Apple TV MLB Analyst Defends Sports Transition to Streaming Services

Sports fans are witnessing a significant shift from watching live games on traditional television to streaming services. This isn’t exactly breaking news, but with streaming outpacing linear television viewership for the first time in May and a vast majority of sports enthusiasts now opting for streamed live games, it only makes sense for sports leagues to embrace these new platforms.

Russell Dorsey, the Friday Night Baseball analyst for Apple TV+, recently took to social media to question when fans will stop being astonished by games being exclusively aired on streaming services. Dorsey highlighted that the streaming landscape is expanding, and more services are diving into sports coverage. He emphasized that people will eventually have to look beyond the surprise factor of finding their favorite sports games on streaming platforms.

However, Buffalo-based columnist Mike Harrington didn’t agree with Dorsey’s opinion, suggesting that Dorsey’s perspective might be skewed due to his employment with Apple TV. This led to a series of discussions between Dorsey and Harrington regarding exclusivity in sports broadcasting and the impact on fans.

Dorsey’s stance is that exclusivity in sports is not a new concept, even though it may challenge traditional viewership behaviors. Regardless of where one stands on this debate, the transition to streaming services appears to be an inevitable evolution in the sports viewing landscape.

As more sports content is delivered through streaming, we can expect the options for streaming services to keep growing. Let’s hope that this expansion will not result in a fragmented and less affordable viewing experience for sports fans. The trajectory seems clear—streaming isn’t going anywhere, and sports will continue to find a home on these ever-expanding platforms.