MLB Baseball Rights Packages are now available. Like last week, Apple was said to be the front runner for landing expanded baseball streaming coverage. But that’s not the case anymore, according to Kendall Baker of Yahoo Sports Reporter.
According to the report, Apple has chosen to end its relationship with major league baseball for a full time. That means no new Sunday games will be added, and the future of Friday night baseball is also relevant. Friday Night Baseball is currently streaming two games a week for Apple TV+ subscribers.
Assuming the report is accurate with the latest developments, the New Deal will confirm that Apple abandons all interest in MLB streaming.
Apple signed a seven-year Friday night baseball contract in 2022, paying about $85 million a year. This indicates that it will run until 2029. However, Apple is expected to leave the contract latitude sooner than that.
Instead, Baker believes that the Friday night MLB game will move to NBC/Peacock. They also add exclusive games and wildcards on Sunday. Netflix also streams leagues and home run derby games. The MLB.TV service is clearly on sale to ESPN.
The deal can probably be “finished” so you need to know what the official situation is right away. If true, it generally raises questions about the future of Apple’s commitment to sports streaming. The company currently offers MLB Friday Night Baseball and MLS Season Pass.
MLS transactions will run for 10 years until 2032, but according to the report, Apple has an opt-out option if it has an opt-out option.
Apple is reportedly currently in negotiations over US F1 streaming rights. However, it’s not just bidders. As indicated by MLB’s fallout, Apple regularly discusses potential proposals with the league, but rarely actually signs them on the dotted line. Previously, we discussed dealing with the NFL for Sunday tickets and the Pac-12 conference.
