If you want to watch the San Francisco Giants games online, you need a streaming service that supports these six channels: FOX, ESPN, ESPN2, the MLB Network, TBS, FS1 and NBC Sports Bay Area.
With so many channels to cover, picking a streaming service can get complicated. Some streaming services carry more of these channels than others. Other factors to consider include subscription prices and feature availability.
Keep reading to learn everything you need to know about how to stream San Francisco Giants baseball games via the internet.
Sling TV
Sling TV is a low-priced TV replacer that shines when it comes to customization. The two base subscriptions only cost $25 and if you get both, you get 50+ channels for $40. After you get one or both base plans, you can add additional channels by purchasing channel packs.
Channels and pricing
Sling TV’s Orange plan has most of the channels you need (TBS, ESPN and ESPN2) to watch Giants baseball games– and your Sling TV credentials will give you the ability to unlock the NBC Bay Area TV app, as well. However, if you want FS1, you’ll have to purchase Sling Blue. You may also be able to get FOX if Sling TV has made a deal with your local FOX affiliate, so be sure to check the Sling TV website to find out for sure before you sign up. The only Giants games you’ll miss are those on the MLB Network.
* You get 1 stream for Sling Orange channels and up to 3 simultaneous streams for Sling Blue channels.
Sling Orange
Free Roku Deal
$25.00/ month
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Sling Blue
Free Roku Deal$25.00/ month
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Sling Orange + Blue
Free Roku Deal
$40.00/ month
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Features
Sling TV has more feature restrictions than most other streaming services. For example, you have to pay $5 extra to unlock Sling TV’s cloud DVR. Even then, you won’t be able to record ESPN, ESPN2 or any other Disney-owned channel.
On the other hand, Sling TV does have good support for TV Everywhere apps. Sling TV credentials can unlock content on a wide variety of cable TV sites and apps, including beIN SPORTS CONNECT, Bravo Airplay, CNBC Airplay, E! Now, FOX NOW, FX NOW, NatGeoTV, NFL Network, Olympic Channel, SYFY, the ESPN app and many more.
Sling TV’s TV device support is strong as well. There is a Sling TV app for just about every TV device except PlayStation.
- Living room devices: Azulle Mini PC Sticks, Air TV Player, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast, Roku and Xaomi Mi TV.
- Smart TVs and Blu-ray players: Models based on Android TV, Amazon Fire TV and Roku. Also, certain models from LG and Samsung.
- Mobile devices and tablets: Amazon Fire tablets, Android and iOS.
- Game consoles: Xbox One.
- Desktop browsers: Chrome.
fuboTV
Unlike most streaming services, fuboTV is an independent startup. Most of its competitors– which include the likes of Sony, AT&T and Google– are large corporations. This may be one reason why fuboTV has decided to specialize instead of appealing to a broad audience.
fuboTV carries many hard-to-find sports channels that most other streaming services don’t carry. However, you won’t find any ESPN channels on fuboTV. Another downside: fuboTV doesn’t carry the MLB Network, either.
One of fuboTV’s best features is high definition streaming. From its 2015 inception, fuboTV has been a leader when it comes to this category. fuboTV was one of the first streaming services to begin offering 1080p and 720p streams. A 4K stream beta program is now in the works.
Channels and pricing
Because fuboTV has managed to sign deals with most local FOX broadcast stations, there’s a strong possibility that you may be able to watch all the San Francisco Giants games that air on FOX without having to rely on a TV antenna. You’ll miss out when games air on ESPN, ESPN2 or the MLB Network, though. fuboTV credentials unlock the NBC Sports Bay Area app.
Features
As mentioned above, fuboTV tends to be on the cutting edge when it comes to delivering high-quality streams. Some of its sports channels broadcast in 720p and 1080p and 4K channels are on the way.
Like Sling TV, fuboTV has excellent support for TV Everywhere and apps for most TV devices. However, its two-stream-at-a-time account sharing limit is a bit stingy.
- Living room devices: Android TV, Apple TV, Apple TV, Chromecast and Roku.
- Smart TVs and Blu-ray players: Devices based on Fire TV, Roku and Android TV.
- Mobile devices and tablets: Android and iOS.
- Game consoles: None.
- Desktop browsers: fuboTV recommends Chrome.
Related: FuboTV Review for 2018 – Sports With A Side Of Basic Cable Channels
Hulu with Live TV
Hulu with Live TV is yet another way to watch the San Francisco Giants and other MLB teams face off. One of the main attractions here is that Hulu with Live TV subscribers get full access to Hulu’s on-demand video catalog.
Channels and pricing
Prices start at $45 and increase from there depending on what features you want. All subscribers get ESPN, ESPN2, Fox, FS1 and TBS. MLB Network is not on the menu, but you can unlock the NBC Sports Bay Area app with your Hulu login and password.
Features
Hulu with Live TV has some excellent features, but you’ll have to pay extra if you want to unlock their full potential. There’s an Unlimited Streams option that gives you the ability to stream to as many devices as you want within your home network, but it costs $15 extra per month. Hulu with Live TV’s free DVR is limited to 50 hours unless you pay $15 more to upgrade to 200 hours.
Hulu with Live TV is available on most TV devices except PlayStation.
- Living room devices: Apple TV, Chromecast, Apple TV.
- Smart TVs and Blu-ray players: Samsung and LG smart TVs.
- Mobile devices and tablets: iOS and Android.
- Game consoles: Xbox One, Xbox 360, Nintendo Switch.
- Desktop browsers: Chrome, Edge, Safari 10+, or Firefox 15+.
DirecTV Now
With features like cloud DVR recording and a large selection of channels to choose from, AT&T’s newly revamped DirecTV Now has a lot to offer cord-cutters.
Channels and pricing
DirecTV Now’s $55/month “Just Right” plan has TBS, ESPN, ESPN2, MLB Network and FS1. In addition, DirecTV Now carries most local FOX affiliates. Those are all the channels you need to catch every game. Also, your credentials will unlock the NBC Sports Bay Area app.
Features
New “Direct TV Now 2.0” features like a free 20-hour cloud DVR and an option to buy a third simultaneous stream for $5 more per month have increased this streaming service’s appeal. Another benefit: your DirecTV Now credentials will unlock the MLB Network live stream when you use the MLB’s At Bat app.
DirecTV Now has apps for most TV devices:
- Living room devices: Apple TV, Apple TV, Roku.
- Smart TVs and Blu-ray players: Televisions based on Fire TV and Roku.
- Mobile devices and tablets: Android and iOS.
- Game consoles: None.
- Desktop browsers: Chrome and Safari.
PlayStation Vue
If you’ve never heard of PlayStation Vue before, you might assume that it’s only available on PlayStation Vue consoles. That was true when it first came out, but not anymore. PlayStation Vue is now accessible via web browsers and most TV devices.
Channels and pricing
PlayStation Vue’s $50 Core plan has the full lineup of cable channels that carry MLB games: TBS, ESPN, ESPN2, MLB Network and FS1. In addition, PlayStation Vue credentials unlock NBC Sports Bay Area. Most people will be able to watch their local FOX affiliate as well– but be sure to check the website to find out for sure before you sign up.
- Access: 45+ channels for $45 per month.
- Core: 70+ channels for $50 per month.
- Elite: 94 channels for $60 per month.
- Ultra: 96 channels, including HBO and Showtime, for $80 per month.
Features
PlayStation Vue’s most notable feature is its generous account sharing policy. The default simultaneous stream limit is five devices. That’s more than enough flexibility to accommodate most families. Xbox is one of the only TV platforms that doesn’t have a PlayStation Vue app.
- Living room devices: Apple TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast and Roku.
- Smart TVs and Blu-ray players: Televisions based on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV and Roku.
- Mobile devices and tablets: Android, Amazon Fire Tablets and iOS.
- Game consoles: PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4.
- Desktop browsers: Chrome, Firefox, Safari and Microsoft Edge.
YouTube TV
YouTube TV makes up for its lack of support for premium channels with above average features and excellent local broadcast station coverage.
Channels and packages
YouTube TV’s base subscription ($40) has all six of the channels that broadcast MLB games. Like the other streaming services mentioned above, YouTube TV unlocks the NBC Sports Bay Area app.
Features and extras
Unlimited cloud DVR recording is one of YouTube TV’s biggest draws. However, fans of Amazon’s family of TV devices may want to go with a different streaming service. After Google refused to help make Amazon Prime Video compatible with Chromecast, Amazon retaliated by pulling the YouTube TV app from its app store.
- Living room devices: Android TV, Apple TV, Chromecast and Roku.
- Smart TVs and Blu-ray players: Certain models from HiSense, LG, Samsung and Sharp as well as televisions based on Android TV and Roku.
- Mobile devices and tablets: Android and iOS.
- Game consoles: Xbox One.
- Desktop browsers: Chrome.
MLB.TV
If you don’t usually watch TV and all you want to do is make sure you can still catch San Francisco Giants games after you cut the cord, you may want to consider subscribing to MLB.TV. A single-team subscription to the service only costs $92 and gives you complete access to all regular season games.
Plans and coverage
As mentioned above, a single-team subscription to MLB.TV costs $92. If you want access to all the regular season games, you can upgrade to the $119 All Teams plan. If you don’t want to pay the full All Teams price up front, you can opt to pay $25 per month instead.
Blackout rules
One of the biggest downsides of the MLB.TV app is its restrictive blackout policy. Your geographic location determines which games you can watch.
One Des Moines-based MLB.TV subscriber recently complained that MLB.TV’s blackout policy prevented him from being able to watch six different teams. Additional restrictions will prevent you from watching pivotal games that affect the playoffs and some of the weekend games that ESPN broadcasts. Be sure to enter your zip code into the MLB.TV website and find out which games you can’t and can access before you join.
Features
MLB.TV is one of the few streaming services that are available on both Xbox and PlayStation consoles. TV devices from Apple, Amazon, Roku, Android and others also have MLB.TV apps.
- Living room devices: MLB.TV app for Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV Sticks and Roku.
- Smart TVs and Blu-ray players: MLB.TV app for certain Samsung televisions and devices based on certain versions of Amazon Fire TV, Android TV or Roku.
- Mobile devices and tablets: At Bat app for Amazon Fire tablets, Android and iOS.
- Game consoles: MLB.TV app for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.
- Desktop browsers: Most browsers.
One of MLB.TV’s most notable features is 60 frames-per-second video. Newer iPhones and iPads support the 60 FPS streams, as do most other TV devices. You can also watch several games at once using Multi-View or get a quick recap of a game’s major plays by using Catch-Up.
What’s the best way to watch San Francisco Giants baseball online?
The answer depends as much on your TV viewing preferences as it does your level of Giants fanaticism. If saving money is your priority and you just want access to most of the games, Sling TV’s Orange plan makes a lot of sense. DirecTV Now, PlayStation Vue and YouTube TV offer complete MLB coverage, but their plans are a bit more expensive. MLB.TV is an excellent choice for watching replays, but its blackout restrictions may prove to be too frustrating for some.
