Just a few weeks after a record-breaking World Series that saw the highest viewership for the championship series in over 34 years, MLB has decided to take advantage of the recent surge in viewership. The league announced it had inked a new media rights deal with NBC, Netflix, and ESPN.
Everything Included In the Deal For Each Network
The new media rights package includes a long list of benefits for each network. For ESPN, it ensures that the network will continue airing baseball games on its program for the next three years. However, the network’s Sunday Night Baseball show will move to NBC Sports, which will air the program. This means that NBC will now have year-round coverage for every major sport except the NHL. NBC will also get the rights to air Wild Card games during the postseason.
While Netflix will get slightly less in its new deal with Major League Baseball, its benefits from the deal are still fairly extensive. The streaming giant will get to air the Home Run Derby for the next three years, as well as MLB’s opening night game and the revived Field of Dreams game next year. Both NBC and Netflix will carry at least one special event MLB game in both 2027 and 2028
The Overall Impact Of This Announcement
The new agreements will help bring these major networks into the MLB media umbrella alongside existing rights holders such as Fox Sports, TNT Sports, and Apple TV. The current rights for the latter networks, which include the majority of Postseason coverage on Fox and TBS, as well as a plethora of Friday night games aired on Apple TV, will all be unaffected by the new deal.
Additionally, regional broadcast coverage of several teams will also be included in the league’s deal with ESPN. These teams include the Seattle Mariners, Cleveland Guardians, San Diego Padres, Minnesota Twins, Colorado Rockies, and Arizona Diamondbacks.
How Much the New Deals Are Worth With Each Network
It was quite the lucrative investment for MLB, as the three-network deal will net the league over $800 million annually. ESPN will take up the bulk of that annual profit, with over $550 million set to be paid for the next three years. In contrast, both NBC and Netflix will pay over $200 million and $50 million, respectively, in the deal.
Final Thoughts
The new media rights deal showcases that the popularity of baseball from a viewership standpoint is increasing at a rapid pace. This new deal is also a win for baseball fans who may have previously been unable to watch their favorite teams play due to regional media limitations. All of that being said, it’s a great day for both the MLB and its fans.
