On the heels of a new relationship with ESPN, MLB is reportedly looking to redistribute some of its games. MLB’s executives are in negotiations with NBC, Apple, Netflix and ESPN to potentially create new broadcasting packages, per The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand.
NBC/Peacock and Apple TV+ are contenders to take over “Sunday Night Baseball” and the first-round playoff games, per Marchand. (NBC originally made an offer to take over Sunday Night Baseball in May, with Apple emerging as a contender later on.)
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“Sunday Night Baseball,” considered one of MLB’s flagship programs, has been on ESPN for more than 30 years, but was part of the deal that ESPN and MLB mutually terminated in February. Between eight and 12 first-round playoff games were also part of that deal.
After rekindling the relationship in June, though, ESPN could add weekday MLB games in addition to more of a daily digital presence, per Marchand. Netflix, meanwhile, has become a possible destination for the Home Run Derby — another asset in the former ESPN deal — with multiple outlets reporting on the potential deal last week.
Per Marchand, the deals have not been finalized, and other outlets are able to step in an negotiate while talks are active. The contracts are reportedly expected to be for three seasons.
What’s going on with MLB and ESPN?
In February, MLB and ESPN went through a pretty public breakup, with the league and network “mutually” agreeing to terminate their broadcast deal despite being under contract through 2028. The deal had a March 1, 2025 opt-out deadline for both sides.
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The deal was reportedly worth $550 million annually on average, but ESPN had reportedly asked MLB to take a lower rights fee, which MLB then declined. A memo from MLB commissioner Rob Manfred noted that he was frustrated with the “minimal coverage” that MLB received on ESPN despite the contract.
Then, four months later, the two decided to give it another shot. Marchand reported on June 30 that MLB and ESPN had renewed talks on a potential deal to keep the network involved. The talks were focused on local rights and pieces of ESPN’s old package, but without some of the marquee games.
Marchand reported at the time that Manfred had hoped to have a deal by the All-Star Game, but talks have appeared to take longer than originally expected. It is unclear when these new deals will be put into place — and who else might emerge as a potential contender in the meantime.