What's Up With MLB.TV, And How Can It Be Fixed?

MLB's online offering has long been the technological leader among U.S. major sports. That's no surprise given the size and financial power of MLB Advanced Media, but repeated issues with the service across devices this season have made MLB.TV look more like NBA League Pass.

We've spoken with an MLB representative and they're aware of the problems and assure us they are working on a fix. The problem, we're told, is with a "third party software supplier" that is almost certainly Adobe, whose flash streaming API has apparently changed since the end of last season and has created all manner of problems for MLBAM. Even worse, Microsoft changed its tune about the manner in which MLB programmed its Xbox 360 app, forcing a last-minute rewrite using a completely different development platform than was available in the past.

That, too, is being worked on. But in the meantime, some of the most popular features missing from the web-based player can be recovered with an easy URL change. Assuming you already have the MLB.tv to open using last year's player—which features functioning line-score and batter-by-batter access, along with the always-popular radio call overlay:

http://mlb.mlb.com/mediacenter/in…

Of course, that won't work if the whole system is down, which has been its own problem off and on for the past few days. We'll provide updates as MLB provides them to us, and we acknowledge they have been uncharacteristically open and straightforward with us about the problems with the system that have emerged this season.

An individual who spent several years working for MLBAM reports several former MLB.tv employees are now working in the organization's new umpire's replay review wing, which may explain a lack of resources for fixing the online streaming issue.