Major League Baseball is back on Apple TV+. Fans from Walla Walla, Washington, to Kalamazoo are asking a simple question. “why?”
Why would MLB put some Friday night games behind an online paywall, inconveniencing fans and forcing them to pay again for a product they already paid for with their TV rates?
The baseball world says it's about reaching younger fans who are tied to their devices, and that's true. More directly, it's another source of income. Apple is in the third year of its seven-year, $85 million deal with MLB, and MLB likes its stability as it watches regional sports networks adapt to a changing media landscape. There must be.
All of this is to remind you that for two of the next three weeks, you'll need Apple TV+ to watch the Cubs and White Sox. The Cubs will play the Mariners on Friday, and the Sox will play the Rays on April 26. Apple TV+ costs $9.99 per month but offers a 7-day free trial. To promote the baseball package, Apple TV+ is also offering a two-month free subscription.
Free is good. MLB on Apple TV+ was free at the start of the deal, but that inevitably ended. The question is whether it's worth paying $9.99 a month for a few Cubs and Sox games on top of the local sports fees your TV provider charges. If you're a Comcast customer, even more games are available for $19.20 per month.
Sure, Apple TV+ lets you enjoy more than just baseball for that $10, but its programming library pales in comparison to Netflix and Prime Video. But this is a sports media column. Is Apple TV+'s sports menu worth subscribing to? Which streaming service offers the most interesting live sports in our area at the best price?
As we often do, we ranked the top five streaming sports add-ons based on that criteria (live TV services like Hulu and YouTube are not included).
1.ESPN+
Fee: $10.99/month.
highlight: We have tons of exclusive content including on-market and out-of-market NHL games, access to UFC pay-per-views, college sports, international soccer, golf, NFL games, and more.
skinny: The Blackhawks appear exclusively on ESPN+ several times a season, and being able to watch over 1,000 out-of-market NHL games is a nice perk for hockey fans. ESPN+ is a must-have for UFC fans and college basketball junkies. Lots of Loyola and UIC games. ESPN+ is also home to PGA Tour Live, which allows viewers to choose how they want to watch the event. A little pricey, but you get a lot.
2. Peacock
Fee: $5.99/month.
highlight: Exclusive content includes Big Ten basketball and football, Premier League soccer, WWE, golf, auto racing, horse racing, Notre Dame and NFL games.
skinny: The Peacocks are a must in Big Ten country. As part of NBC's deal with the conference, the NBC network can broadcast basketball and football games, as well as bad games, exclusively on Peacock. Peacock also broadcasts all Premier League games and WWE Premium Live events, and will also broadcast the Packers vs. Eagles game in Brazil on September 6th. We no longer cover his Sunday morning MLB games.
3. Prime Video
Fee: $8.99/month. Amazon Prime costs $14.99 per month.
highlight: Prime is the home of the NFL's “Thursday Night Football,” but you don't have to watch the Bears' “TNF” games, as they are broadcast on local television. Next season, Prime will exclusively broadcast the wild card playoff games. He also renewed his contract as the WNBA's national streamer, giving him 21 exclusive games.
skinny: If Prime can acquire a package of NBA games in the league's next rights deal, which begins in 2025, it could overtake the Peacocks in local relevance. If that happens, some Bulls games could be removed from local RSNs, whether it's NBC Sports Chicago or the next one. As it stands, Prime Video is a nice perk of his Amazon Prime membership, but it's still not a must-have for sports fans here.
4. Paramount+
Fee: $5.99/month.
highlight: Soccer and more. Paramount+ on CBS is the only place in the country to stream UEFA matches, including the Champions League. We also have exclusive coverage of CONCACAF matches and international leagues, including the Italian Serie A League.
skinny: Paramount has been in the news a lot lately for its efforts to merge with Skydance Media. It's too early to know what effect that will have on its sporting properties, but there's not much local appeal here anyway — CBS pushes U.S. soccer games behind Paramount's paywall It's frustrating though.
5.Apple TV+
Fee: $9.99/month.
highlight: Apple will broadcast two exclusive MLB games on Friday nights and all MLS games through the postseason.
skinny: The MLS Season Pass does not come with an Apple TV+ subscription, unlike the NHL Power Play does with ESPN+. MLS Season Pass costs an additional $12.99 per month for Apple TV+ subscribers and $14.99 per month for non-subscribers. A must-have for Fire fans. Cubs and Sox fans can listen to the radio.
remote patrol
The Score Afternoon Co-host Danny Perkins The first book, “Pipeline to the Pros,” will be released on Tuesday. He explores the trends of NBA coaches and executives from small colleges and the significant impact they have had on basketball and the league.
• First time author Ken Smaller's Adapted from the book The Last Comiskey Matt Fresh's The 2023 documentary is scheduled to be released in May. It serves as a companion piece that combines Smaller's photographs, film content, and new material from the 1990 White Sox season.
• Live audio Wayne Randazzo,Analyst dontrell willis and reporter heidi watney The Cubs vs. Mariners game will be on Apple TV+ on Friday night.
• ESPN has selected Sunday's Bulls-Knicks game for the final doubleheader of the regular season, which will continue to be broadcast on NBC Sports Chicago.
