Amazon this season will stream 21 New York Yankee games exclusively on its Prime Video service, according to a New York Post report. If true, that means the games will not be broadcast anywhere else in the New York market, including the teams’ regional sports channels.
Update: Andrew Marchand, the New York Post reporter who wrote the story, has added that the 21 Yankee games will be available to MLB.TV subscribers outside the New York market.
The Yankees and Amazon, which is a minority partner in the Yankees’ YES Network, declined to comment, the Post writes. But the newspaper reports that the Yankee games will be primarily on Friday nights, the same night when Apple TV+ will offer two exclusive games each week throughout the season starting on April 8.
It would appear that baseball fans will have to subscribe to multiple services this season if they want access to all games. In addition to Amazon and Apple, MLB is expected to license an exclusive number of Sunday morning/afternoon games to the Peacock streaming service.
The Amazon games will only be available in the Yankees’ tri-state market, unlike the Apple and Peacock games which will be national and available to all subscribers. The Post says the game rights were previously held by the local New York channel, WPIX (channel 11).
The ecommerce giant last year streamed 21 Yankee games, but they were also available on WPIX.
Amazon’s Prime Video service comes free with its membership which costs $139 a year. The Prime Video service can be purchased separately for $8.99 a month.
Apple TV+ cost is $4.99 a month, but the service will offer the exclusive MLB games for free “for a limited time.” Peacock has a free service, but the MLB games are likely to be available only on the paid plans which start at $4.99 a month.
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Even when they suck, they’re still the #1 draw in baseball. As a Bronx native I can say that.
so i pay for the mlb extra innings package thru cox cable to get my yankee games and now i am being told thzat 21 of those games i cant see due to it being only on apple and i have an adroid phone. not to mention that apple will want a fee, well if thise happens next yr then i will no longer pay for the mlb extra innings package on cox cable , its amazinjg no one cares about the fans