SCEA announces MLB.TV for PS3

Sony Computer Entertainment America has officially announced the MLB.TV PlayStation Network that we first heard of earlier this morning. This new application will make PlayStation 3 the first and only gaming console to stream live baseball games in HD. MLB.TV subscribers can watch every regular season game live, while having access to various features to enhance their viewing experience.

“MLB.com is the perfect partner to showcase the power and potential of PS3 as an in-home platform for all types of entertainment: games, TV, movies, original content and now, live, HD access to America’s favorite pastime,” said Jack Tretton, president and chief operating officer, SCEA. “We are excited for our customers who don’t live near their favorite team and can now see every game, and keep an eye on the rest of the league, too, as this season promises to include many record-breaking moments that they won’t want to miss.”

New features for PS3’s MLB.TV app, “built and designed exclusively for use in the PS3 ecosystem” include:

• Home and Away Feeds – Choose to watch either the home or away broadcast feed.
• Live Game DVR Functionality – Use the live video overlay to pause and rewind live games or fast-forward back to live game action.
• Scrollable Linescore – Go directly to any half-inning to watch only that portion of the game.
• MLB Scoreboard – Scrollable league-wide scoreboard for each day’s games in three modes: Pre-game with scheduled starting pitchers; Live with up-to-the-minute game status; and Post-game with final pitching decisions and archived feed selection.
• Favorite Team Selection – Pick a favorite team or teams to be featured first on the daily scoreboard.
• Calendar Schedule – Scroll through the entire 2010 Major League Baseball schedule in calendar format or the user-designated favorite team’s schedule.

“In addition to desktops and laptops, which can be found in every American home, as well as mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets, this transaction represents another important distribution point for our fans to enjoy live baseball games via the Internet,” said Kenny Gersh, senior vice president, business development, MLBAM.

The app will be available to download today from the “Media” category on the PlayStation Store for free, but to fully utilize the app, you’ll need an MLB.TV subscription. There are two packages to choose from: MLB.TV for $99.95 and MLB.TV Premium for $119.95. Get all the information you’ll need on each package over at MLB.TV‘s official website.

A video of the PlayStation 3 app in use can be seen below.