AppleTV Announces Deal For Friday Night MLB Games

jon abbey

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You need an Apple ID, that might be the disconnect here. If you already have an Apple ID, then you didn't need to enter any info.
 

Sad Sam Jones

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My first experience with an Apple TV game… the camera work is great – lots of views of the stadium (even if it's unfortunately Guaranteed Rate Field) and wide angle shots you don't normally get. I like that the probability stats are kept unassumingly in the corner where you can find them but aren't obtrusive. However, this broadcast team of Stephen Nelson, Hunter Pence, Katie Nolan and Heidi Watney is completely insufferable. Every single one of them is @#%&ing awful and act like the game is secondary to them and getting in the way of their bullshitting.
 

Ale Xander

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My first experience with an Apple TV game… the camera work is great – lots of views of the stadium (even if it's unfortunately Guaranteed Rate Field) and wide angle shots you don't normally get. I like that the probability stats are kept unassumingly in the corner where you can find them but aren't obtrusive. However, this broadcast team of Stephen Nelson, Hunter Pence, Katie Nolan and Heidi Watney is completely insufferable. Every single one of them is @#%&ing awful and act like the game is secondary to them and getting in the way of their bullshitting.
That’s the better broadcast team
 

B H Kim

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It continues to annoy me that Apple includes no DVR-type functionality for these broadcasts. Your only option during the game is to watch live.
 

MuzzyField

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It continues to annoy me that Apple includes no DVR-type functionality for these broadcasts. Your only option during the game is to watch live.
The iOS 15.6 updates for iPhone and iPad that came out this week include this new feature for the TV+ app....
- TV app adds the option to restart a live sports game already in-progress and pause, rewind, or fast-forward

I'm not sure if this feature is part of the TV+ app on the AppleTV.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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My first experience with an Apple TV game… the camera work is great – lots of views of the stadium (even if it's unfortunately Guaranteed Rate Field) and wide angle shots you don't normally get. I like that the probability stats are kept unassumingly in the corner where you can find them but aren't obtrusive. However, this broadcast team of Stephen Nelson, Hunter Pence, Katie Nolan and Heidi Watney is completely insufferable. Every single one of them is @#%&ing awful and act like the game is secondary to them and getting in the way of their bullshitting.
I have yet to see any of these Apple broadcasts, but my understanding is that the bolded is the intent of the broadcast. They've set out to do an unconventional broadcast. The way I've heard it described is a podcast during which a game happens to be going on. The idea is to appeal to younger viewers for whom that might be more interesting. To me, the only unfortunate thing about it is that since it's an exclusive deal, there is no traditional style broadcast as an alternative for more traditional fans.
 

B H Kim

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I’m enjoying the Yankee-fan freak out about the fact that tonight’s game is only on Apple TV. I’ve seen several people on twitter arguing that the Yankees should bench Judge to spite Apple. That sounds like a great idea to me.
 

Senator Donut

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I’m enjoying the Yankee-fan freak out about the fact that tonight’s game is only on Apple TV. I’ve seen several people on twitter arguing that the Yankees should bench Judge to spite Apple. That sounds like a great idea to me.
I'm enjoying this freak out from boomer Yankee fans. I haven't seen this group of people so collectively upset since M*A*S*H was canceled.
 

Ale Xander

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He’s gonna hit 62+ anyway

may as well hit two tonight so the highest number of Yankees fans miss it
 

jon abbey

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I'm kind of curious where all these allegedly hardcore Yankee fans were when games were on Amazon and Apple all season.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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I'm kind of curious where all these allegedly hardcore Yankee fans were when games were on Amazon and Apple all season.
To be fair, there have been plenty of complaints about the Apple exclusive Friday night games all season long. It's just changed markets each week. This might be the first game they've covered that has had potential for historical events though. Or at least predictable historical events, since obviously any game could have a guy throw a perfect-o or a hitter hit 4 HR or something like that.
 

Yelling At Clouds

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To be fair, there have been plenty of complaints about the Apple exclusive Friday night games all season long. It's just changed markets each week. This might be the first game they've covered that has had potential for historical events though. Or at least predictable historical events, since obviously any game could have a guy throw a perfect-o or a hitter hit 4 HR or something like that.
They have Pujols’s quest for 700 in the nightcap, too
 

trekfan55

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Mr. Stinky Esq.

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The Apple TV games are no longer free.

“Friday Night Baseball” resumes on Apple TV+ on April 7 - Apple

I'm not paying $7 a month to watch a Red Sox game or two over the course of the season, so I guess I'm just going to miss those.
On the flip side, I don't want to pay for MLB.TV but I have Apple TV+ already so they may be the only Sox games I get to see.

I'm with you in spirit though, and it's part of why I'm not buying MLB.TV anymore; you should be able to purchase one subscription through which you can watch your team's every game.
 

ThePrideofShiner

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MLB really needs to get onboard with something like what MLS is doing.

All non-nationally televised games are available for a yearly or monthly fee on Apple. If you are a season-ticket holder you get one free log-in.

You can watch any game, any place, any device. I watched a Sounders game for free on my phone at the bar. I watched a Sounders game for free on my TV at home.

Oh, and you can automatically sync up hometown radio announcers with the video.

There are still some kinks to work out, but it is a fantastic blueprint for other leagues.
 

Petagine in a Bottle

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MLS is only doing that because their rights don’t have much value to fans or to networks / streamers. They’d much rather be doing what the other major leagues and generate massive local and National revenues from their content, but the demand isn’t there.

People used to complain about paying for cable; but now if you are a sports fan you have to subscribe to many different services just to get what you once had. Choice certainly isn’t always cheaper.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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ThePrideofShiner

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They’d much rather be doing what the other major leagues and generate massive local and National revenues from their content, but the demand isn’t there.
The local revenues from regional sports networks that are collapsing around the country?

Obviously, MLB's would be different, but the blackout rules need to go and that is what MLS has done wonders with. Before I couldn't watch the Sounders online if I wasn't physically in the state of Washington. Now you can watch any game, any time, anywhere.

Baseball needs to figure that part out if it is going grow its reach to a younger generation.
 

nighthob

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They're not bringing back Katie Nolan and now they want me to pay for their broadcasts? It's been a lifelong mantra for me, but it applies: fuck Apple.
No, the games are part of AppleTV+, if you’re a subscriber it’s just part of the package. You’re paying $7/month for everything, all the TV shows, movies, MLS, and MLB.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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No, the games are part of AppleTV+, if you’re a subscriber it’s just part of the package. You’re paying $7/month for everything, all the TV shows, movies, MLS, and MLB.
Right. And as I don't already subscribe and have no interest in their other content, it would be for the game broadcasts that I would be paying.
 

jon abbey

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Right. And as I don't already subscribe and have no interest in their other content, it would be for the game broadcasts that I would be paying.
FWIW, I just signed up and you get a three month free trial before you have to start paying, so that’s half the season for free if you want and then you can cancel.
 

Ale Xander

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FWIW, I just signed up and you get a three month free trial before you have to start paying, so that’s half the season for free if you want and then you can cancel.
Isn’t that a one time thing? What if you used your trial a year ago to watch Dickinson and Morning Show for example and then canceled
 

santadevil

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Isn’t that a one time thing? What if you used your trial a year ago to watch Dickinson and Morning Show for example and then canceled
Fairly certain you will be SOL in this case
Maybe a different email/credit card would work for another trial?

I did the 3 month trial starting in Decmber, as we got it through LG for buying an OLED
Kept Apple TV+ for now, as I want to finish a show that releases its final episode this Friday. I'll probably cancel near the start of April
 

jon abbey

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Isn’t that a one time thing? What if you used your trial a year ago to watch Dickinson and Morning Show for example and then canceled
No idea, this is my first time. I want to watch Ted Lasso and Severance anyway, and I guess I don't mind paying $7 for 4-5 Yankee games a month too much.
 

Petagine in a Bottle

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The local revenues from regional sports networks that are collapsing around the country?

Obviously, MLB's would be different, but the blackout rules need to go and that is what MLS has done wonders with. Before I couldn't watch the Sounders online if I wasn't physically in the state of Washington. Now you can watch any game, any time, anywhere.

Baseball needs to figure that part out if it is going grow its reach to a younger generation.
Sure, you can watch any game anywhere because the market has determined that exclusive local rights for MLS has no value and no one would pay MLS for it.