In the wake of MLB team owners and players patching up their differences, Apple TV+ announced Friday that it’ll be streaming some of the first baseball games of the 2022 season. And every week thereafter until the playoffs.
Beginning April 8, Friday Night Baseball on Apple’s streaming service will be a weekly doubleheader with live pre- and postgame shows.And it won‘t require a subscription. At least not at first.
Friday Night Baseball starts on Apple TV+ in less than a month
Apple TV+ made the premier date official in a Twitter post that says, “Let’s play ball. #FridayNightBaseball is coming April 8.” Opening Day is April 7, so the fans won’t have to wait long to see games on Apple’s streaming service.
Let's play ball. #FridayNightBaseball is coming April 8. https://t.co/3O0jg6prSe
— Apple TV+ (@AppleTVPlus) March 11, 2022
As noted in Apple’s tweet, watching MLB games on the streaming service will be “free for a limited time.” All that’s necessary is the free Apple TV app, which is available for a wide variety of smart TVs and streamers, like Roku and Amazon Fire. Naturally, there are also versions for all Apple computers.
MLB and Apple TV+ team up
As announced March 8, fans will be able to watch marquee baseball games on Friday nights, free from local broadcast restrictions, across devices where Apple TV+ can be found. That said, the games will only be available in eight countries: United States, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Korea and the United Kingdom. Apple plans to expand availability to additional countries at a later date.
And there’s more than just Friday Night Baseball. Fans in the United States will be able to enjoy MLB Big Inning, a live show featuring highlights and look-ins airing every weeknight during the regular season.
Plus, baseball fans in the U.S. and Canada will also have access to a new 24/7 livestream with MLB game replays, news and analysis, highlights, classic games, and more. And there will be a full complement of on-demand programming, including highlights and MLB-themed original content.
This is all free because Apple clearly views sports as a way to grow its audience, and free games are a way to accomplish that.
