At the Peek Performance event on Tuesday, Apple announced that it would be broadcasting live sports for the first time. Friday Night Baseball, the weekly baseball doubleheader, will hit the stage as soon as the Major League Baseball season begins. (Owners locked out players in December and canceled week-long games due to the shutdown.)
In addition to Friday Night Baseball, Apple will offer subscribers in the US and Canada 24/7 live coverage of highlights, replays, news and talking heads. Apple TV+ subscribers can also tune in to “MLB Big Inning,”which Apple describes as “a live highlights and review show that airs every weeknight during the regular season.”
In particular, “Friday Night Baseball”will be available in all markets – local broadcast restrictions will not apply to the new Apple service.
For MLB, the deal must have been a no-brainer. Of the major sports in the US, baseball has the oldest audience. A partnership with a company like Apple will expand MLB’s reach to an audience that looks much younger. (Although whether they are configurable is another matter.)
At launch, Friday Night Baseball will be available to Apple TV+ subscribers in the US, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Korea, and the UK.
You can see all the latest updates from the Apple Peek Performance event on our live blog.