Apple has announced it will require an AppleTV+ subscription for its Friday Night Baseball package this year.
The streaming service — which began broadcasting the MLB package last year — made viewers sign up for an account, but the weekly doubleheaders were free of charge in its debut season.
For the 2023 season, a monthly subscription will be required to watch the broadcasts. Currently, AppleTV+ costs $6.99 per month.
The company did, however, announce that it had worked out a deal with DirecTV to distrubte the games to bars and restaurants, so fans can continue to watch in public settings, according to a report from CNBC.
Deciding to require a subscription mimics the strategy employed by Apple with its MLS Season Pass package. For $14.99 per month, users can view every MLS match on the schedule, with no blackouts, but the streaming platform does not require a subscription. It does, however, offer a lower price to those who are already subscriped to the service.
Like MLS Season Pass, MLB considers Apple’s Friday Night Baseball offerings as a “national” package, so no cities are blacked out from viewing.
The 2023 schedule for Friday Night Baseball will see revamped broadcast booths. Wayne Randazzo and Dontrelle Willis are expected to make up one broadcast crew, while Alex Faust and Ryan Spilborghs will be in the other booth.
Apple’s first Friday Night Baseball doubleheader of the 2023 season will be Friday, April 7th, featuring the Texas Rangers at the Chicago Cubs followed by the San Diego Padres at the Atlanta Braves.
