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You’ll Have to Pay to Watch MLB on Apple TV This Season

The second season of MLB on Apple TV+ will now only be available to paying subscribers after games were free in its debut season.

MLB Opening Day is just over a week away, and baseball fans will have to pay more to watch their favorite teams on Friday nights.

After Apple’s first season of weekly MLB doubleheaders was free on Apple TV+ last season, the 2023 season will only be available to subscribers who pay the regular $6.99 per month fee. The workaround to watch for free is to head to your local bar, pub, or hotel where Friday Night Baseball will be available at 300,000 participating establishments through DIRECTV for Business.

The reviews for Apple’s first year of coverage were mixed, to be generous. As to be expected for one of the world’s leading technology companies, the spatial audio, drone camera shots, and player and field level mics made the visuals translate into a top-level broadcast. But Apple didn’t carry that energy over into the broadcast talent in 2022.

Play-by-players Stephen Nelson and Melanie Newman and analysts Katie Nolan, Hunter Pence, and Chris Young are out, being replaced by a pair of experienced, veteran broadcast crews to give Apple’s coverage a more serious feel. Wayne Randazzo, Dontrelle Willis, and Heidi Watney will make up one team, with Alex Faust, Ryan Spilborghs, and Tricia Whitaker rounding out the group.

As Apple TV launches the second year of a seven-year MLB deal worth $85 million per year, here’s its first half schedule with a lot more regional coverage. (All times EST.)

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About The Author
Shlomo Sprung
Shlomo Sprung
Shlomo Sprung is a Senior Staff Writer at Boardroom. He has more than a decade of experience in journalism, with past work appearing in Forbes, MLB.com, Awful Announcing, and The Sporting News. He graduated from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism in 2011, and his Twitter and Spotify addictions are well under control. Just ask him.