Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Key Takeaways
- ESPN’s MLB national broadcast deal ends after 2025; they want reduced rights fees and may remain involved in some capacity.
- MLB is splitting ESPN’s current package among multiple broadcasters and streamers, with NBC and Netflix as major contenders.
- Netflix is likely to acquire the Home Run Derby and other high-profile content.
- This fragmentation could mean more subscriptions and blackout challenges for fans but higher revenues for MLB.
- MLB aims to modernize its rights model toward national streaming, reducing reliance on regional sports networks.
Table of Contents
What’s Happening with MLB Broadcast Rights?
Why This Matters to Fans and the Industry
What’s Happening with MLB Broadcast Rights?
Major League Baseball (MLB) is on the cusp of a major broadcasting shake-up as its current TV rights contracts, especially ESPN’s, expire at the end of the 2025 season. This shift has sparked fierce negotiations with networks and streaming platforms—including NBC, Netflix, Apple TV+, and ESPN itself—ushering in a new era for how fans watch America’s pastime.
What’s Happening with ESPN?
ESPN, which has been broadcasting MLB games since 1990, agreed with MLB earlier this year to end their seven-year, $500 million-per-season contract three years early, concluding coverage after the 2025 season. Despite parting ways on the current deal, ESPN remains interested in acquiring a portion of future MLB rights, particularly around weekday games and the MLB.TV streaming package. However, they have expressed displeasure over what they considered to be too high a rights fee, especially compared to deals of competitors like Apple TV+ ($85 million/year) and Roku ($10 million/year)[1][2][4].
MLB Plans to Split Broadcast Packages
The MLB is now planning to break up the ESPN package — which includes Sunday Night Baseball, the Wild Card postseason round, the Home Run Derby, and Opening Night — among multiple broadcasters instead of selling it as one bundle[3][5]. NBC/Peacock is a front-runner to acquire Sunday Night Baseball and playoff games, while Netflix is emerging as a strong candidate to secure the Home Run Derby and possibly other key events like the 2026 World Baseball Classic’s Japanese rights[1][3].
Why This Matters to Fans and the Industry
This fragmentation of baseball’s broadcast rights across several platforms could mean fans might have to subscribe to multiple services to catch all the marquee events, which raises concerns about increased costs and blackout issues. However, for MLB and broadcasters, splitting the rights is a strategic move to maximize revenue by tailoring packages to different audience segments and platform strengths[2][3][5].
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has indicated a desire to move away from the traditional regional sports network model toward more nationalized, streamlined streaming accessibility, but the market is still in flux with multiple players vying to find optimal deals[4].
What’s Next?
Negotiations are ongoing and far from finalized as of mid-August 2025. MLB is testing the market broadly and engaging with multiple media partners, weighing offers from linear networks like NBC and ESPN alongside streaming giants like Netflix and Apple TV+.
For baseball fans, the 2026 season could usher in a new way to watch games — possibly richer in content but requiring more navigation across platforms. For broadcasters, this bidding war signals a high-stakes battle over sports streaming dominance.
Stay tuned as we monitor how these negotiations unfold and what they mean for your baseball viewing experience next year.
FAQ
Will MLB games be available on traditional TV after 2025?
The landscape is shifting, with increased emphasis on streaming platforms. While some games may still appear on traditional TV, a significant portion is likely to move to streaming services like NBC/Peacock and Netflix. Fans should expect a more fragmented viewing experience.
Will fans need multiple subscriptions to watch all MLB content?
Yes, as rights are divided among several platforms, fans may need subscriptions to multiple services to access all marquee games and events. This could lead to higher costs and potential blackout issues.
What are the benefits of this rights fragmentation?
This approach allows MLB to maximize revenue, tailor packages to different audiences, and modernize its distribution model, potentially leading to richer content and broader national access.