How to watch San Diego Padres now that Bally Sports has struck out

Since as early as February, the Diamond Sports Group (which owns Bally Sports) has been back and forth with MLB over a $140 million debt payment. They've filed chapter 11, stopped payment, and thus won't be broadcasting San Diego Padres games to their loyal fans. Thankfully, MLB has taken swift action and will produce San Diego's games for the remainder of the 2023 MLB season, airing them all on MLB.TV.

This means that you can still stream Padres games without local blackouts – even if you're in-market. A first for MLB fans, you'll even be able to opt for a discounted MLB.TV plan that will allow you to stream the Padres for the rest of the season without worrying about the typical blackout restrictions. 

In a move that fans have been wanting for years, Padres fans are perhaps the luckiest fans now in that they won't be subject to the local blackout restrictions that plague fans across the country. While in-market games are blacked out through MLB.TV, this exemption will hopefully pave the way for future team packages and fewer blackouts.

What is a blackout?

For the unaware, a blackout prevents you from watching your in-market teams (the Mets & Yankees in New York and New Jersey, for example) on streaming platforms and some cable channels. The teams have exclusive deals with RSNs (regional sports networks) that force fans to pay for cable services in order to watch games, rather than being able to pay for MLB.TV (or another streaming service) and watch the games of their choosing.

With the falling out of the Padres RSN, Bally Sports, games will now be produced by MLB and streamed on MLB.TV for a special price. Games will also still be available in-market on DirecTV, AT&T U-Verse, Cox, and Spectrum.

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How to watch San Diego Padres: live stream regular season games for 2023

With Bally Sports bowing out on the Padres, MLB has picked up production for the remainder of the 2023 MLB season. That means you can watch every Padres game on MLB.TV for the rest of the year.

The best way to watch MLB without cable:

Fans looking to specifically watch San Diego Padres games for the 2023 season can do so for $19.99/month or $74.99 for the remainder of the 2023 season.

For those of you who happen to be traveling and need to catch your team in-market, you can get around this by taking the VPN route which will virtually re-locate you, making it look like you're accessing the service from elsewhere in an out-of-market location.

A subscription to MLB.TV costs $149.99 for the season (up $100 from 2022), though a single-team package is also available, costing $129.99. You can also pick up a far cheaper temporary subscription for $24.99 per month.

How to watch San Diego Padres from outside your country

If you're traveling abroad and want to stream all the Padres action back home, you'll have to do so with the help of a VPN. This is because of geo-blocking, a digital restriction that makes certain streaming services accessible in the region they're based in, and nowhere else.

When this is the case, the simplest and most reliable solution is to use a VPN service to change your IP address to a different location. This will generally let you tune in to your home coverage and means you don't have to trawl the sketchier corners of the internet for an illegal stream.

Use a VPN to watch San Diego Padres online from anywhere:

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