T-Mobile and Major League Baseball (MLB) are renewing their partnership. In addition to sponsoring various professional baseball events, the airline Announced today that its subscribers would continue to receive free MLB.TV subscriptions through 2028.
MLB and T-Mobile have offered the deal for the past eight years as part of their T-Mobile Tuesdays promotion, which gives subscribers access to weekly discounts and freebies. MLB.TV lets you stream local and outside broadcasts from across the league, live or on demand. (It’s subject to dreaded regional blackouts, though, so don’t count on it to see nearby equipment.) Plus, for the first time this season, the service allows you to stream minor league games for your favorite major league team. affiliates in the MLB app.
Speaking of minor leagues, the two corporations are partnering on an automated hitting system (ABS), which allows Minor League Baseball (MiLB) players and officials to “review, challenge and analyze calls.” This season, T-Mobile will power the system with a “5G private mobile network” during some minor league games. You may recall that MLB has been experimenting with robotic umpires in the independent Atlantic League since 2019. Last year, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said the league aims to introduce the system to the big leagues by 2024. From one perspective labor, it’s hard not to see this as a first step towards automating the referee’s job, but at least fans can direct their virulence over (perceived) bad calls at a machine rather than a human.
T-Mobile says its baseball association will also include a minor league sponsorship, part of which involves the company donating millions of dollars toward teams and grants for aspiring young sluggers. It also continues to sponsor the All-Star Week Home Run Derby and the batting practice broadcast. Finally, T-Mobile plans to expand its 5G coverage in North American ballparks, envisioning eventual “immersive 5G-connected experiences for fans” and better speeds and in-stadium reception for its subscribers.
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