Yesterday, it was announced that 21 New York Yankees games during the 2022 season will air exclusively on Amazon Prime.
NEW COLUMN: The Yankees will have 21 games this season that fans will only be able to watch through Amazon Prime Video. https://t.co/rsEVWTmLv1
— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) March 31, 2022
The Amazon games, which are mainly scheduled for Fridays, will start on April 22, when the Yankees host the Cleveland Guardians.
Viewership Limitations
The Yankees deal with Amazon will drastically impact the availability of these games for Yankees fans. The games will be aired exclusively on Amazon Prime meaning they will not be shown on the YES Network or through MLB.tv. Finally, the games are not expected to be available outside of the Yankees local broadcasting footprint. Fans who live outside of tri-state area will likely be blocked from watching 13% of Yankees games in 2022.
Meanwhile, the Yankees will also lose two games in the first half to Apple TV+, however, these games will be available to all fans and not limited by geography. MLB also plans to air games through Peacock. However, no schedule has been released yet for NBC’s streaming service.
The future of television is clearly moving in the direction of streaming services. With more and more Americans “cutting cable” it makes sense for baseball to follow the NFL’s path. However, the Yankees decision to essentially block fans from watching their favorite team is certainly a bold choice.
