Apple Announces Friday Night Baseball Doubleheader Exclusive to Streaming Service

The move marks the company’s first entry into live sports.

Apple will become the latest player to get involved in the live sports streaming business, with CEO Tim Cook announcing during an event Tuesday that the company has agreed to a deal with Major League Baseball.

Cook revealed that the multi-year deal centers around a weekly “Friday Night Baseball” doubleheader on the company’s streaming service Apple TV+. According to John Ourand of the Sports Business Journal, Apple will also launch a live highlight show called “MLB Big Inning,” which will provide live game look-ins every weeknight; a 24/7 livestream with game replays, news, highlights and classic games; and the opportunity to watch highlights in the Apple News app.

Apple says that it will air 2 exclusive MLB games on Friday nights, marking Apple’s first entry into live sports. #AppleEvent https://t.co/OhFgBo8EFS pic.twitter.com/ifDgJI4t9y

— CNBC (@CNBC) March 8, 2022

The new deal will kick in as soon as the MLB season begins this year. 

Exactly when the 2022 season will start remains unclear due to the ongoing lockout. Commissioner Rob Manfred canceled the first week of scheduled games after the league and the players’ association were unable to agree on a new collective bargaining agreement by the owner-imposed deadline of Tuesday, March 1. 

As first reported by The Athletic, MLB told the union that Tuesday, March 8 was the last possible day to reach an agreement that would allow for a 162-game schedule.