Baseball fans who are subscribed to Apple’s TV+ streaming service will be required to pay for access to American baseball (Major League Baseball, MLB) content in the future. This means that “Friday Night Baseball”, which previously broadcasted selected US Friday games free of charge, will no longer be part of the free offer starting from the new season in April. However, MLB games on Friday will still be included in the video offer which costs €7 per month or €70 per year. Fans can use the direct offer from the league’s own app for all Apple devices if they want more.
In addition to the regular offer, baseball games, repeat offers, and other content are available to watch. The upcoming US soccer offer (Major League Soccer, MLS), on the other hand, will have additional subscription fees. According to Apple, Friday Night Baseball will return on April 7th, featuring weekly “doubleheaders”. The service is available in 60 countries and regions compared to only 13 last season. Apple has no restrictions on where fans can watch.
Apple is collaborating with satellite operator DirecTV to enable broadcasting the baseball TV+ offering in pubs, clubs, hotels, and shops using regular satellite TV equipment in the United States. This is the first such project coming from the iPhone group. Apple has set up its own broadcast and moderation team for its games, providing pre- and post-game coverage. They utilize modern camera technology, including drones.
Moreover, Apple will also allow audio broadcasts of the games in the US and Canada, which will be available on Apple’s platforms. The only exceptions are Texas, where fans can only listen to Rangers home games, and Canada, where fans can only listen to Toronto Blue Jays games. Apple is increasingly focusing on sports broadcasts, and there is speculation that they might be interested in the British Premier League.
