Apple TV+ is moving on from its experimental three-person booth to a more traditional two-person broadcast for its Friday night coverage of Major League Baseball. This leaves out veteran broadcasters Katie Nolan and Melanie Newman in the streaming service’s second year covering the league, according to the New York Post.
Nolan, who is known for her comedic commentary, had previously expressed that her role alongside Hunter Pence and Stephen Nelson was an awkward fit from the start. Apple’s idea was to add podcast-style entertainment in between the gaps of play, but the broadcast was met with criticism.
“When I found out what it was, I was like, ‘Are they confused? Do they know what I do?’” the Emmy winner said in November on Kenny Mayne’s ‘Hey Mayne’ podcast. ‘… And then I got on the phone with them and they sold me on the idea of me. They sold me on the idea of this like vision they had for a baseball booth. As with most things that start as visions, they don’t always end up being executed the same way.
‘When you’re trying to do something different in a position that’s always been done basically one way, there’s a lot of not only push back, but moments where you go, ‘Let’s go back. Let’s revert, let’s revert, just to be safe. And then we’ll take a couple swings, but we’re not going to go full hard into this idea, this direction.”
Nolan has previously worked at ESPN and FS1.
Newman has made history as part of the first all-female broadcast crew for both an MLB game and for a major sport on ESPN. She will resume her role covering the Baltimore Orioles for team broadcasts and MLB Network.
Wayne Randazzo will reportedly stay on as play-by-play announcer after leaving the New York Mets and joining the Los Angeles Angels’ broadcast crew this offseason. Fox Sports’ Dontrelle Willis is reportedly Apple’s next targeted hire to serve as an analyst.
Various other members of last season’s broadcast team have taken other jobs in the offseason, including Nelson, who will be a part of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ team coverage and is not likely to resume his role with Apple TV.
Opening Day is March 30.
