How to Watch Pittsburgh Pirates Games Live

By Jim Kimble / Published March 30, 2023

There are a few ways to watch Pittsburgh Pirates games live  without a cable TV or satellite package.

Most games are on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh. 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 Pittsburgh Pirates Games

The Pittsburgh Pirates broadcast most of their games on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh. The regional sports channel has exclusive rights to in-market Pittsburgh Pirates games. 

AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh is carried by DIRECTV STREAM and fuboTV.

Apple TV+ will stream two live baseball games on Friday nights during the 2023 MLB season. NBC’s Peacock is streaming games on Sunday morning. (Schedule below.)

Keep in mind that streaming MLB games isn’t your only option. Cord-cutters can watch some national broadcast games for free using a TV antenna.

I started streaming MLB games in 2016 back when PlayStation Vue began carrying NESN in its channel lineup. This guide aims to give you a comprehensive look at how to watch Pirates games without cable TV for the 2023 season. 

If you’re trying to narrow your focus to a specific cable TV network, no worries. You can read my guides on how to watch ABC, FOX, ESPN, FS1, TBS and MLB Network without cable.

Where can I watch AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh?

AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh is available to pay-tv subscribers in seven states.

Ohio, and parts of Indiana, Kentucky, northwestern Pennsylvania, eastern Tennessee, West Virginia, and the southwestern edge of New York are within the home broadcast area.

Streaming ServiceAT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh# of channels
DIRECTV STREAMYes105
fuboTVYes152
Hulu Live TVNo75
Sling TVNo31-41
YouTube TVNo128

The network also operates regional feeds for Cleveland and Cincinnati markets. The regional Cincinnati feed is also called Bally Sports Cincinnati in some TV listings and program guides. 

How to Stream Pittsburgh Pirates Games

Watching live Pittsburgh Pirates games without cable TV is pretty simple. You just need a few things to start streaming MLB games on your TV. 

  1. A streaming service that carries AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh and the channels that carry national broadcast Pittsburgh Pirates games
  2. An Internet connection
  3. 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, Google Chromecast with Google TV. 

These apps are also available on Smart TVs, iPhones, iPads  and Android smartphones. You can watch live TV on a PC through a web browser.

DIRECTV STREAM

watch-pittsburgh-pirates-without-cable
(Photo illustration: Jim Kimble / The Cord Cutting Report)

DIRECTV STREAM has every channel needed to watch Pittsburgh Pirates games in 2022. 

A subscription costs $99.99 per month for more than 105 channels. AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, ESPN, MLB Network, FS1, and local channels such as ABC and FOX are included in the Choice lineup. 

Subscribers can get three months of HBO Max, Showtime, Cinemax and EPIX 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 152 live TV channels similar to a cable TV package. 

ESPN, HGTV, MSNBC, Golf Channel and Hallmark channels are part of the Pro plan. You will have local ABC, CBS, NBC, and FOX stations. 

fubo is the only live TV service that offers select sporting events and entertainment in 4K resolution for Elite and Premier subscribers.

There’s an on-demand library of movies and TV shows. fubo includes 1,000 hours of Cloud DVR. You can catch up on sporting events that aired in the last 72 hours by using fubo’s “look back” feature. 

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 works on Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Fire Stick, Chromecast, Apple TV and Android TV devices. You can also watch live TV on a PC or use a mobile app on iPhone and Android smartphones. 

You won’t have TBS, but that probably won’t matter to Pirates fans too much. There was only one Pirates game on TBS in 2020, and it was simulcast on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh. 

You can get a 7-day free trial. There are no contracts or obligations.

MLB.tv

The MLB also has MLB.tv which live streams all out-of-market games for every team.  

Pittsburgh Pirates 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 Pittsburgh Pirates 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. 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.

Are Pittsburgh Pirates games Apple TV+?

The Pittsburgh Pirates will play three regular season MLB games scheduled to stream live on Apple TV+. Here is a schedule of when the Pirates will be on Apple TV+.

DATETIME (ET)GAME
April 72:20 p.m.Rangers at Cubs
April 77:20 p.m.Padres at Braves
April 146:40 p.m.Giants at Tigers
April 147:10 p.m.Angels at Red Sox
April 217:05 p.m.Blue Jays at Yankees
April 217:20 p.m.Astros at Braves
April 288:10 p.m.Phillies at Astros
April 2810:10 p.m.Cardinals at Dodgers
May 56:40 p.m.White Sox at Reds
May 57:10 p.m.Twins at Guardians
May 128:10 p.m.Royals at Brewers
May 128:10 p.m.Cubs at Twins
May 197:07 p.m.Orioles at Blue Jays
May 197:20 p.m.Mariners at Braves
May 267:05 p.m.Padres at Yankees
May 267:10 p.m.White Sox at Tigers
June 25:10 p.m.Brewers at Reds
June 28:10 p.m.Guardians at Twins
June 97:05 p.m.Royals at Orioles
June 99:38 p.m.Mariners at Angels
June 168:10 p.m.Pirates at Brewers
June 1610:10 p.m.White Sox at Mariners
June 236:40 p.m.Pirates at Marlins
June 237:05 p.m.Mets at Phillies
June 237:05 p.m.Brewers at Pirates
June 309:38 p.m.Diamondbacks at Angels

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.

Are Pittsburgh Pirates games on Peacock?

The Pittsburgh Pirates are scheduled to play two regular season MLB games in 2023 that will stream live on Peacock. Here is a schedule of when the Pirates will appear on Peacock.

DATETIME (ET)GAME
April 2312:05 p.m.Colorado Rockies at Philadelphia Phillies
April 3012:05 p.m.Chicago Cubs at Miami Marlins
May 711:35 a.m.Baltimore Orioles at Atlanta Braves
May 1411:35 a.m.Los Angeles Angels at Cleveland Guardians
May 2111:35 a.m.New York Yankees at Cincinnati Reds
May 2811:35 a.m.Los Angeles Dodgers at Tampa Bay Rays
June 411:35 a.m.St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates
June 1111:35 a.m.Arizona Diamondbacks at Detroit Tigers
June 181:05 p.m.Baltimore Orioles at Chicago Cubs
July 212:05 p.m.Minnesota Twins at Baltimore Orioles
July 912:05 p.m.Texas Rangers at Washington Nationals
July 1612:05 p.m.San Francisco Giants at Pittsburgh Pirates
July 2312:05 p.m.San Diego Padres at Detroit Tigers
July 3012:05 p.m.Los Angeles Angels at Toronto Blue Jays
August 612:05 p.m.Chicago White Sox at Cleveland Guardians
August 1312:05 p.m.Detroit Tigers at Boston Red Sox
August 201:05 p.m.Seattle Mariners at Houston Astros
August 2712:05 p.m.Los Angeles Angels at New York Mets
September 31:05 p.m.Philadelphia Phillies at Milwaukee Brewers

ESPN+

Yes. ESPN+ is once again streaming one MLB game per day that is part of the national broadcast schedule.

Out-of-market games are still governed by local blackout restrictions.

You can look over the MLB ESPN+ schedule for regular season games. 

ESPN+ is showing upcoming MLB streaming on its service. (Photo credit: Jim Kimble / The Cord Cutting Report)

Replays are made available after a live game streams on ESPN+.

You will still need your local regional sports channel to watch home games.

A subscription to ESPN+ costs $9.99 per month, and you can check the upcoming lineup of MLB games.

How to Watch Pirates games free with a TV antenna

A TV antenna is the best way to watch Pittsburgh Pirates games that are carried on ABC and FOX for free. 

If you have a TV antenna handy, but haven’t used it in a while, plug it into your television’s coax port and scan for channels. FOX broadcasts games 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 watch Pittsburgh Pirates FAQ

These are questions that Pirates fan ask when researching ways to stream or watch Pirates games without a pay TV provider.

Are Pittsburgh Pirates Games on YouTube TV?

No, YouTube TV does not carry AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh. 

YouTube TV does have 128 live TV channels, including key sports networks for nationally televised games. A subscription costs $72.99 per month. Subscribers get unlimited Cloud DVR.

Can I watch the Pittsburgh Pirates on Hulu?

Hulu Live TV has ESPN, FS1, TBS and local FOX channels that carry national broadcast games for the Pittsburgh Pirates. But Hulu’s live TV plan does not carry AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, which has home games for the San Diego Padres. A subscription includes 75 live TV channels, and unlimited Cloud DVR for $69.99 per month. 

Can I watch Pirates games on Sling TV?

Sling Orange subscribers can watch the Pirates 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 Pirates when games are on local FOX stations: 

  1. Atlanta
  2. Austin
  3. Chicago
  4. Dallas/Fort Worth
  5. Detroit
  6. Gainesville
  7. Houston
  8. Los Angeles
  9. Milwaukee
  10. Minneapolis/St. Paul
  11. New York
  12. Orlando/Daytona/Melbourne
  13. Philadelphia
  14. Phoenix
  15. San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose
  16. Seattle
  17. Tampa/St. Petersburg
  18. Washington, DC

How can I watch the Pittsburgh Pirates without cable?

If you want to watch the Pittsburgh Pirates AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh without cable in 2023, you have a couple of options. 

DIRECTV STREAM has 105 live TV channels, including local networks, ESPN, TNT and TBS for $99.99 per month. Subscribers can watch on unlimited screens and Cloud DVR space. You can look over the channel lineup, or sign up for a 5-day free trial.

fubo has 152 live TV channels in the Pro bundle. Fubo has popular sports channels such as ESPN and NFL Network, along with entertainment, news and regional sports networks. A subscription is $74.99 per month along with a regional sports fee. You can sign up for a 7-day free trial.

What channel is the Pittsburgh Pirates game on tonight?

Pittsburgh Pirates games are typically on AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh. The schedule below breaks down what channel or streaming service has national broadcast games for the 2022 MLB season.

DAYPIRATES MLB NATIONAL BROADCAST
Sunday morningPeacock
Sunday afternoonTBS
Sunday nightESPN or ESPN2
Monday nightESPN or FS1
Tuesday nightTBS
Wednesday NightESPN, FS1, MLB Network
Thursday NightESPN, FOX and MLB Network
Friday NightApple TV+
Saturday AfternoonFOX
Saturday NightFOX, 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 published on April 8, 2022, and has been updated.

Jim is a seasoned industry expert with over two decades of journalism experience. He has been at the forefront of the cord-cutting movement since 2016, testing and writing about TV-related products and services. He founded The Cord Cutting Report in 2016, and serves as the editor.

Major publications, including MarketWatch, Forbes, and South Florida Sun Sentinel, have interviewed Kimble for his years of expertise. He gives advice on the complexities consumers are navigating with streaming options, and over-the-air TV. Kimble has been a staff writer or correspondent for several award-winning, daily newspapers, including The Boston Globe.