Major League Baseball (MLB) is closing in on a sweeping set of new media rights agreements that could reshape how fans watch America’s pastime. According to people familiar with the matter, the league is in advanced talks with Disney’s ESPN, Comcast’s NBC Sports, and Netflix on a series of three-year deals covering live game packages. If finalized, the agreements would collectively secure Sunday night games, wild-card playoff contests, and the Home Run Derby — with all major rights set to expire after the 2028 season.
The negotiations come just months after ESPN opted out of its longstanding $550 million-per-year contract for Sunday Night Baseball, a package it had carried for decades. Rather than extend the deal on its original terms, MLB has chosen to carve out rights among multiple partners. Under the current structure being discussed, NBC is set to pick up exclusive rights to Sunday night matchups and the coveted wild-card playoff games for roughly $200 million annually, while Netflix would pay about $50 million per year to secure the Home Run Derby — a move that would mark the streaming giant’s first foray into live MLB coverage.
ESPN, meanwhile, will still play a major role. The network is expected to pay $550 million annually for a restructured rights package that includes MLB.TV — the league’s out-of-market streaming platform — along with a new slate of midweek national games and local broadcast rights to five teams: the Cleveland Guardians, San Diego Padres, Minnesota Twins, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Colorado Rockies. Insiders suggest ESPN has valued the MLB.TV component alone at around $450 million, underscoring how central streaming distribution has become to modern sports deals.
If completed, the arrangement would mark a pivotal shift for MLB. While the league may not fully recoup the lost value of ESPN’s original seven-year Sunday Night Baseball contract, it will gain two new media partners in NBC and Netflix — both of which could emerge as bidders for larger packages when all rights come up again in 2028. Industry analysts note this diversification could provide MLB with broader reach, appealing both to traditional TV audiences and the growing base of cord-cutters.
The timing is critical. Cable subscriptions have been in steady decline for years, while streaming platforms are aggressively seeking premium live content to boost engagement and justify rising subscription costs. For MLB, aligning with both established broadcasters and global streaming giants represents an opportunity to expand its footprint during a period of profound transformation in sports media.
Commissioner Rob Manfred has made clear that the league sees this as a strategic pivot. In a memo to owners earlier this year, he criticized ESPN’s push to reduce payments for baseball content and expressed concern that the network was not doing enough to promote the sport. “We do not think it’s beneficial for us to accept a smaller deal to remain on a shrinking platform,” Manfred wrote. His words signaled a willingness to move beyond the old TV model in favor of partnerships that can deliver long-term growth.
While the deals are not yet finalized and could still unravel, the framework reflects MLB’s effort to balance tradition with innovation — pairing the reach of NBC and ESPN with the global digital scale of Netflix. If all goes as planned, baseball fans may soon find their favorite games spread across a wider mix of platforms than ever before, setting the stage for a new chapter in how America’s pastime is delivered to audiences worldwide.
Pump Radar
Stock Alerts