At their upfront on Wednesday, TBS and TNT announced that they would be offering free live streaming on their websites this summer. The streaming would be authentication-based (just like WatchESPN or March Madness On Demand), and the MLB package on TBS and NBA package on TNT are reportedly included in the streaming.
Turner has always been at the forefront of live streaming, and their presentation of March Madness On Demand over the last two seasons along with CBS has been superb. But when this was initially announced, I assumed that the MLB and NBA games would be blacked out. With their inclusion, another step has been taken towards avoiding blackouts.
You will now be able to watch national MLB and NBA broadcasts from both ESPN and Turner online, with just Fox lagging behind for MLB. It's a pretty big step forward, and NBC and the NHL are getting left in the dust. You could make the same case for the NFL as well, but that's an empire that won't be brought down any time soon. For all of their faults in the past, the NBA and MLB are actually on the forefront of any potential changes to the cable industry, thanks in large part to the innovation of their providers.
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