By Jim Kimble / Published March 31, 2022
There are a number of ways to watch Tampa Bay Rays games live without a cable TV or satellite package.
Most games are on Bally Sports Sun.
Nationally televised games during the regular season in 2022 are on FOX, ESPN, FS1, TBS and MLB Network. A few post-season games air on ABC.
Table of Contents
- New ways to Watch Padres games for free
- Live Streaming Tampa Bay Rays Games
- Where can I watch Bally Sports Sun?
- Stream Tampa Bay Rays Games on Roku, Fire TV Stick
- Are Tampa Bay Rays Games on YouTube TV?
- Tampa Bay Rays games on ESPN+ in 2022
- How to Watch Rays games free with a TV antenna
- What channel is the Tampa Bay Rays game on tonight?
New ways to Watch Padres games for free
Apple TV+ will stream two live baseball games on Friday nights during the 2022 MLB season. The Friday night doubleheaders on Apple will be free.
NBC’s Peacock is expected to stream games in a new Sunday morning time slot.
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 Tampa Bay Rays games without cable TV for the 2022 season.
Live Streaming Tampa Bay Rays Games
The Tampa Bay Rays broadcast most of their games on Bally Sports Sun. The regional sports channel has exclusive rights to in-market Tampa Bay Rays games.
Bally Sports Sun is only carried by one streaming service, DIRECTV STREAM.
Where can I watch Bally Sports Sun?
Bally Sports Sun is available to pay-TV subscribers in two states. Florida and southern Alabama are within the home broadcast area.
Stream Tampa Bay Rays Games on Roku, Fire TV Stick
Watching live Tampa Bay Rays 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 Sun and the channels that carry national broadcast Tampa Bay Rays games
- An Internet connection
- 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
DIRECTV STREAM has every channel needed to watch Tampa Bay Rays games in 2022.
A subscription costs $89.99 per month for 90+ channels. Bally Sports Sun, 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.
Streaming Tampa Bay Rays on ESPN and cable channels
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.
Rays games on MLB.tv
The MLB also has MLB.tv which live streams all out-of-market games for every team.
Tampa Bay Rays 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 Tampa Bay Rays 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.
Rays games on Apple TV+ and Peacock
Apple TV+ is delivering a weekly Friday night doubleheader during the 2022 MLB season.
The first leg of doubleheader MLB games will be free to anyone with internet access, according to Apple. The company released its schedule of games that begin on April 8.
Apple TV+ works on most major streaming devices including Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Google Chromecast with Google TV. Smart TVs from Samsung, LG, Sony, Vizio, Panasonic and Hisense are also supported.
Peacock is expected to start streaming Sunday morning MLB games.
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 also 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.
Are Tampa Bay Rays Games on YouTube TV?
No, YouTube TV does not carry Bally Sports Sun.
YouTube TV does have channels for nationally televised games. Hulu + Live TV and Sling TV carries channels for nationally televised Tampa Bay Rays games as well.
Tampa Bay Rays games on ESPN+ in 2022
ESPN+ is once again streaming two MLB games per day that are part of the national broadcast schedule. Out-of-market games are still governed by local blackout restrictions. But you already knew that.
In other words, you will need your local regional sports channel to watch home games. A subscription to ESPN+ costs $6.99 per month, and you can check the upcoming lineup of MLB games.
How to Watch Rays games free with a TV antenna
A TV antenna is the best way to watch Tampa Bay Rays 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 Choose the Best TV Antenna and OTA DVR
- How to Connect Multiple TVs to One Antenna
- Review: The Best Indoor TV Antennas
- Review: The Best Outdoor TV Antennas
What channel is the Tampa Bay Rays game on tonight?
Tampa Bay Rays games are typically on Bally Sports Sun. The schedule below breaks down what channel or streaming service has national broadcast games for the 2022 MLB season.
| DAY | RAYS MLB NATIONAL BROADCAST |
|---|---|
| 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 |
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