The premier broadcast of Apple TV+’s Friday Night Baseball wasn’t the grand slam fans were hoping for. Many fans reported streaming problems and other issues following the game Friday.
With the first stream of Friday Night Baseball occurring Friday, the first game being the New York Mets facing the Washington Nationals, many fans complained on Twitter that the first event was poor.
Buy Me Some Peanuts and … a Stronger Connection
The largest complaint to come from the evening was connectivity issues. Certain fans that tuned in to watch the game were unable to start the stream. Many that did join had their connections interrupted.
In addition to numerous social media complaints, iMore reports that the website DownDetector encountered an influx of reports during the Nationals-Mets game.
In addition to connectivity issues, many fans had complaints about the broadcast overall.
The decision to move forward with clean and minimalist graphics typically found in Apple’s aesthetic was warmly welcomed. Many complimented the fact that the graphics contained no distracting advertising. However, the clean graphics and font left other viewers divided. Some praised the graphics for giving the production a crisp look. Others complained that the graphics made the program look too basic.
‘Friday Night Baseball’ Stirs Debate
While graphic choices may seem like a small thing to complain over, many fans also took umbrage with the commentary team. Many described the announcers as terrible. Complaints range from the announcers talking about subjects not related to the game, as well as a lack of interest in the event taking place on-field.
A reporter for The Mac Observer reached out to a PR representative for Apple, though at the time of this writing there has been no response.
It is easy to chalk the night up to bad luck. It is usual to expect issues with anything that is new. With luck, Apple as well as its fellow technical teams and broadcasters will use this experience as a learning tool for future games.
April 15 marks the date for the next showcase. The program is scheduled to feature the Tampa Bay Rays taking on the Chicago White Sox, and the Cincinnati Reds versus the Los Angeles Dodgers.
I would never pay for hollywood product- I live there and that’s bad enough. So I tried Friday Night Baseball using my favorite offshore website for free and I couldn’t take more than 3 minutes of some shrill girl and two bubs blabbing with less insight than two fans at a bar – and then when one of the mooks mentioned his Applewatch that was it…bye bye Apple, nice try. Not. 💥