Just because there is a lockout doesn’t mean that there isn’t work to be done… According to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post, Apple and Major League Baseball are in serious talks to broadcast Major League Baseball games. From the article:
“A potential MLB-Apple deal would not be anywhere close to the magnitude of the NFL and Amazon — which is for more than a billion dollars per year — but MLB and Apple would be the entree of the technology behemoth into the coverage of top live sports… The package MLB has been attempting to sell is weekday national games that ESPN recently relinquished. ESPN will no longer have regular Monday and Wednesday games. The ESPN games were not exclusive in local markets. It is unclear at this point if Apple would be allowed to wall off these select games from regional sports network coverage or not.”
Related Article: ESPN Sunday Night Baseball Shakeup
If the deal is made, this would be Apple’s first foot in the water into broadcasting live sporting events. “If a deal is finalized, it would represent a significant milestone in sports broadcasting since Apple has long been looked upon as a potential stop for major sports TV rights. One of Apple’s rival companies, Amazon, has already carved out an important piece of real estate in this space, as it will become the exclusive home of NFL “Thursday Night Football” in the fall.”
Back in April of 2021, Apple unveiled the next generation of the Apple TV 4k that “leverages deep integration of Apple hardware, software, and services that deliver a massive upgrade to any TV for the very best cinematic experience,” said Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing.”
We will update as more information becomes available.
