At 1:05 pm, Monday afternoon, April 4, 2016, Masahiro Tanaka will throw the first pitch of the New York Yankees’  2016 season.

And if you live in the New York area outside of NYC, you probably won’t be able to watch the game on TV.

 

The Yankees and Astros aren’t the only contest that day. YES (Yankees Entertainment Sports Network) and Comcast are currently locked in a carriage dispute. A carriage dispute is a disagreement over the right to “carry” a broadcaster’s signal. Carriage disputes are usually about money (duh), and can end up as drag-out public relations battles.

 

 

Don’t want to be a hostage in a PR battle? Cut the cord.

Online offerings, which sidestep broadcast and cable entirely, give fans (and sports bars) new choices. While the sports streaming offerings haven’t reached the level of a Netflix or Amazon Prime, most major sports now offer a streaming service that will let you watch games live over the Internet.

Roku or Apple TV, Xbox, PlayStation, and Internet-connected Smart TVs give you access to most major sports streaming services. You pay a monthly subscription fee and can watch games live on your computer, smartphone, tablet, or set-top box.

And an HD “rabbit ears” antenna will allow watching basic stations like ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox for free.

So while the Yankee Opening Day Blackout will really ruin Yankee fans’ day, here in Boston, naw, not so much.