Apple TV+ to Start Airing Friday Night Baseball on April 8

Apple TV+ Friday Night Baseball

Apple has revealed the first scheduled games that will be available as part of its new Friday Night Baseball series, which will start airing next week on April 8. The company announced the new partnership with the Major League Baseball (MLB) during its Peek Performance event earlier this month, where Apple TV+ got some stage time alongside the new Mac Studio and Studio Display.

The first two baseball games that will air on Apple TV+ on April 8 will feature the New York Mets play against the Washington Nationals at 7 PM ET, then the Houston Astros play against the Los Angeles Angels at 9:30 PM ET. “Friday Night Baseball, a weekly doubleheader, will be available to fans in eight countries exclusively on Apple TV+ on Fridays throughout the regular season,” the company explained. 

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If baseball is mostly popular in America, Friday Night Baseball will be available on Apple TV+ in the US, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Korea, and the United Kingdom, with more markets coming later. Baseball fans in the US and Canada will also get to watch the MLB Big Inning live show every weeknight, as well as a 24/7 livestream with MLB game replays, highlights, and more. 

Apple TV+ costs $4.99/month in the US, which is pretty cheap for getting access to a selection of high-profile baseball matches. In its initial announcement, Apple also said that Friday Night Baseball would be available “for a limited time” without a subscription. 

Apple is a pretty late entrant to the streaming subscription service game, though the company has come with a slightly different strategy than its competitors. The service isn’t a must-have yet despite its affordable pricing, but maybe this new partnership with the MLB will be able to move the needle.

It’s also worth noting that the entertainment industry is also starting to notice Apple’s investments in exclusive content. A couple of days ago, the Apple TV+ movie CODA became the first film from a streaming service to win Best Picture at the 2022 Oscars.

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Conversation 11 comments

  • basic sandbox

    30 March, 2022 - 12:14 pm

    <p>In the past I was disappointed with sports streaming frame rate. Over the air, cable, and satelite frame rates are much better for sports. Will Apple stream better than the other streaming services?</p>

  • gregm

    Premium Member
    30 March, 2022 - 12:16 pm

    <p>Prepare for an Apple TV+ price increase.</p>

  • red.radar

    Premium Member
    30 March, 2022 - 4:09 pm

    <p>As a baseball fan, I am tired of the MLB segregating their product so you have to pay so much to watch games live. </p><p><br></p><p>And blackout dates need to go</p>

    • jason_e

      31 March, 2022 - 7:34 am

      <p>I have nothing to add except I agree 100% with you.</p>

  • Stabitha.Christie

    30 March, 2022 - 4:28 pm

    <p>Kinda weird that a streaming service winning an Oscar for best fit is tagged onto the article as an afterthought. It’s a big step for steaming services to get that level or recognition. </p>

    • Michael_Miller

      30 March, 2022 - 5:37 pm

      <p>Agree, pretty big achievement for Apple TV after 2 years of service. NetFlix has been trying to win the Oscar for 10 years as hasn’t.</p>

    • wright_is

      Premium Member
      31 March, 2022 - 4:44 am

      <p>To be pedantic…</p><p><br></p><p>Coda was the first movie to premiere at Sundance (and be bought up by Apple for around $28 million at the festival) to win an Oscar.</p><p><br></p><p>While it is the first movie to be exclusively available through a streaming service to win, it isn’t "an Apple" film, it is an Apple TV exclusive, though. (The difference being the film was made independently of Apple and was bought by them as a finished product, as opposed to them green-lighting the script to be turned into a film using Apple’s money.)</p><p><br></p><p>I don’t mean the comment as positive or negative around Apple’s involvement – recognising the potential of the film and buying it up for their service – just put the film in its context.</p>

  • Brian Hodges

    Premium Member
    30 March, 2022 - 6:16 pm

    <p>T-Mobile provides a better deal with their free MLB.com subscription through the "T-Mobile Tuesdays" app.</p>

    • Chris_Kez

      Premium Member
      30 March, 2022 - 7:32 pm

      <p>T Mobile says the app requires a smartphone, so I assume no Roku or other TV platforms are supported. </p>

      • mhuhn

        02 April, 2022 - 7:03 pm

        <p>You only need the tmo app on mobile to redeem the offer then you can access the MLB service on all platforms. </p>

  • Brian Hodges

    Premium Member
    31 March, 2022 - 9:24 pm

    <p>Stream it with a Chromecast</p>

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