CUPERTINO, Calif. — Apple will enter the realm of live sports coverage with “Friday Night Baseball.”
Apple and Major League Baseball announced Tuesday that Apple TV+ will hold a weekly doubleheader on Friday nights in eight countries when the regular season begins. The games will initially be available without requiring an Apple TV+ subscription.
The games will be exclusively on Apple TV+ and will not be available on the team’s regional sports networks.
MLB has been under a work stoppage since owners locked out players at the end of the collective bargaining agreement. At 97 days, it is the second-longest work stoppage in baseball history.
Streams on Apple TV+ will include pre-game and post-game shows and will not be subject to local broadcast blackout restrictions. They will be produced by MLB Network.
In addition to showing in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the games will also initially be available in Australia, Brazil, Japan, South Korea, and the United Kingdom.
The deal also includes the “MLB Big Inning” weekday show for fans in the US, as well as a live streaming channel for those watching in the US and Canada.
MLB has been exploring selling a weekday game package with ESPN reducing its regular season coverage to 30 games, primarily on Sunday nights. Turner Sports will have games on Tuesday nights under a new rights deal that begins this season.
Apple and MLB have been closely aligned for years. MLB At Bat was one of the first apps to be released on the Apple App Store in 2008.
The deal also comes as Apple looks to expand into other leagues. The company has been looking to stream NFL games when the league’s “Sunday Ticket” expires at the end of next season.
