Since 2018, Major League Baseball has begun to shift its TV strategy, and that will continue again in 2023. Major League Baseball will air select Friday night MLB games on Apple TV+ for the second straight year, but with a twist. Here’s what you need to know about the MLB/Apple TV+ relationship and whether you will need to pay in order to watch games on the platform.
Related: How to save on a MLB.TV subscription for 2023
Apple TV+ and MLB
In 2022, Major League Baseball began to air regular-season games on the Apple TV+ streaming platform. When announced, MLB stated that games on the platform would air for free to begin the relationship between the billion-dollar tech and media company and the league. However, that held throughout the entire 2022 season. So long as someone had an Apple account and was logged in, one could watch the games without paying the monthly fee.
That, however, will change for 2023. In March 2023, MLB and Apple announced that games will air on the streaming platform for another season. But, baseball fans will need to pay $6.99 a month in order to have access to the live airings of games that air on Friday nights.
While this does mark a shift from precedent, it’s to be expected in this day of age. Apple TV has become much more aggressive in acquiring rights to sporting games. This year, Apple TV became the exclusive home to all in and out-of-market MLS games. And as far as MLB goes, the league will continue to double-down on its streaming strategy.
In addition to Apple TV+, select Sunday games last year aired on the Peacock streaming platform. Additionally, the New York Yankees aired select games on Amazon Prime, in the New York City media market.
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