Debate: Apple + has struck a deal with the MLB. But what does this mean for fans?
Episode 383 of the Sports Illustrated Media Podcast features a conversation with Adnan Virk of the MLB Network and the NHL Network. Virk hits on Tiger Woods playing in the Masters, and whether he wants to call games or just work in the studio.
The following transcript is an excerpt from The SI Media Podcast. Listen to the full episode on podcast players everywhere or on SI.com.
Jimmy Traina: I saw a tweet of yours where there was an announcement about the Friday night exclusive Apple TV package. And you tweeted that you love it. So let's start by fighting, because I hate it. So we're going to start right off the bat on a negative. Now I understand you work for MLB network. So of course, let's be careful. Why do you love that exactly?
Adnan Virk: So my thing Jimmy is this, I love the fact that baseball is more available as much as possible. Like I never want it to be limiting. So I love the fact that these new streaming services are new ventures. The fact that AppleTV+ is getting into baseball, of course, they've got deals with YouTube. So I love the fact that AppleTV+ is saying, hey, we want to be involved in the sports space and we are choosing baseball to be our initial foray. And listen, the games are available to anyone with an internet connection for free for at least half the season. So that's the fact that it's pretty much available to people out to the cable bundle, which is amusing because you and I are the two last of the Mohicans. I don't know if you still are, but I'm still, that guy who has DirecTV, which by the way, I paid $231 this month, I don't know I'm going to call them because every time you called them and threatened to cancel, then all of a sudden they knocked down the price to you. So my idea is that it's more accessible for more fans of a typical game. Now you go ahead and tell me why you hate it.
Jimmy Traina: Oh yeah, I would counter that very easily by saying this. Baseball, whether people like it or not, the fact of the matter is baseball has become a regionalized sport. So to me, you're not adding viewers, you're taking away viewers from this standpoint. Now I understand it's free, because it's the first week, so I got that. But theoretically, this Friday, the Mets play the Nationals. It's Max Scherzer's first start. Every single person in New York would watch that on SNY. They take it off SNY, it's on Apple TV only. So now the Mets fan doesn't get the Mets announcers that the Mets fan wants, the Mets fan is still paying for cable, for SNY. Someone in Iowa is not going to watch that game on Apple TV Friday night. That game is for New York and Washington, and those are the people you're taking away from it. Now I'm a Yankees fan so, you know, my life really won't be affected, but Friday night is usually, you go out to dinner night, maybe you sit at the bar, you want to see that because it's Max Scherzer's first start. What are the bars supposed to do? They're not going to have Apple TV They're wired for DirectTV and satellite. I think you're pissing off the local fan with that deal. And I think that is going to end up hurting baseball.
Adnan Virk: Definitely fans have an appeal to those guys and by the way the Mets announcers, those guys are as good as it gets, those guys are awesome. So I hear you that we're definitely creatures of comfort, we like having our people, our announcers. But I just like the fact we're just going into a new space, new territory. Everything's about streaming services, at least AppleTV+ is dipping their toe in the water. Is there a way ... I'm just thinking out loud, if the game was on SNY and AppleTV+ then you'd be ok with it?
Jimmy Traina: That's what they should do. It's the exclusivity that's a problem. And the exclusivity on a streaming service kills the bars and the restaurants. And on a Friday night, you know, restaurants are coming back now from COVID. I think the bars and restaurants, are going to be a major problem with this. The other thing I would say is this, and I wrote this in my column one day last week in Traina Thoughts, and this is a bigger discussion that we probably don't need to get into here, but I think, when people say, this helps grow the game, grow the game, I think "grow the game" is a catchphrase, like, "woke" and "cancel culture" and all that. Because here's the thing, that is not growing the game. 18, 19, 20, 21, 22-year-olds, out on a Friday night, if they live outside of New York or Washington they're not gonna fire up Apple TV to watch that game. You want to grow the game? Have the game, not be four hours, that will grow the game. It's that simple. Do not have the batter stepping out after every pitch, don't have the pitcher do a marathon around the mound after every pitch. If you can get those games to two-thirty, that'll grow the game. Being on an Apple TV is not growing the game, being on Apple TV is for owners to get money, which I get, and they should do that. That's what this is all about anyway, it is a business. But I can't listen to the phrase, "grow the game" because you're on a streaming service, that's just nonsense.
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