For fans of the Philadelphia Phillies, the familiar sights and sounds of NBC Sports Philadelphia play-by-play announcer Tom McCarthy and former Phillies great John Kruk on TV is a key part of the summer experience living in the tri-state area. The pair will be back at it once again this season, with Ruben Amaro Jr. and recently retired Phillies ace Cole Hamels also taking turns in the booth with McCarthy throughout the 2025 season.
That being said, Phillies games will also be broadcast on national networks like FOX and ESPN over the course of the season, in addition to streaming services such as Roku and Apple TV+ that also carry limited MLB games. While subscription streaming services like Apple TV+ have become reasonably popular in recent years, not all fans are happy with MLB's season-long arrangement for viewing select games on Friday nights.
Apple TV+ will air two Phillies games against marquee opponents in the first half of the season
Now that spring training is well underway, the national broadcast schedule for the first few months of the 2025 MLB season is starting to come into focus. With the Phillies still considered one of the marquee teams in baseball, it comes as little surprise that the team will be featured in three games on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball in April, May and June.
While most Phillies fans have basic cable, the announcement of two must-see-games on subscription-based Apple TV+ in April and June will leave a sour taste in the mouths of fans wanting to watch the Phillies take on the Los Angeles Dodgers (April 4) and the NL East rival New York Mets (June 20) without adding another streaming service. While Apple TV+ has previously offered a free trial in past seasons, a subscription of $9.99 per month is what baseball fans will have to pay to watch games for a full season.
These games are mysterious and important.
— MLB (@MLB) March 3, 2025
The Apple TV+ #FridayNightBaseball schedule has dropped through June! pic.twitter.com/tzVpyiJ6GJ
It was recently announced that MLB commissioner Rob Manfred opted out of a deal to keep MLB on ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball after the 2025 season. While nothing has been said about the future of exclusivity rights to MLB coverage on Sundays for the 2026 season and beyond, the trend toward MLB games streaming on Apple TV+ and Roku suggests that Manfred and the league could be trying to find a new and lucrative home for MLB coverage as early as next season. While nothing is set in stone, it's looking like Phillies fans could be forced to pay more to watch the team play games in the near future.