By Jim Kimble / Updated March 29, 2023
There are a number of ways to watch Cleveland Guardians games live without a cable TV or satellite package during the 2023 season.
But watching home games requires a subscription to a live TV streaming service that carries Bally Sports Great Lakes.
Nationally televised games during the regular season in 2023 are on FOX, ESPN, FS1, TBS and MLB Network. A few post-season games air on ABC.
How to watch Cleveland Guardians Games Live
The Cleveland Guardians air their home games on Bally Sports Great Lakes. The regional sports network (formerly known as SportsTime Ohio) has exclusive rights to in-market Cleveland Guardians games.
Bally Sports Great Lakes is currently on two live TV streaming services, DIRECTV STREAM and fubo. DIRECTV STREAM has a 5-day free trial. Fubo has a 7-day free trial.
You can watch every home game this season on DIRECTV STREAM and fubo if you live in the home market of Bally Sports Great Lakes. National broadcast games are on ESPN, FOX, FS1, and TNT.
Bally Sports Great Lakes is available to pay-tv subscribers in Cleveland, Northern Ohio, Central Ohio, Northwestern Pennsylvania, and Southwest New York.
| STREAMING SERVICE | Bally Sports Great Lakes | ESPN/FOX/FS1/TBS |
|---|---|---|
| DIRECTV STREAM | Yes | Yes |
| fubo | Yes | No TBS |
| Hulu Live TV | No | Yes |
| Sling TV | No | Yes |
| YouTube TV | No | Yes |
Apple TV+ is streaming two live baseball games on Friday nights during the 2023 Major League Baseball season. The Friday night games are part of the National Broadcast schedule.
NBC’s Peacock is streaming exclusive Sunday morning games.
You can watch these games on any Smart TV or streaming device that supports the two apps. This marks the second year in a row for Apple and Peacock streaming MLB games.
Cord-cutters can watch some national broadcast games for free using a TV antenna.
How to Stream Cleveland Guardians Games
Watching live Cleveland Guardians games without cable TV is pretty simple. You just need a few things to start streaming MLB games on your TV.
- A streaming service that carries Bally Sports Great Lakes and the channels that carry national broadcast games
- A Smart TV or streaming device such as a Roku connected to your TV
You can watch live TV channels through the app of streaming services such as DIRECTV STREAM. Live TV streaming services have apps for Roku, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Apple TV, Chromecast with Google TV.
These apps are available on Smart TVs, iPhones/iPads (iOS), and Android smartphones. You can watch live TV on a PC through a web browser. Gamers can watch on Xbox and Playstation game consoles.
DIRECTV STREAM
DIRECTV STREAM (formerly AT&T TV) includes ESPN, FOX and FS1 in its Entertainment plan for $69.99 per month.
But to watch Cleveland Guardians games at home, you will want a subscription to the Choice package because it carries Bally Sports Great Lakes. The Choice plan costs $99.99 per month for 105 channels.
TNT, MLB Network, USA Network and local channels such as NBC and CBS are included in the Choice lineup.
Subscribers can get three months of HBO Max, Showtime, and Cinemax for free before the monthly rates kick in. You can watch live TV on up to 20 screens at once.
You can sign up for a free 5-day trial without any obligations.
Every plan includes unlimited Cloud DVR and a robust library of on-demand movies and shows. There are no contracts. There are no additional regional sports fees.
You can subscribe month to month and cancel whenever you want.
DIRECTV STREAM works on Roku, Android TV, Fire TV devices, Apple TV and smartphones and tablets. You can look over the different channel lineups before making any decisions.
fubo
Fubo (formerly fuboTV) has more than 152 channels in its Pro plan, including Bally Sports Great Lakes. This option was not available to Guardians fans last season.
The Pro plan has a large roster of regional networks and national sports channels for MLB and NBA fans. Bally Sports, AT&T SportsNet and NESN are available to in-market subscribers.
Pro plan subscribers get ESPN Networks, FS1, FOX, NBA TV, NFL Network, ACC Network and Big Ten Network.
A subscription costs $74.99 per month. You can watch TV or on-demand content on 10 screens at once. fubo adds a regional sports fee. It costs $10.99 per month for one regional network. It’s $13.99 per month if you have two RSNs in your area.
You should look over the channel lineup for your area before signing up.
fubo has entertainment channels, including Discovery, Paramount Network, USA Network and Hallmark Channel. Subscribers get 1,000 hours of Cloud DVR for recordings, so you can watch replays of games whenever you like.
Elite and Premier subscribers can watch some games on FS1 and FOX in upscaled 4K. There’s a huge on-demand library of movies and TV shows for when you don’t need live TV.
fubo works on Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV (tvOS) and Android TV. Samsung Smart TVs, Vizio SmartCast TVs, Hisense, and TVs running Google TV or Android TV are supported. Gamers can watch fubo on Xbox game consoles.
You can get a 7-day free trial. There are no contracts or obligations.
MLB.tv (Out-of-Market)
MLB.tv live streams all out-of-market games for every team.
Cleveland Guardians games are blacked out for fans living in the team’s home broadcast region. The service allows subscribers who live in an out-of-market area to watch games.
A subscription to MLB.tv costs $24.99 per month.
Amazon Prime members can get a free 7-day trial of MLB.tv through Amazon Channels. You can also add MLB.TV to your fubo subscription. The regular rate kicks in once the trial ends.
Apple TV+
Apple TV+ is delivering two weekly Friday night games during the 2023 MLB season.
Apple TV+ subscribers can watch MLB games along with a number of original movies and TV shows. A subscription costs $6.99 per month after a free 7-day trial.
Apple TV+ works on most major streaming devices, including Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast with Google TV. Smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, Vizio, Panasonic and Hisense are also supported.
Peacock
Peacock begins streaming Sunday morning MLB games on April 23.
Games will be available on the Premium plan. Peacock Premium costs $4.99 per month. There is a free 7-day trial for Peacock Premium.
Peacock works on Amazon Fire TV, Apple TV and Roku. The service has apps for a wide variety of Android TV-enabled Smart TVs, including Sony. Smart TVs by LG, Samsung, Vizio and Hisense are supported as well.
You can sign up for a free 7-day trial for Peacock Premium.
ESPN+
ESPN+ is streaming one live MLB game per day that is part of the national broadcast schedule.
Out-of-market games are still governed by local blackout restrictions. You will need your local regional sports channel to watch home games.
Replays are made available after a live game streams on ESPN+. A subscription to ESPN+ costs $9.99 per month, and you can bundle ESPN+ with Hulu and Disney+.
How to Watch Guardians games free with a TV antenna
A TV antenna is the best way to watch Cleveland Guardians games that are carried on ABC and FOX for free.
Guardians fans can watch FOX broadcasts throughout the regular season. ABC becomes a key channel for post-season games. If you are new to TV antennas, here is a list of resources that I have written to get you started.
- How to Choose the Best TV Antenna
- How to Connect Multiple TVs to One Antenna
- Review: The Best Indoor TV Antennas
- Review: The Best Outdoor TV Antennas
How to Watch Cleveland Guardians FAQ
These are questions readers ask when searching for ways to watch or stream Cleveland Guardians games without a pay TV provider.
How can I watch the Cleveland Guardians game today?
You have two choices to watch Guardians games live when they play at home. DIRECTV STREAM and fubo carry MLB games that air on Bally Sports Great Lakes.
- DIRECTV STREAM’s Choice plan has 105 channels, including ESPN, FOX, FS1, and TBS. There is a 5-day free trial, and plans run month to month.
- fubo has 152 channels in the Pro plan, including ESPN, FS1 and local FOX stations. There is a regional sports fee. fubo has a free 7-day trial and plans run month to month.
Can I watch the Cleveland Guardians on YouTube TV?
YouTube TV does not carry Bally Sports Great Lakes. But YouTube TV does have local FOX stations, FS1, ESPN and TBS. Those channels broadcast nationally televised games. A subscription costs $72.99 per month, includes unlimited Cloud DVR and a free trial that lasts 7 days.
Can I watch the Cleveland Guardians on Hulu?
Hulu Live TV has ESPN, FS1, TBS and local FOX channels that carry national broadcast games. But Hulu’s live TV plan does not carry Bally Sports Great Lakes, which has home games for the Cleveland Guardians. A subscription includes 75 live TV channels, and unlimited Cloud DVR for $69.99 per month.
Are Cleveland Guardians games on Bally Sports Plus?
Bally Sports+ is a new streaming service that offers some key regional sports networks for NBA, NHL and MLB fans. At the moment, Bally Sports+ does not have the rights to stream Guardians games.
According to ballysports.com, the service currently has rights to stream games from the Detroit Tigers, Kansas City Royals, Miami Marlins, Milwaukee Brewers and Tampa Bay Rays.
Bally Sports+ costs $19.99 per month, or $189.99 per year following a 7-day free trial. MLB fans will live games, highlights and on-demand programming.
How can I watch Guardians games without Bally Sports?
Even without Bally Sports Great Lakes, you can watch Cleveland Guardians games on ESPN, FS1, FOX, and TBS. Apple TV+ and Peacock will also stream national broadcast games.
Can I watch Guardians games on Sling TV?
Sling Orange subscribers can watch the Guardians when games are on ESPN and TBS. FS1 is on the Sling Blue plan. Sling TV does not carry any regional sports networks.
Local FOX stations are in a limited number of markets. If you live in or around one of these cities, then you should be able to watch the Braves when games are on local FOX stations:
- Atlanta
- Austin
- Chicago
- Dallas/Fort Worth
- Detroit
- Gainesville
- Houston
- Los Angeles
- Milwaukee
- Minneapolis/St. Paul
- New York
- Orlando/Daytona/Melbourne
- Philadelphia
- Phoenix
- San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose
- Seattle
- Tampa/St. Petersburg
- Washington, DC
What channel is the Cleveland Guardians game on tonight?
Cleveland Guardians games are typically on Bally Sports Great Lakes. The schedule below breaks down what channel or streaming service has national broadcast games for the 2023 MLB season.
| DAY | Guardians MLB NATIONAL BROADCAST SCHEDULE |
|---|---|
| Sunday morning | Peacock |
| Sunday afternoon | TBS |
| Sunday night | ESPN or ESPN2 |
| Monday night | ESPN or FS1 |
| Tuesday night | TBS |
| Wednesday Night | ESPN, FS1, MLB Network |
| Thursday Night | ESPN, FOX and MLB Network |
| Friday Night | Apple TV+ |
| Saturday Afternoon | FOX |
| Saturday Night | FOX, FS1 |
For more news on streaming, how-to guides and reviews, head over to the main page of The Cord Cutting Report or follow the CCR on Google News.
Note: This article was originally published on April 7, 2022. It has been updated to reflect new streaming options, prices and updated schedules.
Founder and Editor of The Cord Cutting Report. Before launching the site in 2016, he worked for more than two decades as a staff writer or correspondent for a number of daily newspapers, including The Boston Globe. His enthusiasm for tech began with the Atari 2600. Follow @james_kimble
