Major League Baseball on Wednesday announced three new media rights deals that will reshape how the sport is consumed. Over the next three seasons, the league will spread its games across new partners and an array of streaming services, including Netflix, NBC/Peacock and ESPN.
Here is what you need to know to find the games and what the shifting landscape means for the business of baseball and its partner networks.
Where are the games?
Streaming giant Netflix will be the new home of the annual Home Run Derby. It will also broadcast next season’s Opening Day prime-time game between the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants, as well as a “Field of Dreams” game from Iowa.
NBC networks and Peacock will air MLB’s exclusive Sunday night games, 18 late Sunday morning games and the playoff first rounds. Peacock will also air a Sunday afternoon whip-around show.
ESPN’s new streaming service will be the distributor of MLB.TV, the service that shows all of the league’s out-of-market games. ESPN will also get a 30-game package of exclusive games (on linear networks and its streaming app) and broadcast MLB’s Memorial Day coverage.
Fox remains the home of the World Series and the All-Star Game.
Vote of confidence
ESPN exercised an opt-out in its Sunday Night Baseball contract earlier this year that triggered a months-long rights negotiation. After top leagues like the NFL, NBA and college football have signed lucrative media rights deals in recent years, the opt-out raised a question for MLB: Was it still a must-have media property? This deal says it is.
The breadth of media companies interested in the rights suggests MLB will be able to cash in 2029 when it returns to market with its full slate of rights, including what is expected to be a new package of the league’s local games, too.
Baseball, as a product, is riding high. The riveting World Series between the Los Angeles Dodgers and Toronto Blue Jays was the most-watched Fall Classic since 1992, according to MLB, with more than 50 million viewers for Game 7 across the United States, Canada and Japan.
NBC and Netflix have a brand
NBC is Sunday night. Sunday night baseball will appear on NBC’s platforms, including NBC, NBC Sports Network and streaming service Peacock, joining NBC’s existing Sunday night packages for both the NBA and NFL.
Netflix, meanwhile, has targeted specific special events, such as the NFL on Christmas or the roast of Tom Brady. The Home Run Derby, opening night and Field of Dreams games fit neatly into that strategy.
MLB and ESPN made nice
The two sides had an ugly falling out this summer, with MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred going so far as to rip ESPN’s “shrinking platform.” But business is business, and they are back together.
ESPN has long expressed interest in delivering local MLB games to local fans, with the regional sports network ecosystem in peril. Fans will be able to buy MLB Network separately, but the network no doubt hopes fans opt for larger ESPN packages — and that offering local baseball games will be helpful in keeping subscribers.
Fans will need a lot of services
The following networks will broadcast exclusive MLB games next season: Apple, ESPN, Peacock, Netflix, TBS and FOX. Fans will have to navigate both finding games and paying for them.
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