For MLB, Apple TV+ Deal is About Exposure

15 APRIL 2022 - If you’re wondering why Apple is doing “Friday Night Baseball,” you’ve gotta figure the answer is exposure. If you’re wondering why Major League Baseball’s doing it, the answer - it turns out - is exposure. 

Local broadcast stations used to carry baseball. Then cable sports networks signed deals for MLB, which was fine because everybody had cable. In the age of cord cutting, America’s pass time runs the risk of being passed by. 

Enter the Apple TV+ deal. Apple Insider highlights an interview between MLB chief revenue officer Noah Garden and the Los Angeles Times. Quoting that:

Even in local markets, Garden said, the linear bundle strategy has been under pressure — particularly with the rise of cord-cutters and those who have never paid for a traditional cable or bundle subscription.

"And so the opportunity to have a partner such as Apple, who can distribute our product — in this case, doubleheaders on Friday nights — to a huge domestic but also international audience is something that appealed to us," Garden said.

Reviews of the first week’s games were not awesome, but there’s plenty more ahead. “Apple TV+ will be airing Friday Night Baseball games each Friday for free until June 24,” says Apple Insider. Tonight’s double header features the Tampa Bay Rays at the Chicago White Sox, followed by the Cincinnati Reds at the LA Dodgers. Coverage of game one starts at 6:25 Eastern/3:25 Pacific. Game two coverage starts at 9:25 Eastern/6:25 Pacific on Apple TV+.