AppleTV Announces Deal For Friday Night MLB Games

glennhoffmania

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So if you don't have AppleTV you can't watch two games on Friday even with an EI or MLB.tv subscription?
 

glennhoffmania

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I think they will be free to everyone.
Right, but do you need AppleTV to access it even if it's free?

In other words, if one has a non-smart TV so it doesn't have the app will these two games be available?
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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Right, but do you need AppleTV to access it even if it's free?

In other words, if one has a non-smart TV so it doesn't have the app will these two games be available?
It appears not. Which is, of course, the point for Apple. They want people buying AppleTV appliances in order to watch their app.

Bald money grab by MLB though.
 

Pmoose82

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Right, but do you need AppleTV to access it even if it's free?

In other words, if one has a non-smart TV so it doesn't have the app will these two games be available?
You'll need the AppleTV app, which doesn't require the AppleTV hardware and can be found on most streaming boxes (Roku, Chromecast, etc.).
 

Petagine in a Bottle

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It appears not. Which is, of course, the point for Apple. They want people buying AppleTV appliances in order to watch their app.

Bald money grab by MLB though.
It’s likely these are rights nobody else wanted. Assuming these are co-exist (not exclusive) and there’s not all that much value .
 

Petagine in a Bottle

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Ah interesting, didn’t realize they were exclusive which certainly changes things. I thought this was similar to the other rights that Amazon got which were non exclusive.

Wonder if they will get each team an equal amount?
 
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Van Everyman

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So if you don't have AppleTV you can't watch two games on Friday even with an EI or MLB.tv subscription?
I refuse to believe this is in any way worse than the Fox Saturday games where if you weren't in their market, there was no way you could possibly watch the game, online or in a bar. When I was living in DC in 2005 (I believe), I wasn't able to see the Sox play the Yankees for the division with Randy Johnson pitching on the last day of the season.

This is def. better.
 

glennhoffmania

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I refuse to believe this is in any way worse than the Fox Saturday games where if you weren't in their market, there was no way you could possibly watch the game, online or in a bar. When I was living in DC in 2005 (I believe), I wasn't able to see the Sox play the Yankees for the division with Randy Johnson pitching on the last day of the season.

This is def. better.
The Fox thing sucked. But in this case, if you don't have access to the app you're basically getting screwed out of two supposedly high-profile games per week despite paying for the package. That's bullshit.
 

Van Everyman

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Why would you not have access to the app? It's not like Apple TV is only on Apple devices -- I can get it on my Google TV and PS4, I believe.
 

Van Everyman

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What is Google TV?
Just their smart TV platform. I recently bought a Sony TV that uses it as its main platform.

My point is, Apple TV isn't exactly locked down. Yes, there may be some rights issues with some companies, but it's not like it's restricted to only a handful of hardware manufacturers. Whereas the Fox Saturday deal was literally unwatchable if you wanted to catch the game (which even in 2005 was way late for that sort of thing), on this while maybe it would't work on your phone, you could pull it up on a computer if you had to.
 

ngruz25

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Why would you not have access to the app? It's not like Apple TV is only on Apple devices -- I can get it on my Google TV and PS4, I believe.
The app isn't available on my Samsung tablet, which is one of the primary ways I watch MLB.

I suppose I could use a web browser on my tablet, or just pull out my laptop. It's not a big deal, but it's one extra thing that I didn't have to think about before today.
 

glennhoffmania

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I'm not saying it's the worst thing in the world, but I buy EI every year because I prefer to watch on my non-smart, big, old tv. If I have to watch every Friday on my laptop that would suck. In my opinion if you give MLB your money for a season long package you shouldn't then have some good games blacked out every week.

I don't have Xbox but I have a Wii. Would that work?
 

glennhoffmania

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I actually do have a Wii, but I was joking when I suggested that it could work with Apple. The thing is more than a decade old and I took it out of storage because my daughter wanted to play with it. I'll probably end up watching on my laptop if there's a game on that I want to see.
 

absintheofmalaise

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Forbes has some details on the deal.
Mike Ozanian @MikeOzanian
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MLB Deals With Apple And NBC Sports Worth $115 Million Annually Combined via @Forbes forbes.com/sites/mikeozan…


The new multi-year streaming deal between Major League Baseball and Apple is worth $85 million annually over seven years, according to several sources familiar with the agreement who spoke with Forbes off the record. Under terms of the new pact, Apple will pay a $55 million rights fee and $30 million worth of advertising. Apple gets exclusive rights to telecast two “Friday Night Baseball” games each week (about 50 a season) in the U.S. and to eight countries overseas, via its Apple TV Plus. Apple has the right to exit the agreement after the first or second years.
 

Red(s)HawksFan

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Forbes has some details on the deal.
Mike Ozanian @MikeOzanian
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MLB Deals With Apple And NBC Sports Worth $115 Million Annually Combined via @Forbes forbes.com/sites/mikeozan…
The NBC Sports deal is separate from the Apple deal (since it's not clear from the tweet). The NBC deal consists of Monday and Wednesday night games streaming on Peacock which will not be exclusive. That deal is picking up slack from ESPN, which dropped those games in their latest contract.
 

Marceline

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I don’t know. Can you access Netflix or Disney+ through Wii? I would bet that if you can get those services on your Wii, you can probably get Apple too.
The Wii has Netflix and YouTube, but it doesn't support HD (max resolution is 480p) and the apps are no longer downloadable if you don't already have them. There is not an Apple TV+ app for the Wii.

The Wii U can manage 1080p and has a slightly wider range of apps available (Amazon Prime, Hulu, etc).

None of the Nintendo consoles have Apple TV+ on them.
 

John Marzano Olympic Hero

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Apple needs to stop trying to make AppleTV+ a thing. I will say that I wonder if the $30M in advertising means that the commericals will be nothing but ads for Apple products.
Why? It's not a bad service. Some of the shows are decent, some suck and the price is pretty decent. If you don't want it, don't get it.
 

axx

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Why? It's not a bad service. Some of the shows are decent, some suck and the price is pretty decent. If you don't want it, don't get it.
I feel like Apple TV+ is excess brought on by the stock market bubble. I doubt they have very many paid subscribers but since Amazon and Google are doing it they have to do it too. I could be convinced that this is more about advertising Apple products than trying to get more subscribers though. We'll have to see how long it stays free.

What do you think of the odds they get a Red Sox or Yankees game?
 

John Marzano Olympic Hero

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I feel like Apple TV+ is excess brought on by the stock market bubble. I doubt they have very many paid subscribers but since Amazon and Google are doing it they have to do it too. I could be convinced that this is more about advertising Apple products than trying to get more subscribers though. We'll have to see how long it stays free.

What do you think of the odds they get a Red Sox or Yankees game?
Do you mean: Red Sox vs the Yankees? Or Red Sox vs the O's or Yanks vs the Royals? Because I doubt that they get the former, but I would bet that Apple+ gets the latter.

And you're 100% right, the world didn't need another streaming service when Apple+ came along. I got it free when I got a new iPhone two years ago. I watched "Ted Lasso", which I liked. I saw the Beastie Boys documentary, which was catnip to an aging Gen Xer. And my wife liked "The Morning Show" which I found stupid and overwrought. There's a few other things that I'll tune into "The Afterparty" was really well done, but it's not essential. But TBH, I feel the same way about Hulu and Amazon.
 

nighthob

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I feel like Apple TV+ is excess brought on by the stock market bubble. I doubt they have very many paid subscribers but since Amazon and Google are doing it they have to do it too. I could be convinced that this is more about advertising Apple products than trying to get more subscribers though. We'll have to see how long it stays free.
If they land NFL Sunday Ticket and manage to reach a deal with the new MLB/NBA/NHL streaming platform I think that that TV+ service will be a goldmine.
 

Philip Jeff Frye

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I got a news alert from the WSJ that says that Peacock is after a deal for Sunday broadcasts that start at 11:30 am. I'm know that's what I want to do with my summertime Sundays! And those 8:30 am starts local time in Oakland and Anaheim will be a blast for the west coast fans!
 

milfordsoxfan

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I'm bumping this thread because I stumbled upon something awesome: 13 seasons of This Week in Baseball are available on Apple TV+. I had no idea this was available anywhere. Goes back to the late 70s. I am watching one from September '89 right now. I watched TWiB religiously growing up, so this is a fun discovery.

It was all the way at the bottom of the page for me (watching through Chrome on PC right now), so you may need hunt for it.

edit: dammit - there are a handful of episodes from each season, not the complete thing. Still kind of fun.
 

Wingack

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View: https://twitter.com/katienolan/status/1512118469797371904?s=20&t=z522H3uXAb-oGRQMyRi7IA


Here are the broadcast crews involved:

Beginning Friday, April 8, the broadcast team of Melanie Newman (play-by-play), Chris Young (analyst), Hannah Keyser (analyst), and Brooke Fletcher (reporter) will call the New York Mets at the Washington Nationals at 7 p.m. ET; and Stephen Nelson (play-by-play), Hunter Pence (analyst), Katie Nolan (analyst), and Heidi Watney (reporter) comprise the crew that will call the Houston Astros at the Los Angeles Angels game at 9:30 p.m. ET. Game assignments for “Friday Night Baseball” broadcasters will be announced on a weekly basis. In her new role with “Friday Night Baseball,” Newman becomes the second woman to lead play-by-play duties for a national broadcast team; she joined the Baltimore Orioles’ broadcast team in 2020.
“Friday Night Baseball” live pre- and postgame coverage will be hosted by Lauren Gardner, along with a rotating group of analysts and former Major League Baseball (MLB) players, including Carlos Peña, Cliff Floyd, and Yonder Alonso.
Scheduled games are available to anyone with internet access, for free, only on Apple TV+. Users can find step-by-step instructions to access “Friday Night Baseball” across devices.
 

jon abbey

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Also the Amazon telecast is only in the NYC area, luckily I have Prime and live here but still annoying.
 

cromulence

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Yeah, you can. They basically took the WPIX games and moved them to Prime, so if you're in-market, instead of watching on a different channel, they expect you to have a Prime subscription. Nothing changes for out of market.
 

Catcher Block

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Cardinals - Reds tonight on AppleTV. This is not good.

The broadcast is so dim it looks like an eclipse, and the call is incredibly awkward. The people on the call sound like they all met each other an hour ago and are there to read scripted bits about Hunter Greene's philanthropy.

Chris Young has some nice moments doing color commentary, but he gets uncomfortable quickly when the main PBP or sideline asks him a random question.
 
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Ale Xander

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Cardinals - Reds tonight on AppleTV. This is not good.

The broadcast is so dim is looks like an eclipse, and the call is incredibly awkward. The people on the call sound like they all met each other an hour ago and are there to read scripted bits about Hunter Greene's philanthropy.

Chris Young has some nice moments doing color commentary, but he gets uncomfortable quickly when the main PBP or sideline asks him a random question.
Wait for the late game and the the crowd (or lack thereof)

I also don’t get the Chris Young love anywhere He’s awful
 

Bertha

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Sox are on Apple TV Friday night. I can find nothing saying if this is only available live, or if, like any DVR, can be started from the beginning at any point in the game, or after completion?
 

jon abbey

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Sox are on Apple TV Friday night. I can find nothing saying if this is only available live, or if, like any DVR, can be started from the beginning at any point in the game, or after completion?
I am not an expert but when I watched NY on there last Friday via my Roku, I could not figure out how to pause it, and I was scared to play around much for fear of losing live action so I just left the whole game on live (I think it has been years since I had done this). Waiting for commercials to go to the kitchen or bathroom had become a distant memory, but that was my Apple TV experience (and it's quite possible I just couldn't find the pause button).
 

h8mfy

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I checked tonight and don’t think there is a way to pause the live stream. I watch on the built in ATV app on my TV (Android). The normal play controls I see for VOD seemed disabled.

I’ve been surprised at the poor stream quality from the first games and it doesn’t seem to be improving - something is out of sync and I think frames are being dropped and or delivered out of order. Fellow streaming media colleagues I’ve talked to locally say they haven’t noticed but that they are watching on actual Apple HW (not an embedded app like I am) so maybe they’ve tuned only for that, but the experience is disappointing on my system.

Has anyone else noticed frame jitter on the games?

Apple is also having lots of trouble with the interstitials - ad inserts, promos syncing, etc.

Live streaming is much harder to get right than VOD.
 

InsideTheParker

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Tomorrow's game is on NBC Peacock. I suppose it's the same deal, you have to give them your email address and some private info. If anyone finds out it's possible to watch without doing that, then I hope I hear about it, b/c I am beyond pissed with MLB for making deals to sell our information to these services. Manfred is the worst. Yes, worse than Selig.
 

Bertha

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I believe this will be also available on NBC. Assuming that is a short-term fix, and will eventually require the peacock subscription.
 

ledsox

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Yup. Standard NBC has the game tomorrow morning. 830 here on the left coast.
 

Doc Zero

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Every check swing call at 1B or 3B last night was late. It was disorienting, to say the least.
 

Lose Remerswaal

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Tomorrow's game is on NBC Peacock. I suppose it's the same deal, you have to give them your email address and some private info. If anyone finds out it's possible to watch without doing that, then I hope I hear about it, b/c I am beyond pissed with MLB for making deals to sell our information to these services. Manfred is the worst. Yes, worse than Selig.
You don't have to watch. There were decades when we didn't have the "right" to watch every game