Friday’s game on Apple
For the third time this season, Astros fans will have to depart from their usual viewing routine to watch their team’s game.
Friday’s 7:10 p.m. game against the White Sox at Minute Maid Park will stream exclusively on Apple TV+ and will not air on AT&T SportsNet Southwest, the team’s normal platform.
Orioles broadcaster Melanie Newman will be on play-by-play, with former major leaguer and Bellaire High School graduate Chris Young and Yahoo Sports’ Hannah Keyser as analysts. Bally Sports’ Brooke Fletcher will be the field reporter.
The homestand opener marks the third Apple TV+ game of the season for the Astros, whose April 8 and May 20 games against the Angels and Rangers, respectively, also were streamed on the service. The Astros’ July 1 home game against the Angels also will air on Apple TV+ per the July schedule released last week.
The Apple TV+ games continue to be free to watch, at least through the July portion of the schedule.
Astros fans can stream the game for free with Internet access and the Apple TV app, which is available on Apple devices and also on certain non-Apple devices such as select smart TVs and video game consoles, including PlayStation 4 and 5 and XBox. The games can also be watched via a web browser at tv.apple.com.
For those unable to stream the game, they can tune in on radio, with KBME (790 AM) and KTRH (740 AM) broadcasting it.
Besides the Apple TV+ games, the Astros are scheduled to have at least one other game streamed this season. Their Aug. 7 game at Cleveland will air exclusively on Peacock, NBC’s streaming service, as part of a new weekly package of Sunday morning games made official earlier this season. Unlike the Apple TV+ games that are free for now, a Peacock subscription is required to watch games on that service, which is free for Xfinity subscribers.
In recent seasons, more Astros games have been shown on alternate platforms. Last year, three home games aired exclusively on YouTube TV. In 2017, two Astros games were streamed on Facebook, but those games were also aired on the team’s regional cable network.