Apple TV and Yahoo Sports are teaming up to bring alternative broadcasts of selected Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer games to Yahoo Sports platforms, expanding Apple’s reach among sports fans while giving Yahoo a new role in live sports coverage.
The partnership will cover four games in total, with two MLB matchups and two MLS fixtures streamed through the Yahoo Sports website and app. The alternative broadcasts, known as “altcasts”, will feature Yahoo Sports talent and selected camera angles supplied by Apple TV.
Yahoo Sports brings its own personalities to live games
The MLB portion of the partnership will feature Jake Mintz and Jordan Shusterman, hosts of Yahoo Sports’ Baseball Bar-B-Cast.
The duo will provide alternative commentary during the first two innings of two Apple TV “Friday Night Baseball” games. The first will be the Detroit Tigers’ visit to the Cleveland Guardians on September 4, followed by the Philadelphia Phillies against the New York Mets on September 18.
Yahoo Sports will also produce pre-game coverage for both matchups. The video feed will originate from Apple TV’s main broadcast, while Mintz and Shusterman provide the alternative commentary.
After the opening two innings, viewers will move to Apple TV to watch the remainder of the game.
MLS altcasts will cover the full game
The MLS component will offer a more extensive alternative viewing experience.
Alexis Guerreros and Christian Polanco, hosts of Yahoo Sports’ The Cooligans podcast, will provide commentary throughout two full MLS matches.
The first will be the 2026 Michelob ULTRA Campeones Cup on September 16, featuring reigning MLS Cup champions Inter Miami against defending Liga MX champions Cruz Azul.
The second will see Inter Miami face FC Cincinnati on October 28.
Both MLS altcasts will include pre-game coverage and the entire match, giving Yahoo Sports users an alternative way to consume two high-profile fixtures.
Apple brings additional camera angles
The MLS broadcasts will also make use of alternative visual feeds supplied by Apple TV and MLS Productions.
These will include different perspectives from the main broadcast, a referee camera and a dedicated feed shot entirely on an iPhone. The combination of alternative commentary and additional camera angles is designed to create a viewing experience distinct from Apple TV’s primary broadcast.
A cross-platform strategy for Apple TV
Beyond the four broadcasts, the partnership has a clear audience-acquisition objective for Apple TV.
Yahoo Sports’ altcasts will include direct links to the Apple TV app, allowing viewers to move to the main broadcast and access Apple TV’s wider sports offering. Yahoo will also promote Apple TV’s MLB and MLS coverage through its website, email marketing, social media channels and “how to watch” content.
The strategy gives Apple TV access to Yahoo Sports’ established digital audience without surrendering control of its core live sports product. At the same time, Yahoo Sports gains a new live-content format built around personalities already familiar to its users.
The deal reflects a broader shift in sports streaming, where rights holders and digital platforms are increasingly experimenting with multiple broadcasts of the same event rather than relying on a single linear feed.
For Apple TV, the partnership provides an additional discovery channel for its MLB and MLS inventory. For Yahoo Sports, it offers a way to move beyond news, analysis and highlights and further establish its position in live sports consumption.