Game time, TV network change for Braves’ season opener

Braves mascot Blooper shows the 2021 World Champions trophy to the public during the first stop of the World Champions Trophy Tour on Feb. 15 at Colony Square in Midtown. Braves President and CEO Derek Schiller looks on. (Miguel Martinez for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

Credit: Miguel Martinez for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Credit: Miguel Martinez for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Braves mascot Blooper shows the 2021 World Champions trophy to the public during the first stop of the World Champions Trophy Tour on Feb. 15 at Colony Square in Midtown. Braves President and CEO Derek Schiller looks on. (Miguel Martinez for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)

The starting time and TV network have changed for the Braves’ season opener next week.

The defending World Series champion’s April 7 game against the Cincinnati Reds at Truist Park will begin at 8:08 p.m., rather than the originally scheduled 7:20 p.m., and will be nationally televised on ESPN2, rather than regionally on Bally Sports South as originally planned, the Braves confirmed Tuesday.

The game will be preceded by the unveiling of the Braves’ 2021 World Series championship banner high above right field.

Later in the season, Braves fans will have to turn to a different platform than usual to watch the telecasts of the May 13 game against the San Diego Padres at Truist Park and the June 3 game against the Colorado Rockies in Denver. Those two games, starting at 7 p.m. and 8:30 p.m., respectively, will be shown exclusively on Apple TV-Plus as part of a new “Friday Night Baseball” package.

Apple and MLB announced Tuesday the schedule for the first 12 weeks of that package, including the two Braves games. Apple’s schedule for the second half of the season will be announced later.

Apple said its MLB package, featuring two games each Friday night, will be available without the need for a subscription for a limited time to anyone with internet access across devices where Apple TV-Plus can be found.