Apple Keeps ‘Friday Night Baseball’ Games Free, Announces Schedule for August
Apple TV+ is well into its first season of showing Major League Baseball games, and while there was initial pushback about moving games to a subscription streaming service, Apple has thus far made the games free for anyone with an Internet connection, provided that they watch through the Apple TV interface.
Initially, the games were only supposed to be free through the first six weeks of the season, but on Thursday, Apple announced the slate of games for August, and noted that they would remain free through the month. The tech company has not confirmed whether or not the rest of the regular season (through Oct. 2) will be free, but given how late into the season they have extended the program thus far, it is likely to remain that way for 2022.
As has been the case all season, “Friday Night Baseball” will include a doubleheader each week. Apple announced the baseball deal in the spring, shortly before the start of the season, in what was Apple’s first-ever deal to stream sports.
Since then, the streamer has signed a major deal to take over Major League Soccer broadcasts for ten years and is reportedly the frontrunner to land the lucrative NFL Sunday Ticket package beginning in 2023.
As the MLB playoffs approach, the August lineup features several divisional clashes, with five of the eight games taking place between teams in the same division.
“Friday Night Baseball” Schedule on Apple TV+:
Friday, August 5
- Washington Nationals at Philadelphia Phillies: 7 p.m. ET
- Cincinnati Reds at Milwaukee Brewers: 8 p.m. ET
Friday, August 12
- San Diego Padres at Washington Nationals: 7 p.m. ET
- Philadelphia Phillies at New York Mets: 7 p.m. ET
Friday, August 19
- Toronto Blue Jays at New York Yankees: 7 p.m. ET
- Texas Rangers at Minnesota Twins: 8 p.m. ET
Friday, August 26
- Tampa Bay Rays at Boston Red Sox: 7 p.m. ET
- Cleveland Guardians at Seattle Mariners: 10 p.m. ET
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.