Apple gets its first sports rights to the Apple TV+ streaming service.
The broadcaster acquired a large number of Major League Baseball (MLB) rights in nine regions. These cover the major MLB markets in Canada and the United States, along with Australia, Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Korea and the United Kingdom.
Apple said the deal would expand to other countries at a later date.
The rights package will see Apple air Friday Night Baseball, a weekly doubleheader with live pre- and post-game shows, beginning late in the 2022 season and beginning at the end of the month.
In addition, Apple will air highlights from weekly shows, while also offering 24-hour live streams in the US and Canada featuring game reruns, big news and classic matches.
The final component of the deal is access to digital highlights, viewable on Apple’s news platform on Mac and iOS devices.
“Baseball holds a special place in the hearts of many Apple customers, not just in the United States, but in many countries around the world,” said Peter Stern, Apple’s vice president of services. “We are proud to make Apple TV+ a place to have great baseball moments throughout the season.”
“Apple is the perfect partner to bring ‘Friday Night Baseball’ to audiences around the world,” said Noah Garden, MLB Chief Revenue Officer. “After milestones like launching At Bat on the first day of the App Store in 2008 to bring Apple technology to ballparks,” said Noah Garden, MLB chief revenue officer. Across the country, this powerful new game bundle is the perfect next collaboration in our long history of delivering innovative, high-quality content to our fans.
“With local availability and international reach, MLB on Apple TV+ offers an exciting new platform for fans that enables a broader audience to connect with the game.”
This is the first direct sports deal Apple has agreed to, but it may not be the last. Multiple reports in recent years have said the iPhone maker is interested in selecting a batch of NFL games, especially for Sunday Ticket out-of-market rights.
