Skip to main content

Deck.blue brings a TweetDeck experience to Bluesky users

With over 3 million users and plans to open up more broadly in the months ahead, Bluesky is still establishing itself as an alternative to Twitter/X. However, that hasn’t stopped the developer community from embracing the project and building tools to meet the needs of those fleeing the now Elon Musk-owned social network, formerly known […] © 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only. from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/TBbEAPF
Post a Comment

Apple and Major League Baseball to livestream 12 weeks of Friday night games for free

Earlier this month, Apple announced its first live sports deal with Major League Baseball to bring a number of games and other MLB content to the Apple TV+ service for the 2022 season. Today, Apple unveiled the first 12 weeks of its “Friday Night Baseball” doubleheader schedule, which it now says will be freely available to anyone with internet access — without the need for an Apple TV+ subscription.

Previously, Apple had hinted some of its Friday Night games would be available for free for a “limited time,” but didn’t detail how many. The offering could entice more users to try out Apple TV+ before committing to a subscription. Apple confirmed to TechCrunch consumers won’t need to sign up for a TV+ subscription, nor a free trial, in order to stream the games for free.

Apple says the first half of its “Friday Night Baseball” schedule is set to premiere on April 8. The first game in the schedule will see the New York Mets facing off against the Washington Nationals, live from Nationals Park in Washington, D.C., at 7 PM ET. After that, Apple TV+ will broadcast the Houston Astros versus the Los Angeles Angels live from Angel Stadium at 9:30 PM ET.

The “Friday Night Baseball” doubleheader will then continue to be available to baseball fans across eight countries on Apple TV+ throughout the regular season. The first half of the schedule, which runs through June 24, can be found here. There’s no word yet on if Apple plans to make the Friday night games running in the second half of the season free, as well.

The start of the MLB season had been postponed due to a labor dispute, but that’s now resolved.

U.S. fans will also be able to tune in to a new live show called “MLB Big Inning,” which will feature highlights and look-ins and will air every night during the regular reason. And fans in both the U.S. and Canada will gain access to a new 24/7 livestream with MLB game replay, news, analysis, highlights, classic games and more, as well as on-demand programming that includes highlights and other original MLB content. The games and shows will stream across the Apple TV+ service, where they won’t be subject to local broadcast restrictions.

Apple also noted that the MLB will commemorate Jackie Robinson Day on April 15, to mark the 75th anniversary of the Hall of Famer’s Major League debut.

On that night, Apple’s “Friday Night Baseball” will run special coverage featuring former American League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Randy Arozarena, the Tampa Bay Rays visiting All-Star shortstop Tim Anderson and the Chicago White Sox. In addition, last season’s National League Jackie Robinson Rookie of the Year Jonathan India and the Cincinnati Reds will be hosted by 2020 National League MVP Freddie Freeman and his new Dodger teammates, as part of the celebration.

Apple says that other presentation details, including additional game schedules throughout the regular season, broadcast teams, production enhancements and pre- and post-game coverage will be announced at a later date.

The streaming service’s “Friday Night Baseball” offering will include live pre- and post-game shows.

Games will be available for streaming in the following countries:

  • United States
  • Canada
  • Australia
  • Brazil
  • Japan
  • Mexico
  • Puerto Rico
  • South Korea
  • U.K.

The new “Friday Night Baseball” schedule will mark Apple’s first foray into live sports, which is something it was reportedly looking to add to its streaming service for quite some time. However, the launch is also an example of how Apple is able to leverage its market position and sizable coffers to do something that other streamers could struggle with: offering free live sports as a means of marketing its service to potential subscribers.

The games can be accessed across devices where Apple TV+ is found, including on Apple’s TV app on iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple TV, along with select smart TVs, gaming consoles and cable set-top boxes.

Apple TV+ to stream weekly Major League Baseball games in its first live sports deal

Additional reporting: Sarah Perez



from TechCrunch https://ift.tt/o3F48sX
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

New month, new crypto market moves?

To get a roundup of TechCrunch’s biggest and most important crypto stories delivered to your inbox every Thursday at 12 p.m. PT, subscribe here . Welcome back to Chain Reaction. Seems like just yesterday we were ringing in the New Year, but we’ve coasted into February and all seems to be somewhat relaxed (for once) in the crypto world. Last month was filled with crypto companies laying off staff , developments around the existing and new Chapter 11 bankruptcies in the space, partnerships and conversations about potential recovery in 2023. Even with a range of bad news flooding the industry, some cryptocurrencies had a bull run in January, amid the market turmoil. Bitcoin rallied 40% on the month, while ether rose about 32% during the same period. Solana also saw serious recovery, from about $10 in the beginning of the year, near its lowest level since February 2021, up 146% to about $24.3 by the end of January, CoinMarketCap data showed. These market movements could pot...
Post a Comment
Read more

Nimbus launches tiny EV prototype that’s like a motorbike with a roof

As shared e-scooter companies have infiltrated cities and e-bike sales have soared, micromobility has been offered up as a panacea to save us all from the ill humors and packed streets caused by gas-guzzling cars. However, one of the major roadblocks in front of well-intentioned city dwellers who’d love to trade in their cumbersome and environmentally unfriendly vehicles for an e-bike or scooter remains: What happens when it rains? Nimbus, a California-based electric vehicle startup, wants to solve that problem with a simple solution: Put a roof on it. The company recently came out of stealth with a prototype for its Nimbus One, a tiny, three-wheeled EV that “combines the convenience and cost of a motorbike with the safety and comfort of a car.” The Nimbus One. Image Credits: Nimbus The thin, pod-like vehicle is only about 2.75 feet wide and 7.5 feet long, which Nimbus says makes it three to five times smaller than a compact car — the better to park and navigate busy urban stree...
Post a Comment
Read more

Can Arbitrum’s recently formed DAO recover from its messy week?

The TechCrunch Podcast Network has been nominated for two Webbys in the Best Technology Podcast category. You can help TechCrunch win by voting for Chain Reaction , which digs into the wild world of crypto, or Found , which brings you the stories behind the startups by sitting down with the founders themselves. Please take a few moments to vote here . Voting closes April 20. (NB I host Chain Reaction, so vote for my show!) Welcome back to Chain Reaction. This week was pretty bearable as a crypto reporter covering this space. There was less crazy news transpiring, compared to previous weeks (where we saw a number of U.S. government crackdowns on major crypto companies like Binance and Coinbase ). Still, it’s never a dull week in the crypto world. In late March, Arbitrum, an Ethereum scaling solution, transitioned into a decentralized autonomous organization (DAO), after airdropping community members its new token, ARB. DAOs are meant to operate with no central authority and token h...
Post a Comment
Read more