Aaron Judge #99 of the New York Yankees hits a solo home run in the fifth inning against the Cleveland Guardians at Yankee Stadium on April 22, 2022 in the Bronx borough of New York.
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Yankees shortstop Aaron Judge looks to break the American League single-season home run record on Friday.
The only place you can watch the Yankees’ game against the Red Sox on Friday is Apple TV+, a streaming service that has worried some Yankees fans who want to watch the game on the regular TV channel, the YES Network, and with its own the team regular transmitters.
On Friday, before the game started, Yankee fans who opposed Apple found a new ally: New York Attorney General Letitia James, who urged Apple to allow the game to be broadcast on the YES Network.
“New Yorkers have paid their cable bills expecting to see live sports. They are now being asked to pay extra if they want to watch this thrilling home chase and potentially historic game,” James said in a statement. “That’s why I’m calling on Apple and MLB to reach a fair settlement with the YES Network so fans can watch what we all hope will be history tonight.”
But no one has to pay extra to watch Friday Night Baseball — it’s free for anyone who signs up for an Apple account or already has one. Users don’t have to pay the $5 per month fee for Apple TV+ to get baseball. Apple said earlier this year that baseball games are free “for a limited time” but have not yet started charging for them.
Nor do users need an Apple device to watch: In a break with historical preference, Apple TV+ has created apps for several non-Apple platforms, including Roku, Amazon’s Fire TV, Google TV and game consoles. allowing their broadcasts to reach a wider market. You can even watch them on any computer with a web browser and fast enough internet access.
James later returned the statementnoting, “While there is a way to watch the game without paying more, it creates requirements, including an Apple ID, a smart TV or streaming device, or Wi-Fi or cellular service.”
The dust-up is an example of the growing tension as high-profile sports broadcasts move from linear TV to streaming services like Apple’s. Major League Baseball and Yankees tried to clear up the confusion by posting guides on how to watch the match on social media and their websites.
Apple brought in comedian Jon Stewart, who has a show on Apple TV+, to inform viewers that there is no paywall on Friday. He joked that he got an Apple executive, “Mr. App,” to make the game free.
“All you need is the app and it’s on everything. It’s probably already on your phone, your TV, your microwave, behind your eyes because Apple is very tech-savvy,” Stewart joked in the video.
An Apple representative was not immediately available for comment.