Apple TV Plus’ Friday Night Baseball debut wasn’t the homerun fans expected

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Some fans were frustrated and disappointed with the quality of the commentary during and after the first live baseball broadcast on Apple TV Plus. I think the fans of all four teams can agree on one thing, that Apple TV Plus did not go down as expected when it aired the New York Mets against the Washington Nationals and the Houston Astros against the Los Angeles Angels last night.

Some fans said their broadcasts were interrupted during the games, despite their internet working just fine. When the stream ended, viewers got an error message that said there was a problem with the video. It looks like Apple may have been having some issues with their internet connection, but there hasn't been any confirmation from the company. Apple didn't reply immediately to the request for comment.

Nothing can ruin baseball… and then Apple TV + came along

— Evan Roberts (@EvanRobertsWFAN) April 9, 2022

When fans could actually watch the game, some said they put it on silent due to the off- topic commentary. Instead of focusing on the game, the commentators talked about Apple products, as well as the Japanese restaurant chain Benihana. The commentators came off as not having a lot of experience with baseball, according to others.

Fans were disappointed that the game didn't have controls for pausing, rewinding, or fast-forwarding. The controls aren't supported during Friday Night Baseball on Apple's site, but it would still be a handy feature to have.

Friday Night Baseball on Apple TV+ (which is produced by MLB Network) feels like watching the MLB App on an iPad.



Simple and clean gfx. Very on-brand for Apple; down to the fonts.



Combined w/ 1080p and the shallow DoF camera around the dugouts, the overall show is crisp. pic.twitter.com/N4ANJug3KK

— Brandon Costa (@SVG_Brandon) April 9, 2022

Things weren't all bad. Fans were impressed with the picture quality and the lack of ads. Others pointed out the simplistic on-screen graphics, like the subtle name of the player at bat and the probability statistics in the bottom-right corner of the screen. Brandon Costa, the director of digital at Sports Video Group, highlighted the use of the sans-serif fonts Apple typically uses for its marketing materials, making it a very Apple meets MLB type of experience.

At its Peek Performance event last month, Apple announced its partnership with the MLB. MLB Big Inning, a show that features highlights and analysis surrounding the latest games in baseball, will be broadcasted on Apple TV Plus. Live baseball games are available for free on the Apple TV app for a limited time, but it is not clear when Apple will require a subscription for all viewers.