How to watch live MLB games for free on Apple TV+
Starting on Friday, April 8, Apple TV+ will stream Friday Night Baseball, a doubleheader that will be available for free to anyone with internet access in one of the countries where the service will be available. You don’t need to subscribe to Apple TV+ to watch any of these games in the schedule that has been released. Here’s how to watch Friday Night Baseball, whether you have Apple TV+ or not.
April 8: Updated with information about broadcast quality.
Apple TV+ Friday Night Baseball: How to watch for free
Apple has announced that the first 12 weeks of the season will be free, so you don’t need an Apple TV+ subscription. Apple has not announced the schedule beyond June 24, nor whether future games will require a subscription.
On Mac, iPhone, and iPad: Friday Night Baseball will be available through the TV app. Click on the Originals tab and the scroll down to Major League Baseball.
On Apple TV 4K and HD: Go to the Sports tab and scroll down to Major League Baseball. From there, you can see the schedule and add gamers to your Up Next queue.
On the web: Apple TV+ is available through a browser at tv.apple.com. If Friday Night Baseball isn’t appearing in the marquee spot at the top of the page, scroll down and look for the Major League Baseball section.
On a smart TV or set-top box: Many smart TVs and set-top boxes come with the Apple TV app installed. If not, you can search for it through the App Store on your device (Amazon, Google, Roku, etc.). If you can’t find the Apple TV app, check your device for a software update.
Apple TV+ Friday Night Baseball: Schedule
Apple has posted the first 12 weeks of the Friday Night Baseball schedule, covering April 8 to June 24. Start times for the first game are at 6:30, 7, or 8 p.m. ET, while the second game starts at 8, 9:30, or 10 p.m. ET. It seems as though the two games will air on separate streams, so the length of the first game will not affect the start time of the second game. These are the games Apple has announced so far:
Friday, April 8
New York Mets at Washington Nationals
7 p.m. ET
Broadcast team: Melanie Newman (play-by-play), Chris Young (analyst), Hannah Keyser (analyst), Brooke Fletcher (reporter), and Brian Gorman (rules analysis and interpretation)
Houston Astros at Los Angeles Angels
9:30 p.m. ET
Broadcast team: Stephen Nelson (play-by-play), Hunter Pence (analyst), Katie Nolan (analyst), Heidi Watney (reporter), and Brian Gorman (rules analysis and interpretation)
Friday, April 15
Tampa Bay Rays at Chicago White Sox
7 p.m. ET
Cincinnati Reds at Los Angeles Dodgers
10 p.m. ET
Friday, April 22
St. Louis Cardinals at Cincinnati Reds
6:30 p.m. ET
Texas Rangers at Oakland Athletics
9:30 p.m. ET
Friday, April 29
New York Yankees at Kansas City Royals
8 p.m. ET
Washington Nationals at San Francisco Giants
10 p.m. ET
Friday, May 6
Chicago White Sox at Boston Red Sox
7 p.m. ET
Tampa Bay Rays at Seattle Mariners
9:30 p.m. ET
Friday, May 13
San Diego Padres at Atlanta Braves
7 p.m. ET
Chicago Cubs at Arizona Diamondbacks
9:30 p.m. ET
Friday, May 20
St. Louis Cardinals at Pittsburgh Pirates
6:30 p.m. ET
Texas Rangers at Houston Astros
8 p.m. ET
Friday, May 27
Baltimore Orioles at Boston Red Sox
7 p.m. ET
Toronto Blue Jays at Los Angeles Angels
9:30 p.m. ET
Friday, June 3
Detroit Tigers at New York Yankees
7 p.m. ET
Atlanta Braves at Colorado Rockies
8:30 p.m. ET
Friday, June 10
Tampa Bay Rays at Minnesota Twins
8 p.m. ET
New York Mets at Los Angeles Angels
9:30 p.m. ET
Friday, June 17
Chicago White Sox at Houston Astros
8 p.m. ET
Cleveland Guardians at Los Angeles Dodgers
10 p.m. ET
Friday, June 24
Chicago Cubs at St. Louis Cardinals
8 p.m. ET
Detroit Tigers at Arizona Diamondbacks
9:30 p.m. ET
Apple TV+ Friday Night Baseball: Where to watch
Friday Night Baseball is available in the following countries/territories:
- United States
- Canada
- Mexico
- Australia
- Brazil
- Japan
- Puerto Rico
- South Korea
- United Kingdom
Apple TV+ Friday Night Baseball: Streaming quality
While games will not be shown in 4K, Apple has announced that game broadcasts will employ “state-of-the-art cameras, including high-speed Phantoms, the high-resolution Megalodon, and more throughout the season to present vivid, live-action shots.” Additionally, audio will be presented in 5.1 with spatial audio enabled. “Friday Night Baseball” will also use “new on-screen graphics that include innovative new probabilities-based forecasts of different situational outcomes, plus highlights and live look-ins from around the league integrated right into the broadcast,” according to Apple.
Apple TV+ Friday Night Baseball: Expanded coverage
Apple announced that the games will include pre- and post-game coverage hosted by Lauren Gardner with a rotating group of analysts and former players, including Carlos Peña, Cliff Floyd, and Yonder Alonso. Broadcast teams for each game will be announced on a weekly basis.
The broadcast teams are all MLB Network personalities, and Apple is relying on the MLB Network for its telecast production. In a press release, Apple stated that the production will involve high-speed Phantom and high-resolution Megalodon cameras, immersive sound in 5.1 with spatial audio enabled, new on-screen graphics that include probabilities-based forecasts, and highlights and live look-ins from around the league integrated right into the broadcast.
Apple also announced that games will display on-screen callouts about batters’ walk-up songs from Apple Music, Siri-based baseball trivia, and more.
Apple will also offer shows with more baseball coverage. On Thursdays, “Countdown to First Pitch” previews the week’s upcoming games. Every morning, “MLB Daily Recap” will show highlights from the previous night. Every weeknight, “MLB Big Inning,” will feature highlights and coverage of the games in progress. In the U.S. and Canada, viewers can watch a livestream of highlights, analysis, classic games and shows, and more, in addition to on-demand programming. However, access to this content will require an Apple TV+ subscription.
MLB in Apple News and Apple Music
Apple News currently has an MLB Opening Day preview curated by Apple News editors. On Fridays, Apple News will have curated highlights and stories from around MLB, and you can get personalized MLB highlights in the News app.
Apple Music will have playlists of batters’ walk-up songs from teams featured on “Friday Night Baseball.” There will also be a collection of songs with the theme of baseball.
