MLB Is Driving A Ton Of Paid Subscribers To Apple TV

Major League Baseball is a bigger hit for Apple TV than expected.

Despite frustration from baseball fans about having to sign up for yet another streaming service, and one that offers little else for sports viewers, MLB is driving more Apple TV subscriptions than acclaimed dramas like "The Morning Show" and "Your Friends & Neighbors."

Citing data from Antenna, Bloomberg News reported that a May game between the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees led more people to sign up for the service than any other program from April 2025 through September 2025, generating 722,000 new accounts.

Six baseball games ranked among the top 10 subscription drivers in that span, as per the chart below:

Via Bloomberg

Live sports prompting sign-ups is no revelation. What stands out is that Apple carries only regular-season MLB games, none of which qualify as marquee events. To be frank, these aren’t the most consequential matchups the sport offers.

The study reinforces that MLB’s popularity exceeds the narrative pushed by national media. Claims that "baseball is dying" remain unfounded. They are especially flimsy at a time when the World Series now outdraws the NBA Finals.

CLEVELAND, OHIO - JUNE 27: A view of an Apple TV microphone during the ninth inning between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field on June 27, 2025 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images)

MLB’s success on Apple TV also hints that the tech giant could take on a larger role in 2029, when the league brings its entire slate of broadcast rights to market. MLB will likely keep the World Series on traditional television, whether that remains with Fox or moves to NBC or ESPN. However, Apple could pursue a more robust regular-season package or even playoff games.

With an astounding market cap of $4.23 trillion, Apple has the financial power to outbid any of MLB’s current partners -- including Netflix, which recently secured rights to stream opening night and the Home Run Derby for the next three years.

Amazon Prime is another suitor to watch. As NBC plans to do on Sunday nights, Prime could make Thursday nights its year-round sports showcase by adding MLB after the NFL and NBA seasons.

Finally, though Apple has been selective with its live sports offerings, the strong performance of Friday Night Baseball could push the company to explore rights in other leagues and properties.

Hint: More NFL packages are expected to be available in the coming years.