MLB viewership is about to look very completely different.
After months of hypothesis, MLB reached three-year TV/media rights offers with ESPN, NBC and Netflix that may change the best way audiences eat America’s pastime.
Beginning subsequent season, “Sunday Night Baseball” will air on NBC as a substitute of ESPN, which had carried the prime-time broadcast since 1990.
That’s half of a bigger dedication for NBCUniversal, which can be set to air the Wild Card Sequence and the “Sunday Leadoff” package deal of day video games on NBC and Peacock.
It is going to be the primary time in additional than 20 years that NBC airs MLB video games regularly.
Netflix landed a rights package deal that features the Residence Run Derby, the 2026 Area of Goals Sport, the World Baseball Basic in Japan, and an Opening Evening unique.
The Residence Run Derby and the Wild Card Sequence had beforehand aired on ESPN, too.
And ESPN obtains the rights to MLB.TV, which is MLB’s out-of-market streaming service. These video games are set to look on the excellent streaming app that ESPN launched in August.
ESPN additionally acquired the in-market streaming rights for the San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians, Minnesota Twins and Seattle Mariners.
All three offers are set to run from 2026-28.
“Our new media rights agreements with ESPN, NBCUniversal and Netflix provide us with a great opportunity to expand our reach to fans through three powerful destinations for live sports, entertainment, and marquee events,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred stated in an announcement.
The brand new contracts are available in response to ESPN opting out of the ultimate three years of its earlier seven-year contract with MLB in February.
All three offers are set to run out in the identical 12 months as Fox’s contract with MLB. Fox holds the rights to the World Sequence and MLB All-Star Sport, amongst different programming.
NBC, which lengthy has carried “Sunday Night Football” and the Olympics, continues so as to add to its reside sports activities portfolio. The community’s 11-year contract with the NBA kicked on this season, marking the primary time in additional than 20 years that NBC is airing that league’s video games.
Netflix, in the meantime, continues to emphasise premium sporting occasions, together with its settlement to air NFL video games on Christmas.
