Two Cubs games will be on Apple TV+ this spring — for free

MLB and Apple agreed earlier this month to a streaming deal which will feature two games every Friday night, a doubleheader with an early game and a late game.

Today, Apple announced its MLB schedule through the end of June and the Cubs will be involved in two of these games (times are the broadcast start time):

Friday, May 13, at Diamondbacks, 8:30 p.m. CT
Friday, June 24, at Cardinals, 7 p.m. CT

It’s important to note that these games are exclusive to Apple TV+. Thus, these two games will not be carried by Marquee Sports Network. Apple hasn’t yet announced who the broadcasters will be for these games (and the other Friday games) will be.

Here’s the complete schedule through June 24.

Apple says you will not need a subscription to Apple TV+, just access to the service through their app or other internet-connected device:

“Friday Night Baseball” games will be available to anyone with internet access across devices where Apple TV+ can be found, including on the Apple TV app on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple TV 4K and HD, and on tv.apple.com, along with smart TVs, gaming consoles, and cable set-top boxes. “Friday Night Baseball” will include live pre- and postgame shows, and will be available on Apple TV+ in the United States, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, South Korea, and the United Kingdom, and for a limited time, without the need for a subscription.

It does say “for a limited time” without a subscription. Elsewhere in Apple’s press release linked above, it says:

Apple and Major League Baseball (MLB) today announced the first half of the 2022 “Friday Night Baseball” schedule. These scheduled games are available to anyone with internet access, for free, only on Apple TV+.

My assumption, then, is that games through June 24 will be available free, and a subscription might be required after that.

In any case, two Cubs games will be available on this new service, and can be watched by anyone in the locations indicated.