The MLB.TV app on Apple TV freezes

First I THINK I found the root of the issue. I tried both options suggested in this thread. Changing DNS or doing the Video Reset under settings didn't work for me. What seems to be the issue is what is called "Double-NAT" in networking terms. My VZ FIOS is connected directly into a Ubiquity Router (you might have a Verizon or AT&T router or something else) and then plugged into the Ubiquity Router is my Eero 's WiFi that also act as a "secondary" router. https://support.eero.com/hc/en-us/articles/207621056-Can-I-double-NAT-my-eero-with-my-current-router-

I removed the Ubiquity yesterday and connected to Eero directly to my Verizon FIOS to remove the "Double-NAT". I validated the issue by plugging the AppleTV directly behind the Ubiquity router (with a Gig switch). MLB worked ! Problem with that is you loose HomeKit and you won't be able to control the AppleTV via your iPhone AppleTV in Control Center. So after I vetted the fix I went to a single router and made Eero the router. Hope this helps !

If you’re having this issue please message mlb.tv support about it.

I’ve reported this issue multiple times and they don’t take it seriously. They think my network is too slow or my apps are not updated (I pay for very fast internet and everything is updated). Or they’ll tell me to contact Apple (why would Apple lift a finger for an issue with someone else’s app?).

It’s clearly a bug within the app given how consistently and predictably it occurs.

Make noise with mlb.tv. The more tickets they get the faster they’ll work to fix it.

Same thing happened to me when I logged into three different Apple TVs over the course of one week (in two different states). It’s clearly an MLB App issue and it’s only happening during commercials. I called MLB two times today and they didn’t have a solution and really didn’t take it seriously, even after I explained to the reps that it happened one every game. The MLB app support line is 866-244-2291. It’s open for calls every day.

I had the same issue. Found this solution on reddit that fixed it for me:

https://www.reddit.com/r/MLBtv/comments/127o2zx/fix_for_apple_tv_commercial_issues/

Basically, you need to change your AppleTV's DNS to either 8.8.8.8 (Google), 8.8.4.4 (Google), or 1.1.1.1 (Cloudflare). I hope this helps!

MLB TV suggests going to Audio/video settings in Apple TV and resetting video to what’s compatible with your tv. That worked for me and fixed the issue.

As stupid as it sounds, they asked me to unplug router, modem, and Apple TV for 60 seconds. So far, this has fixed the issue for me.

They’ve closed both of my case #s without solving the problem at all. I just called them again and spoke with a fellow for more than 30 minutes. We isolated the problem to apple devices. With him on phone, I watched the same Yankees broadcast on three different devices at the same time: iPad, AppleTV and a Dell computer. It froze at the inning breaks ONLY on the iPad and the AppleTV. The Dell computer worked totally fine. It seems that this is an MLB App issue on Apple products.

Yooooo. Thank you!

DNS changed to 8.8.8.8 worked.

Change your DNS to something like 8.8.8.8. Worked for a bunch of people here and for me!

Yes. I went to settings, video and audio, reset video settings. This works for me, although games will occasionally still freeze up on both my Apple TV and my iPad. However, the problem occurs much less frequently now than it did before on my Apple TV.

IMO this is only an AppleTV app issue. I have a small (24”) Insignia FireTV in my office and watch mlb.tv with no issues and receive all between inning local commercials. My successful iPad workaround is disabling Wi-Fi and using 5G. Doing this allows no interruptions and again I receive all local commercials between innings. If this was an internet bandwidth issue as mlb.tv asserts then why do I have no issues streaming everything else on both 4k and non-4k AppleTV’s? This includes YouTube TV, Netflix, Showtime, AcornTV, etc.

Please read all the suggestions above. I had the same issue and it was due to my eero WiFi router being connecting to my cable provider router. Others have found that switching DNS to 8.8.8.8 has worked. Good luck.

Changing the DNS to 008.008.008.008 is working so far.

The app works during game play, but when the local broadcast feed (via the MLB app) goes to commercial, the MLB app freezes and will not rejoin the game after commercial. As @Gilroygarlic stated, we have to exit back to the MLB app home page and reload the game. This happens every half inning. MLB is blocking the commercial feed so we don’t see the local feed commercials. Did MLB change their blocking logic this year with the updated app?? This appears to be an issue with AppleTV 4K devices.

Thank you all for your help!

Hello Richard Hanks,

Thank you for reaching out to Apple Support Communities, and we'll be happy to help in any way we can. We understand you're having issues with streaming video in the Apple TV app. Try the steps here to see if they resolve the issue: If you can't watch or stream movies and TV shows in the Apple TV app - Apple Support

"Update to the latest version of the Apple TV app

Update to the latest version of iOS or iPadOS, macOS, or tvOS.

If you're using a compatible smart TV, streaming device, or gaming console that's connected to the internet, the Apple TV app should update automatically. If you need help, you can contact the manufacturer or learn how to get the Apple TV app on your device.

If the movie or TV show won't start playing

After each step, try to stream or download the movie or TV show again.

1. Check the System Status page for service interruptions or check a third-party provider's website for any interruptions. If there are service interruptions, try to stream or watch the video later.
2. If you're having trouble signing in with your Apple ID, you can reset your Apple ID password or learn how to get a verification code and sign in with two-factor authentication.
3. If your cellular connection is poor, connect to Wi-Fi instead.*
4. Try watching on a different device using the same Wi-Fi or cellular connection. If it doesn't work, contact your internet service provider to see if there's an issue with your network.
5. If other people are using Apple TV+ or Apple TV channels, make sure it doesn't exceed the limits for streaming on multiple devices.

* Make sure that your Wi-Fi router is 802.11a/g/n/ac compatible. Streaming HD content requires 8 Mbit/s or faster. Slower tiers of Wi-Fi connections might not be fast enough to stream HD video content.

If the video quality is bad or it stops playing

1. If multiple people on your network are using the internet, your connection speed might slow down. Ask them to temporarily pause their internet activities.
2. If you're using a smart TV or streaming device, turn it off and back on again. If you're using an Apple device, restart it.
3. Tap or click the download button to try downloading the movie or TV show instead.*

* You can't download movies or TV shows to Apple TV, smart TVs, or streaming devices. You can download HDR content only to certain iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch models. You can't download 4K video content to any device.

Still need help?

If you still can't play movies or TV shows, you can go to reportaproblem.apple.com and request a refund.

If you can't stream movies or TV shows in apps that you downloaded from the App Store, you can contact the app developer."

We hope this helps.

Cheers!