Professional baseball began in 2018.
Every year around this time, I think to myself, "I wish I could watch all of my favorite team's games on TV..."
Of course, if you subscribe to SkyPerfecTV, you can watch all the matches,4,000 yen per monthThat's a bit expensive.
So, I decided to try out DAZN, which started streaming games from almost all baseball teams this year, as they were offering a one-month free trial (after which it costs 1,750 yen per month).
It was so easy and convenient that I thought I'd share it.
At the same time, since you'll probably want to watch it on your TV, I'll also introduce the "Fire TV Stick."
Things you'll need/prepare
First, here's what you need to watch professional baseball broadcasts:
・Viewing devices such as PCs, smartphones, and tablets
• Credit card
That's all.
And here's what you need to watch professional baseball games on TV:
・Wi-Fi environment
・Fire TV Stick (¥4,980 at Amazon)
TV with an HDMI port
That's all.
If you're reading this article, you probably already own a device, so all you need to do is buy a "Fire TV Stick."
As for TVs, most have HDMI ports, so I think it should be fine.
Register with DAZN
Signing up for DAZN is very easy.
Visit the website and register your email address and credit card number.
After that, simply install the app to watch the matches and select the game you want to see.
Since you can watch it with just this, even those who want to watch the match right now can do so by registering in just a few minutes.
However, since watching will naturally consume a lot of data, we recommend watching it in a Wi-Fi environment.
I wrote that you can watch "almost" all professional baseball games.
It seems that some games hosted by the Yomiuri Giants and some games hosted by the Chunichi Dragons will not be available for viewing.
Also, it seems that the Hiroshima Carp games will not be live-streamed within Hiroshima Prefecture.
It seems the Giants have a contract to broadcast all their games on NTV G+, so there's nothing we can do about it.
However, Giants games are often broadcast on terrestrial television, so perhaps it's not something to worry about too much.
In summary, this means you can watch almost all games except for those hosted by the Giants.
For games hosted by the Yomiuri Giants, mainly held at Tokyo Dome, you'll need to find alternative ways to watch them besides DAZN.
Make it possible to watch on your TV using "Fire TV Stick"
If you're going to watch baseball, you'd rather watch it on a big TV screen than on a smartphone or tablet.
I had no idea, but it seems there are now simple and inexpensive devices that can turn a TV into a tablet.
What I bought was a "Fire TV Stick".
見た目はHDMI端子に差し込むUSBメモリのような見た目です。
しかし8Gのストレージやプロセッサが内蔵されているので、To give an analogy, it's like a "video viewing device that uses only a TV as its monitor."
It's easy to use: simply plug it into the HDMI port on your TV and plug the power cord into an outlet.
Then, switch to the HDMI input screen using your TV remote, and the setup screen should appear.
After that, you'll need to configure your Wi-Fi settings and enter your password, then download DAZN for free from the app store.
By launching the DAZN app and logging in, you can watch baseball broadcasts just as you would on your smartphone or PC.
Actual impressions
I initially thought the picture quality of the baseball broadcasts was a bit rough, but I've gotten used to it.
Since the broadcast is delayed by a few minutes compared to real time, if you watch the rest of the broadcast on DAZN after the terrestrial TV broadcast has ended, you might find yourself watching scenes from a little while ago.
For normal viewing, I don't think there will be any major problems.
The fact that we can now easily watch professional baseball broadcasts at such a low price, when they were previously quite expensive, is quite revolutionary.
Also, it seems that the "Fire TV Stick" device will be useful in various ways at the same time.
In addition to DAZN, you can also use various other video streaming apps, and it works well with the free internet TV app "AbemaTV".
何よりAmazonプライム会員の人は、かなり豊富な種類の動画をTVで視聴できることになるため、TVの活用の幅がグンと広がると思います。
