Apple’s deal with Major League Baseball is a MUCH bigger deal than it may appear. Here’s why.
Even if you’re not a fan of baseball, you should be paying attention to how Apple is shifting the live sports broadcasting industry.
Sure, the Mac Studio, the Studio Display, and the M1 Ultra gobbled up the most press attention (and rightly so) from Tuesday’s “Peek Performance” event. (See my recap of the entire event here.) But don’t sleep on the news that Apple TV+ is going to be carrying MLB Friday night baseball games this season. That may not sound like a big deal, but it could actually be the start of something huge for both Apple and the live sports broadcasting industry as a whole.
First, it’s the first foray into live streaming content for Apple, and their first big push into sports broadcasting. Apple’s been eyeing live sports for some time now. Their long play is almost certainly to become a broadcaster of NFL games, and there have been rumors about potential college sports broadcasting as well. Getting two Friday night MLB games every week is a big first move. And it’s not just those two weekly games either. From Apple’s press release:
In addition to “Friday Night Baseball,” fans in the US will be able to enjoy “MLB Big Inning,” a live show featuring highlights and look-ins airing every weeknight during the regular season. Baseball fans in the US and Canada will also have access to a new 24/7 livestream with MLB game replays, news and analysis, highlights, classic games, and more, as well as a full complement of on-demand programming, including highlights and MLB-themed original content.
That’s going to make Apple TV+ a no-brainer for baseball fans. The live show with live look-ins in particular will give baseball fans something to watch not just on Fridays, but every weeknight during the baseball season. This gives us a fantastic first look into the kind of things Apple would want to do with other sports leagues as well.
Apple hosting this content directly also solves a pain point for Apple TV users. Many of us have experienced the following scenario: You see a game you want to watch in the Apple TV app. You click on it with the Siri Remote which takes you over to a third-party app. But you haven’t used that app since the last time it received a software update. So rather than take you into your game, you have to stop and re-authenticate the app with your TV provider. Having more content directly in the Apple TV app will solve this problem. It’s also going to be a much better user experience for users compared with third-party apps due to Apple’s obsessive commitment to user interface details.
Secondly, this is going to be big for the sports streaming industry as a whole because of one key detail: no regional blackouts. As a fan of the Atlanta Braves living in the Nashville, Tennessee area, I can’t watch live games of my favorite team on MLB’s own MLB.TV streaming service because I’m within the blackout geographic footprint for the Braves. To watch live games I would need to have a cable subscription with a specific package, and that’s just not something I want to do. Live sports in general, and blackout rules in particular are the anchors that keep us from moving to an entirely post-cable future. Apple isn’t solving that problem in total here, but this is one more step at breaking the stranglehold that ESPN, regional carriers, and cable companies have on sports.
We just got news that the MLB contract talks have gotten worked out, and baseball will be returning April 7. I can’t wait to tune in to see how Apple implements live sports broadcasting on Apple TV+.
I have exciting news to share: You can now read Your Apple Update in the new Substack app for iPhone.
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