Besides the cheering from the stands, enthusiastic fans use an online platform provided by the league itself to watch live streams of the games.
However, even though these games on demand require a subscription, you still won’t be able to watch certain games if they’re covered by the sponsored cable/TV providers in certain regions.
That’s when a VPN comes in handy. But, sadly, there are some serious issues with VPN and MLB.tv working together.
In order to address this, we provided a few solutions that should, hopefully, help you watch the blackout-affected games with the VPN without issues.
Why is MLB.tv not working with VPN?
Many MLB.TV users are not able to access the platform after connecting to a VPN, encountering an error message that reads:
Unable to launch the requested content. Please refresh your page. If your problems persist please: clear your browser cookie for this page and relaunch the MLB.TV Media Player. Select another liver or archived game and try again.
The problem is not specific to one VPN client, users reported having issues with:
- NordVPN, IPVansih, ExpressVPN, and Surfshark not working with MLB.TV
- MLB.TV app not working with VPN on Firestick, PC, Chromecast
- MLB.TV app: Network error with VPN
- MLB.TV: unable to reliably verify location
- Browser blocks auto-playing videos on MLB.TV
- MLB.TV unexpected internal error
These error messages and similar ones arise after users connect to a VPN server and then attempt to launch MLB.TV. Luckily, there are several easy fixes that will help you get rid of these problems.
If you’re wondering whether a VPN is working with a VPN in the first place, the answer is yes. Premium VPNs can unlock the platform without being detected and blocked.
✅ Preliminary checks
→ We suggest you first look at your Internet connection
→ Make sure your antivirus or firewall isn’t blocking the VPN or the MLB.TV Media Player
→ Also, check if your VPN has streaming capabilities like obfuscated servers
How can I fix VPN issues with MLB.TV on Windows?
1. Make sure the time and date are properly set
- Press the Windows key + I to open the Settings app.
- Select Time & Language.
- Select Date & Time from the left pane.
- Disable both Set time automatically and Set time zone automatically.
- Select Timezone and choose the time zone of the chosen IP location from the drop-down menu.
- Now you can re-enable the Set time automatically option and move from there.
A common reason why VPN won’t function well with streaming services lies in the discrepancy between the system’s date and time (time zone), and the one which is mimicked by the VPN itself.
Say, you’re in the Pacific Time zone while the VPN’s IP address is positioned in the Central Time zone. Online streaming services, like MLB.tv, can turn that against you.
If you want to watch Los Angeles Angels at home, you’ll need to change your time in a way that resembles a time in the non-blackout-affected city.
If you’re not sure how to do it in Windows 10, make sure to follow the steps we provided above.
2. Use another VPN optimized for streaming
If you keep having issues with MLB.TV while connected to a VPN, consider an alternative client. You have other great options that come with a seamless connection and uninterrupted streaming.
With servers in worldwide countries, it will allow you to successfully bypass any geographical restrictions and enjoy MLB.TV to the fullest.
You have VPN tools that offer your speed test benefits or even block Internet throttling that may slow down your game. In the next list, you’ll discover the tools with streaming features to unblock MLB.TV platform:
| VPNs | Streaming capability |
| Private Internet Access | Unlimited streaming content for 10 devices |
| CyberGhost VPN | No buffering streaming servers for 7 devices at once |
| Vypr VPN | Unblocking geo-restrictions streaming services globally |
| PureVPN | 6500+ servers globally for instant streaming access |
| PrivateVPN | Encrypted media access to any streaming platforms online |
3. Disable location services
- Right-click Start and open Settings.
- Choose Privacy.
- Under the left pane, select Location.
- Toggle Off Location service.
- Close Settings and try accessing MLB.tv again.
Due to mandatory location access, Android and iOS users are unable to overcome the MLB.tv blackout. However, that’s not the case with PC and Mac users.
By default, no application (in this exact case, a browser that you use to access MLB.tv) should be able to pinpoint your location.
Of course, it can do so by following your IP address, but that’s where the VPN comes into play.
However, if you have, for some reason, enabled Location services and allowed your browser to track your location with GPS, we recommend disabling it.
This isn’t exactly a common case as the aforementioned one, but it won’t cost you a thing and it can certainly help eliminate potential causes for VPN/MLB.tv misdemeanors.
If you’re not sure how to disable location services in Windows 10, the instructions above should come in handy.
4. Clear the browser’s cache
- Open Chrome and press Ctrl + Shift + Delete to access the Clear browsing data menu.
- Check the Cached images and files box.
- Click on the Clear Data button.
- Close Chrome, re-enable VPN and reconnect to MLB.tv again.
If you’ve registered to and used MLB.tv to watch your favorite team before using a VPN, then make sure to clean all your browsing history. With a special emphasis on cookies.
Cookies are collected by the website and can be used to track your data and, allegedly, improve your experience. They’re there to preserve your on-site made changes and preferences.
However, they also, as you might assume on your own, connect your account to an IP address you’ve used to create the account in the first place.
Therefore, we need to get rid of the cookies in the browser of choice and after that start VPN. Once you sign in again, you should be able to watch MLB matches without any geo-restrictions whatsoever.
Since Chrome is the most-used web browser, we’ve shown you how to clear your browsing history in Chrome.
5. Reinstall your VPN with complete removal
- In the Windows Search bar, type Control and open Control Panel from the list of results.
- From the Category view, click Uninstall a program under Programs.
- Right-click on your VPN solution and Uninstall it.
- Use CCleaner Professional third-party uninstaller to clean all remaining files and registry entries the VPN has made.
- Restart your PC.
- Download the latest version of the VPN and install it.
How do I use the MLB app with VPN?
- Get a suitable VPN service for MLB TV. (We used ExpressVPN for its reliability).
- Download the dedicated app and install it on your device.
- Connect to a VPN server by clicking on the power button in the main UI.
- Launch MLB.TV on your device and enjoy uninterrupted baseball game streaming.
Can MLB.tv detect a VPN?
Not necessarily, but they can detect location changes based on your IP (which happens when you use a VPN).
For this reason, it’s possible that the app won’t work if your account location doesn’t match your IP.
Even though it’s a specialized application, VPN is an application nonetheless. It comes with the desktop client and it can get corrupted or affected by virus infection.
Does MLB.TV work internationally?
No, the platform is only available in the United States, that’s why you need to use a VPN to trick MLB location.
Also, another problem might lie in the outdated software version, so frequent updating of the VPN client might address possible performance issues.
How do I get around MLB TV local blackout?
To quickly solve this issue, install a good VPN with no bandwidth limit and choose a server in a location where the game is not blacked out.
Why does MLB blackout local games?
Don’t take it personally as it’s all related to MLB’s deals with cable networks looking for exclusivity.
The best solution to cover everything is to reinstall the VPN of your choice and look for changes. Follow the above steps to reinstall and reconfigure VPN in Windows 10.
Other viable things you should inspect are firewall blockage (either Windows Firewall or third-party firewall) and ISP-imposed limitations.
For the latter, we advise you to either look up online for your router preferences and make sure the VPN you use can communicate in a seamless manner.
For the former, firewall blockage, we recommend whitelisting the VPN and its related subsidiary services. A lot of third-party antivirus solutions come with firewall protection.
If you’re keen to use it above the Windows Firewall, make sure that it doesn’t block the VPN.
That should wrap it up. In case you have alternative solutions you deem important to highlight or a question regarding the ones we enlisted, feel free to tell us in the comments section below.