In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Noah Garden, the Chief Revenue Officer at MLB, sits down to discuss the reasoning for choosing Apple’s streaming service.
“We have been looking for ways to increase reach for our games on a national scale. And even in the local market, the traditional linear bundle has been under pressure. On top of that, you’ve got the combination of cord-cutters and, more importantly, cord-nevers. 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.”
Baseball fans can watch Friday night games on Apple TV+ that aren’t available on other services. For instance, the interview claims if you pay for SportsNet LA and the Dodgers play on Apple TV+, you cannot watch the game on SportsNet LA. The service is free until June 24 and will require a subscription after then.
When questioned why the deal with Apple is good for MLB fans, Garden explains that streaming has become mainstream. Because of the pandemic, people have been staying home more and subscribing to multiple services for their content needs.
“I think the conversation a few years ago of, ‘Hey, you’re streaming something and that is somehow going to negatively impact the viewership,’ I don’t think that’s the reality any more. That’s certainly not what we see, across a wide variety of content.”
Garden goes on to state: “In this case, Apple reaches into every single home, with their products and their app. Taking some of these games and making them national just gives more people the ability to watch them.”
Check out our guide on how to watch MLB Friday Night Baseball games on Apple TV+.
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