I imagine that to be true for people who don't actually enjoy baseball.
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Apple TV+ Reportedly Abandoning MLB Coverage
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Why? Severance, For All Mankind, Ted Lasso, Shrinking, Murderbot, The Studio, Slow Horses, …
Quite a few games I wanted to watch had blackouts, real turnoff from paying attention to the stream.
I feel like this was a two fold attempt to help understand baseball statistics and a nod to online sportsbooks.
I agree with you, it was silly.
Every broadcast I’ve seen on Apple TV has felt like an attempt to get a person who has no idea about baseball into the sport. I guess I can approve of this, but as a long time fan it felt disingenuous and hokey.
Also, out of all the nights to watch baseball, Friday night has historically been the day I’m least likely to watch a game.
I’m really indifferent about this, nothing gained, nothing lost.
Also, out of all the nights to watch baseball, Friday night has historically been the day I’m least likely to watch a game.
I’m really indifferent about this, nothing gained, nothing lost.
Yeah this is a post that isn't living in reality for a lot of people.
Why does anyone think this has something to do with Vision Pro not selling well?
There was/is no future where we are all gonna plug into our own VR headset and isolate ourselves and watch baseball games.
There was/is no future where we are all gonna plug into our own VR headset and isolate ourselves and watch baseball games.
The last time I was into it was about a quarter century ago when the Mariners were actually good …that one time.
😂
(Ok, for a few years there…. To be fair)
They really did pull out some obscure stats, or things that only specific groups would care about in the moment..but then that has been a trend for a while sports broadcasting. Take the NFL, for example, "This is only the second time that they have completed a 4th down during a night game in an open-air stadium". Umm what? Whatever.
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Global? I have never been able to watch any game in the Netherlands on ATV+. Apart from the time zone difference.
Don’t give them any ideas for another “service” so they can extract even more $$ out of the user base.
it's the issue of most sports needs commentary from a bias source to be enjoyable. You want to hear people talk about the game that are rooting for the same team you are.
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Most baseball fans (like myself) have an mlb.tv subscription and can watch most games already, so I can imagine not many people watched this on Apple TV.
Def won’t be the end of live sports on Apple TV+. MLS is pretty popular and word on the street is apple will be in line to get F1 streaming rights.
Apple was spending nearly 5 million per episode On foundation. I think a cut here or there would t damage the show.
This is where I learned this might be happening and I’m praying it doesn’t. ESPN ruins everything.
Who cares? Fat guys hitting home runs is not very exciting.
Bet they will discontinue and remove the sports app too. I still say apple will be outta business by 2030, phones etc.
Most people don't seem to realize that with Apple TV's coverage you can choose which audio stream you want to use. So you can choose either of the local teams radio feed. I have found it to work quite well.
This should be viewed in a broader context, not just Apple. Two years ago Peacock’s Sunday morning deal went belly up, leading to Roku picking up the scraps. ESPN shocked the sports world by terminating its agreement with MLB a few months ago. Now Apple wants out. In all cases, the networks or services found themselves overpaying for a dwindling audience.
The problem is that this is 2025, not 1955. Baseball has competition from the other three major pro leagues, college sports, soccer, women’s sports, MMA, and all manner of upstarts sports and entertainment. Boxing used to be extremely popular too, now it’s just a throw-in on a streaming package. Yet if you want baseball and you have a team to follow, there’s a way to see them through MLB.TV. The talk from a week or two ago of Apple picking up Sunday Night Baseball seemed totally out of place. Friday Night Baseball isn’t the runaway success that would spur such a move.
If Apple decides to get out of the sports business altogether, I doubt anyone would shed a tear. And I have the Hulu+ESPN+Disney bundle. I’m good, Tim and Eddy.
The problem is that this is 2025, not 1955. Baseball has competition from the other three major pro leagues, college sports, soccer, women’s sports, MMA, and all manner of upstarts sports and entertainment. Boxing used to be extremely popular too, now it’s just a throw-in on a streaming package. Yet if you want baseball and you have a team to follow, there’s a way to see them through MLB.TV. The talk from a week or two ago of Apple picking up Sunday Night Baseball seemed totally out of place. Friday Night Baseball isn’t the runaway success that would spur such a move.
If Apple decides to get out of the sports business altogether, I doubt anyone would shed a tear. And I have the Hulu+ESPN+Disney bundle. I’m good, Tim and Eddy.
I really wish they had gotten the NFL. As for the other sports - I really don't find them interesting enough to watch. I will enjoy the F1 movie when it comes to ATV.
Make shows, don't waste money on sports leagues.
Make shows, don't waste money on sports leagues.
The commentary for these games was terrible. Our local team had several Friday night games and the commentators had very little knowledge on the players or teams. Very poor coverage that when done well makes it so much better. They could’ve paid the local teams to come in on these deals or worked out some sort of deal.
Yet another failed and expensive Tim Spindler experiment; hardly surprising given that baseball is the most boring sport in the world.
Apple is apparently set to exit its partnership with Major League Baseball and discontinue its "Friday Night Baseball" package on Apple TV+.
Apple first entered Major League Baseball in March 2022 with a seven-year agreement valued at roughly $85 million per year, which granted it exclusive global streaming rights to two Friday night games each week on Apple TV+. The deal was originally scheduled to run through 2029, but Yahoo Sports' Kendall Baker now says that Apple has exercised an early opt-out provision, allowing the company to end its involvement before the contract's planned expiration.
Apple's exit from baseball arrives less than three full seasons into its seven-year arrangement, marking a rare early termination of a major streaming sports contract. Baker described the new arrangement as "close to being done."
The shift would see Apple leave Major League Baseball coverage entirely. Baker reported that NBCUniversal, through its Peacock streaming service, is expected to assume the Friday night slot as well as gain rights to Sunday exclusive games and the Wild Card round. Disney's ESPN is said to be in advanced negotiations to acquire the MLB.TV direct-to-consumer service, while Netflix is reportedly set to secure the rights to stream the annual Home Run Derby.
The early termination would represent a significant retreat from one of Apple's highest-profile sports investments to date. When the partnership was announced in 2022, it was framed as an important part of Apple's video streaming strategy, intended to expand the Apple TV+ offering beyond scripted entertainment into live sports. At the time, Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Services, described the deal as an opportunity to provide fans with "the best seat in the house."
Apple's most prominent remaining sports deal is the 10-year global agreement with Major League Soccer, signed in 2023 and valued at an estimated $2.5 billion. The MLS Season Pass package is available exclusively through Apple TV+.
In addition to MLS, Apple has held discussions with other leagues and rights holders. The company was previously linked to negotiations for NFL Sunday Ticket, which ultimately went to YouTube, and explored packages with the English Premier League and the Pac-12 conference. Multiple reports suggest that Apple is currently in talks to acquire Formula 1 streaming rights in the United States.
Article Link: Apple TV+ Reportedly Abandoning MLB Coverage
Good! since i there is no way to stop the stupid popups for sports notifications on my ATV and other devices... Super annoying since i don't watch sports ball
Agreed. NHL made hugh strides to focus on the game a while back when it made those rules changes to minimize stoppage of play (limit offsides calls by ignoring red line except for icing calls, etc) and limiting commercial breaks to designated commercial time out calls instead of after every stoppage.
Again, the NHL audience and TV deals pale in comparison to MLB, NZFL and NBA which made it easier for it to make those changes and forego so ad $$$.