With Prime Video being the go-to place for select NFL Thursday Night Football games, as well as occasional exclusive NFL games, Apple is looking to get into the sports arena and trying to hit the circuit of all the offerings of streaming to be able to do it with Apple. TV+, according to a new report from the New York Post.
Although MLB is not as big in America as the NFL, this would be Apple’s first opportunity to broadcast live sports, which could set in motion plans for other types of sports broadcasting (NFL, football college, college basketball, NBA, NHL, NASCAR, etc).
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As it stands, Apple wouldn’t have exclusive broadcast rights to any particular MLB team.
However, it has been reported that ESPN will no longer be showing MLB games on Monday and Wednesday nights, which could allow Apple access to this space for streaming these games, even if it was only once a week.
Other entities trying to get more live MLB games for their streaming service are ESPN+ and Barstool Sports.
However, a deal with Apple wouldn’t be unusual, as Facebook and Twitter have already broadcast MLB games live. Even last season, NBCUniversal’s Peacock aired a few exclusive MLB games. MLB games are viewable on Hulu for those who have Hulu with Live TV and those who have the Disney+ bundle that comes with ESPN+ integration, which already streams a number of games live every week.
If Apple were to secure the rights to broadcast live MLB games for next season, the price of the streaming service could increase. As it stands, Apple TV+ costs $4.99 per month and is available to stream through the Apple TV app.
It should also be noted that MLB is currently locked out due to the need to sign a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA). The regular season is scheduled to start Thursday, March 31.
What are your thoughts on the idea of Apple TV+ potentially getting the live-streaming rights to broadcast live MLB games for the upcoming season? Comment below or let us know on Twitter at @appleosophy.
