After being delayed one week due to the owners locking out the players for the majority of the offseason, the 2022 Major League Baseball season got underway on Thursday. With Opening Day now behind them, MLB is moving into a season that will be unlike any other, especially when it comes to how fans will be able to watch games.
The major move will be how much the league has embraced streaming, even while the fragmentation of outlets required for fans to view all of their team’s games has drawn criticism. The first streaming service to exclusively broadcast MLB games this season will be Apple TV+ as the streamer debuts its new “Friday Night Baseball” exclusive broadcast package on Friday, April 8.
Built into the core of what Apple does as a company (no pun intended) is this desire to disrupt whatever industry that it gets involved with; that was true in personal computers, portable technology, and now streaming. So, as their streaming service launches its first major foray into live sports, Apple has already made it clear that they will be doing things a little differently than other MLB broadcast partners.
Can I Watch ‘Friday Night Baseball’ Games on Apple TV+ for Free?
For now, yes you can. The currently scheduled games, which will run for the first 12 weeks of the season, will be available to anyone, as long as they sign up for an Apple TV account (which you can do here).
After that, the plan is for the rest of the season to only be available to Apple TV+ subscribers.
Who Will Be Calling Games for Apple TV+?
The announce teams for the “Friday Night Baseball” doubleheaders will be announced on a weekly basis, but the April 8 games will feature a mix of voices primarily new to calling nationally televised games.
The 7 p.m. ET game between the New York Mets and Washington Nationals will feature Baltimore Orioles broadcaster Melanie Newman on play-by-play and former MLB outfielder Chris Young and Yahoo! Sports reporter Hannah Keyser on color commentary with Brooke Fletcher reporting.
Newman joins Suzyn Waldman from the long-defunct Baseball Network to provide play-by-play for an MLB national broadcast team. Newman will be a part of “Friday Night Baseball” and MLB Network studio shows throughout the season.
The nightcap between the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels will be broadcast on the streamer at 9:30 p.m. ET and will feature Stephen Nelson on play-by-play and former MLB All-Star Hunter Pence and former Fox Sports and ESPN commentator Katie Nolan as analysts. Heidi Watney will be the game’s reporter.
Also, borrowing a feature that has been common for NFL and NBA games for a number of years, “Friday Night Baseball” will feature rules analysis from former MLB umpire Brian Gorman.
The live pre- and postgame coverage of “Friday Night Baseball” will be hosted by Lauren Gardner, along with a rotating group of analysts and former players, including Carlos Peña, Cliff Floyd, and Yonder Alonso.
Apple’s approach to constructing these broadcast teams is very interesting as they are featuring young voices who will be new to many in the national audience. All have a wealth of knowledge, but — outside of the former players — likely would never have gotten these types of opportunities so early in their careers at linear broadcasters.
Will Apple TV+ Games Look Different than Traditional MLB Broadcasts?
That is definitely Apple’s plan. For their “Friday Night Baseball” package, they are bringing in a host of state-of-the-art technologies and cameras to provide a unique viewing experience unlike what fans will see on network or cable games.
From a camera perspective, Apple will be employing high-speed Phantoms and high-resolution Megalodons while offering immersive sound in 5.1 with spatial audio enabled.
In terms of on-screen graphics, the streamer “will also incorporate new on-screen graphics that include innovative new probabilities-based forecasts of different situational outcomes,” which could appeal to a certain segment of the baseball viewing public who might have a little bit more than fandom on the line for certain games.
Apple will also provide highlights and live look-ins from around the league during into the broadcasts.
Will There Be Commercials During the Broadcasts?
It’s currently unclear what Apple is going to do during breaks between innings or when pitchers come in from the bullpen, but having three-person booths certainly allows for more conversation and banter during the inevitable slowdowns that are engrained in the DNA of the sport.
But, while there is unlikely to be traditional commercials during those breaks, like you would see during a game broadcast nationally on ESPN or TBS, it wouldn’t be a complete surprise for Apple to use those opportunities to highlight some of its own content that they think will appeal to a baseball-watching audience. So, I would imagine that you might see an ad for “Ted Lasso” due to the obvious sports connection, or to Tom Hanks’ WWII film “Greyhound,” since the traditional baseball audience is also of the generation to find that genre especially compelling.
However, Apple could also use breaks in the action to promote its other products, like iPhones, iPads, AirPods, and more.
One thing that we do know is that the tech giant will not be shy about integrating its signature features into the broadcast. Throughout the “Friday Night Baseball” broadcasts, fans will be able to “test their knowledge of baseball trivia with help from Siri,” and Apple Music will be used to provide on-screen information about batters’ walk-up songs and will cultivate exclusive playlists each week from the players featured on the broadcasts.
So, while these aren’t commercials in the traditional sense, they are a certain brand of product placement that very well could lead to in-app purchases.
Will Apple TV+ Broadcast Games in 4K?
No, or at least not the early rounds of games on the streaming service. While the streamer does have a multitude of 4K content, their “Friday Night Baseball” games will just be broadcast in HD. Broadcasting in 4K later in the season has not been ruled out, but as of now, it is not part of the plans.
Will I Be Able to Use Playback Controls to Watch the Games?
Oddly, you will not. According to Apple’s “Friday Night Baseball” support page, “Pause, fast forward, and other playback controls aren’t available with Friday Night Baseball.”
So, plan your bathroom breaks for in-between innings and hopefully, the control room provides you with all of the instant replays that you need.
What Devices Can I Use to Watch Apple TV+’s ‘Friday Night Baseball’?
“Friday Night Baseball” games will be available to anyone with internet access across devices where Apple TV+ can be found, including on the Apple TV app on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV 4K and HD, and on tv.apple.com, along with smart TVs, gaming consoles, and cable set-top boxes.
Apple TV+
Apple TV+ is a subscription video streaming service for $9.99 a month that includes high-quality original shows and movies including Best Picture winner “CODA,” popular sitcom “Ted Lasso,” and dramas like “The Morning Show” and “Severance.” Apple TV+ is also home to MLB baseball games on Friday nights and MLS Season Pass.