By Phillip Swann
The TV Answer Man –Follow on X.
Former editor of 4 TV magazines. Author of TV Dot Com.
Apple TV+ announced today that Friday Night Baseball, a weekly Friday doubleheader of regular season MLB games, will return to the live streaming service for the 2024 season. The games, which feature no local blackouts, will begin on Friday, March 29 with the New York Yankees facing the Houston Astros at 8 p.m. ET (pregame coverage starts 30 minutes earlier) while the Los Angeles Dodgers will host the St. Louis Cardinals at 10 p.m. ET (pregame coverage starts 30 minutes earlier.)
The games are free with an Apple TV+ subscription which costs $9.99 a month. However, they are exclusive to Apple TV+, meaning they are not available on other channels or services.
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Apple TV+’s Friday Night Baseball broadcasts are produced by MLB Network in partnership with Apple’s live sports production team. The streaming service says each game will feature “state-of-the-art cameras” and immersive sound in 5.1 with Spatial Audio enabled.
The Apple MLB broadcasts last year were available in 1080p HD HDR which produced images so vivid and clear that many fans mistakenly believed they were in 4K. An Apple spokesperson confirmed today to The TV Answer Man that the 2024 games will also be shown in 1080p HD HDR.
Update, March 30: Some viewers of Apple TV+’s opening night say the games were in SDR, not HDR.
“We’re so excited to bring fans another great season of ‘Friday Night Baseball’ on Apple TV+,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Services. “We have an outstanding lineup of games for Apple TV+ subscribers to watch across all their favorite devices, and an incredible group of talented broadcasters returning to bring fans closer to the games every week.”
The Apple TV+ broadcasting crew will include Wayne Randazzo (play-by-play), Dontrelle Willis (analyst), Heidi Watney (sideline reporter), Alex Faust (play-by-play), Ryan Spilborghs (analyst), and Tricia Whitaker (sideline reporter). Ted Barrett, Brian Gorman, and Dale Scott — all former MLB umpires — will break down rules and calls each week. Game assignments for announcers will be shared on a weekly basis.
Here is the Apple TV+ MLB schedule for games through the month of June:
Friday, March 29
New York Yankees at Houston Astros
8 p.m. ET
St. Louis Cardinals at Los Angeles Dodgers
10 p.m. ET
Friday, April 5
New York Mets at Cincinnati Reds
6:30 p.m. ET
Houston Astros at Texas Rangers
8 p.m. ET
Friday, April 12
Milwaukee Brewers at Baltimore Orioles
7 p.m. ET
Chicago Cubs at Seattle Mariners
9:30 p.m. ET
Friday, April 19
Texas Rangers at Atlanta Braves
7 p.m. ET
Arizona Diamondbacks at San Francisco Giants
10 p.m. ET
Friday, April 26
St. Louis Cardinals at New York Mets
7 p.m. ET
Tampa Bay Rays at Chicago White Sox
7:30 p.m. ET
Friday, May 3
San Francisco Giants at Philadelphia Phillies
6:30 p.m. ET
Toronto Blue Jays at Washington Nationals
6:30 p.m. ET
Friday, May 10
Arizona Diamondbacks at Baltimore Orioles
7 p.m. ET
Kansas City Royals at Los Angeles Angels
9:30 p.m. ET
Friday, May 17
Tampa Bay Rays at Toronto Blue Jays
7 p.m. ET
Minnesota Twins at Cleveland Guardians
7 p.m. ET
Friday, May 24
Milwaukee Brewers at Boston Red Sox
7 p.m. ET
Baltimore Orioles at Chicago White Sox
7:30 p.m. ET
Friday, May 31
Detroit Tigers at Boston Red Sox
7 p.m. ET
Los Angeles Angels at Seattle Mariners
10 p.m. ET
Friday, June 7
Minnesota Twins at Pittsburgh Pirates
6:30 p.m. ET
Los Angeles Dodgers at New York Yankees
7 p.m. ET
Friday, June 14
Texas Rangers at Seattle Mariners
10 p.m. ET
Los Angeles Angels at San Francisco Giants
10 p.m. ET
Friday, June 21
Arizona Diamondbacks at Philadelphia Phillies
6:30 p.m. ET
Atlanta Braves at New York Yankees
7 p.m. ET
Friday, June 28
Houston Astros at New York Mets
7 p.m. ET
San Diego Padres at Boston Red Sox
7 p.m. ET
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.
The TV Answer Man is veteran journalist Phillip Swann who has covered the TV technology scene for more than three decades. He will report on the latest news and answer your questions regarding new devices and services that are changing the way you watch television. See the bio for Phillip Swann here.
