Why You Can Trust CNET How to watch Korean Baseball Organization games without cable
You can watch live KBO games on ESPN. No cable subscription necessary.
Is that the 1927 Yankees? Nope, it's the NC Dinos, who have the best record in the KBO and lead the league in home runs.
Major League Baseball has a plan in place to start its season in late July, but you don't need to wait until MLB's belated Opening Day to watch live baseball on TV. Baseballs have been flying and bats have been flipping in South Korea for weeks. Real, live baseball games are taking place in the country's professional baseball league, the 10-team Korean Baseball Organization, or KBO. With no MLB games to fill its schedule, ESPN is televising six KBO games each week, Tuesday through Sunday.
The time difference between South Korea and the US (it's 13 to 16 hours ahead) makes it a bit of a challenge to catch KBO games live. You'll need to get up early (or stay up late on the West Coast) to see a first pitch -- games start at 5:30 a.m. ET (2:30 a.m. PT) during the week and 4 a.m. 1 a.m. ET on the weekend -- but perhaps you'll get in the habit of watching the final few innings with your morning coffee.
Here's a quick primer to get you up to speed on the KBO so you can pick a favorite team and start watching live baseball on ESPN.
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When are KBO games on TV?
ESPN is broadcasting six games live per week of the KBO's 144-game schedule. Games are played in empty stadiums for now, and if a player or coach tests positive for COVID-19, the league will be shut down for at least three weeks.
Games are shown on ESPN Tuesday through Friday at 5:30 a.m. ET and either 1 a.m. or 4 a.m. ET on weekends. In addition to regular season games, ESPN has the rights to broadcast KBO postseason games, including the Korean Series. Ready to watch? Check out ESPN's broadcast schedule for the week.
You'll hear familiar ESPN voices announcing the games. Karl Ravech and Eduardo Pérez make the play-by-play along with Jon Sciambi, Jessica Mendoza and Kyle Peterson. ESPN announcers call the games remotely from their own homes.
Wait, what is the KBO?
The KBO is the top professional baseball league in South Korea. It started play in 1982 with six teams and has since expanded to 10 teams. Teams are named not for where they play but for the corporate entity that owns them.
Here are the 10 KBO teams, the city in which each play its home games, and the year the team was founded:
- Doosan Bears (Seoul, 1982)
- Hanwha Eagles (Daejeon, 1986)
- Kia Tigers (Gwangju, 1982)
- Kiwoom Heroes (Seoul, 2008)
- KT Wiz (Suwon, 2015)
- LG Twins (Seoul, 1982)
- Lotte Giants (Busan, 1982)
- NC Dinos (Changwon, 2013)
- Samsung Lions (Daegu, 1982)
- SK Wyverns (Incheon, 2000)
The Doosan Bears and SK Wyverns were the top teams last season, finishing with identical 88-55-1 records. The Bears went on to sweep the Kiwoom Heroes in four games to win the 2019 title.
The Kia Tigers are the New York Yankees of the KBO, winning 11 Korean Series championships while never finishing as the runner-up. Second in league titles are the Samsung Lions with eight, followed by the Bears (six) and SK Wyverns (four).
Two of the league's original six teams -- the LG Twins and Lotte Giants -- have won only two championships each and none since 1994. The Hanwha Eagles look like the lovable losers of the KBO, having won only one title since beginning play in 1986. The league's three newest teams -- the Kiwoom Heroes, NC Dinos and KT Wiz -- have never won a title.
Here's what you need to know about each KBO team to pick a favorite for your rooting interests this year. Let the Dodgers' Mookie Betts introduce you to some of the stars of the KBO:
Current KBO standings
The NC Dinos lead the league in home runs and have been in first place for much of the early season. The Doosan Bears, Kiwoom Heroes and LG Twins are not too far off the pace set by the Dinos. You can keep an eye on the current KBO standings here.
How does the KBO differ from MLB?
There is no DH debate in the KBO; all teams feature a designated hitter. Also, games can end in ties. After 12 innings, a game is declared a tie and not counted in the regular-season standings. Playoff games can also end in a tie after 15 innings, and the game is then replayed. Five of the 10 teams qualify for the playoffs, which culminate with the best-of-seven Korean Series championship. Lastly, bat flipping is an art in the KBO.
How to watch KBO games without cable
KBO games are shown on ESPN, and you can also watch on ESPN.com or the ESPN app, but you will need to log in with a pay TV account that includes ESPN in order to watch live online or with the app. If you don't have a cable or satellite TV subscription, you can watch KBO games with a live-TV streaming service. And you can use a live-TV streaming subscription to log in to ESPN's live streams online.
Sling TV's $30-a-month Orange plan includes ESPN. Sling's packages are discounted by $10 for the first month.
YouTube TV costs $50 a month and includes ESPN.
Hulu with Live TV costs $55 a month and includes ESPN.
AT&T TV Now's basic $55-a-month Plus package includes ESPN.
All of the live TV streaming services above offer free trials, allow you to cancel anytime and require a solid internet connection. Looking for more information? Check out our massive streaming services guide.
How can I get these services on my TV?
These services are widely available on game consoles and smart TVs , but if you need to add them to an older TV, add-on options like Roku and Fire TV start for as little as $30.