Apple TV+ Now Has The Perfect Channel For Baseball Viewers

A month ago, Apple announced that it was bringing baseball games to Apple TV+, and a couple of weeks later, the company also divulged that baseball coverage will commence on April 8. Well, the premiere is finally upon us, and right on time, the company has also detailed the broadcast and programming details for Friday Night Baseball. Notably, Apple is pushing women into the broadcast booth, with Melanie Newman leading the play-by-play coverage of the game between the New York Mets and the Washington Nationals. The fixture between Houston Astros and Los Angeles Angels will have Heidi Watney as a reporter and Katie Nolan as an analyst.

Dubbed Friday Night Baseball, the first schedule of games coming to Apple TV+ includes the New York Mets vs. Washington Nationals match that starts at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, while the subsequent Los Angeles Angels vs. Houston Astros match will kick off at 9:30 p.m. ET. The best part is that scheduled games are available for free, with no subscription required. Aside from the live games, viewers will also be treated to pre- and post-game coverage by a panel that includes former Major League Baseball names like Cliff Floyd, Carlos Pena, and Yonder Alonso. Folks in Canada and the United States will also get access to 24/7 live programming with replays, analysis, news, highlights, and even a slate of classic games available on Apple TV+.

The baseball games will be available on the Apple TV app for iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV 4K, smart TVs, or via web browser on tv.apple.com. To get started, just open the Apple TV app (or web page), head over to the Apple TV+ tab, and click on Friday Night Baseball at the top. But do keep in mind that, unlike streaming content, playback controls such as fast-forward, pause, and rewind are not available for baseball games. To check the schedule of your favorite teams, go to the Search section and type the team's name to see all details. There's also an option to follow your favorite teams in the app.

Aside from the live games and expert coverage, the upcoming week's games will be previewed with the "Countdown to First Pitch" segment while the "MLB Daily Recap" slot will serve highlights every morning. Full games and condensed replays will also be available in the on-demand library. And to boost the audio-visual appeal, Apple has enabled 5.1 surround sound with Spatial Audio, while high-speed Phantoms and high-resolution Megalodon camera will also be part of the package. Users will also get access to a personalized feed of highlights right in the Apple News app, while Apple Music will also host exclusive playlists for each batter's entrance song.