Apple inks first Major League Baseball rights deal

Apple has acquired Major League Baseball (MLB) rights in nine territories, including the US and Canada, in its first major move into live sports broadcasting.

No financial details of the deal were reported.

The multi-year deal will let the Apple TV+ streaming platform exclusively air a weekly MLB Friday night doubleheader from the start of the 2022 season.

The Apple broadcasts will not be carried by the teams’ regional sports network partners.

In addition to North American domestic territories, Apple’s live game broadcast contract covers Australia, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and the UK, with more territories to be added throughout the deal.

Apple will also get the US rights to MLB’s live look-in that were given up by DAZN in 2020.

Apple TV+ will now broadcast an ‘MLB Big Inning’ whip-around show every weeknight and offer users in the US and Canada a 24/7 live stream feed with game replays, news, highlights, and classic matches. The deal also includes a digital highlights package for the Apple News platform.

The live MLB games on Apple TV+ will be initially offered subscription-free, Apple confirmed.

Noah Garden, MLB’s chief revenue officer, described Apple as the ideal partner to bring ‘Friday Night Baseball’ to fans around the world.

He added that the new game package with national availability and international reach would let MLB on Apple TV+ offer an exciting new platform that allows a wider audience to connect with the game.