5 | Get It → |
Testing Log #
With NordVPN I had to try a few different server locations before I was able to get past the blackout tonight. You can see the two different error screens I encountered (see screenshots below) while trying servers in Albuquerque and Las Vegas. If you see these errors yourself, they are a good indication that MLB has detected a VPN IP address that they have blacklisted. WHen I switched to Seattle I was able to get through, but the server was slow and my stream kept buffering. I then switched over to Surfshark (San Jose location) and it connected on the first try with no buffering at all.
My first two tries the MLB app on Apple TV seemed to detect that I was using a VPN. When I attempted to bring up the list of games it gave me a generic error like "Error listing games". I was on an Albuquerque VPN server and switched to Seattle and tried again. This time it worked. It's likely that MLB maintains a list of IPs it knows are associated with VPNs and blacklists them. Switching to another server location must have gotten me a non-blacklisted IP. If your first server doesn't work, don't give up. Try a couple of VPN server locations.
* Roku has no native VPN app — this requires setting up the VPN on your router.
** Worked, but connection speeds were slow.
Want more information on bypassing blackouts and how it works? Consult my guide here.