TV Answer Man, I’m a baseball fan and a New York Yankees fan. Please tell me that Friday’s game with the Yanks and Aaron Judge against the Red Sox won’t just be on Apple TV+. I hate Apple and their announcers and sometimes the picture buffers. Help!! — Teresa, New Haven, Connecticut.
Teresa, this is the big question of the day. New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge has 60 home runs, one short of Roger Maris’ traditional (non-juiced era) single-season record of 61. The Yankees play the Red Sox tonight at 7 p.m. ET and Judge could tie or break the record. But will fans need to stream the possibly historic game on Apple TV+ — and only Apple TV+?
Answer: Yes.
Apple TV+, the streaming service, has the exclusive rights to Friday night’s Yankees-Red Sox game as part of its regular Friday night MLB doubleheader. (Apple has had the exclusive Friday night games since April as part of a new agreement with the league.)
That means the Friday game won’t be available on a regional sports network such as the Yes Network, MLB.TV, or any other channel such as MLB Network or Fox. It’s Apple TV+ or nothing. And for fans who have trouble streaming due to poor Internet access, or a lack of technological savvy, that could mean they will miss a milestone event.
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The good news here is that Apple TV+ does provide the games for free and it’s relatively easy to watch them if you have a high-speed Internet service.
The first thing is to get an Apple ID. If you already own an Apple device, such as an iPad or iPhone, you probably have one. But if you don’t, you go to the Apple TV+ web site and click the Sign In button in the right hand corner of the Home Page. A screen will display with instructions on how to sign up. Click the ‘Create New Apple TV ID’ link.
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Then, about 30 minutes before the game begins, open the Apple TV+ app or go to its web site. You’ll see the game listed in a thumbnail on the Home Page. Click on the thumbnail and start watching. It’s that easy. Pre-game shows usually begin about 30 minutes before first pitch.
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However, note that Apple TV+ is not available on Android phones or tablets. If you own one of those, you will need to watch the games on the web site.
For more information on which devices are compatible with Apple TV+, click here.
Note: Apple TV+’s second game in the doubleheader tonight is the Cardinals-Dodgers matchup at 10 p.m. ET. That means St. Louis’ Albert Pujols could hit his 700th HR exclusively on Apple as well. (Pujols has 698 going into tonight’s action.)
Welcome to the new world of television.
Happy viewing and stay safe, everyone!
Have a question about new TV technologies? Send it to The TV Answer Man at swann@tvanswerman.com Please include your first name and hometown in your message.
— Phillip Swann
@tvanswerman
