Apple TV+ to Charge for Major League Baseball Games Broadcasts
American tech major Apple has reportedly announced that Major League Baseball games broadcasts on Apple TV+ this season will require a subscription.
The move signifies a transition in Apple’s sally into live sports from early experiments designed for drawing new subscribers into a core part such that it upholds the price of paid streaming.
As per the new announcement, users will be required to have an Apple TV+ subscription, costing $7 a month in the U.S.
Back in 2022, the tech giant had begun broadcasting one or two MLB games each Friday night with a rotating team cast. The previous year, users had to sign up for an account. However, the games were free.
In early 2023, Apple began broadcasting Major League Soccer games. As stated by the service, some of the games will be aired free of charge. However, the subscription model would charge $14.99 a month to all games, with a discount provided an individual also subscribes to Apple TV+.
So far, soccer and baseball are the only sports that are aired live by Apple. The American streaming service bid on some NFL games. However, a highly desired out-of-market games package went to the YouTube TV service provided by Google.
It is to be noted that baseball fans choosing not to pay for a subscription do have another way to catch Apple’s MLB games. They can catch the same at restaurants and sports bars owing to Apple’s new deal with DirectTV.
As stated by Apple, the first “Friday Night Baseball” doubleheader broadcast will commence on 7th April 2023.
About Apple TV+
Apple TV+ is an Apple-owned and operated American subscription streaming service. It provides an array of original production film and television series dubbed Apple Originals. The service was launched in November 2019.
