MLB introduces mobile-phone-only subscription

Major League Baseball has switched up the pricing on its streaming MLB.tv service, and while most of the changes lately have been sending prices upwards (the iOS apps went up in price again this year), these changes are somewhat of a discount. The premium and regular packages have dropped in price by $10 each (which isn't really that big a deal, especially since we're a month into the season already). But more importantly, MLB is now offering a "smartphone-only" streaming service, allowing you to watch live baseball games on your iDevice or other approved smartphones for only $49.99 a year.

That's not a bad deal, especially if you took advantage of that free trial they had going last month. And if your team heats up (though it doesn't look like my Cubs will), you can upgrade to the other packages for the rest of their prices.

Unfortunately, the iPad isn't listed on the mobile phone device plan, so I'd assume that still requires a full subscription (likely since it can be connected to a TV). As before, there may be blackout issues with the app -- if the game is available in your market already, MLB may keep you from watching due to licensing issues.

But if you're on the road a lot and looking for a cheaper way to watch these games on your phone without subscribing to the whole package, the new plan is interesting. And it shows just how much mobile phones mean to the league and its viewers so far.