Apple announced during its “Peek Performance” event that baseball is coming to the Apple TV+ with “Friday Night Baseball.” According to the company, subscribers will be able to watch a couple of Major League Baseball games every Friday. Now, a report indicates how much Apple had to shell out for this deal.
According to Forbes, MLB deals with Apple and NCB Sports are worth a combined $115 million annually. The publication says that the multi-year streaming deal between Major League Baseball and Apple for “Friday Night Baseball” is worth $85 million annually over seven years.
Forbes quotes several sources familiar with the agreement who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
This is the first sports deal Apple closes since the launch of Apple TV+ – sports are likely to become an important part of the company’s streaming service. In addition, since the price for Apple TV+ is relatively low, it can become, with time, an important competitor against other networks and streaming services.
Apple will pay a $55 million rights fee and $30 million worth of advertising. Apple gets exclusive rights to telecast two “Friday Night Baseball” games each week (about 50 a season) in the U.S. and to eight countries overseas, via its Apple TV Plus. Apple has the right to exit the agreement after the first or second years.
If everything goes right, the 2022 Major League Baseball season starts on March 18 with Spring training.
