Multiple networks and streaming services have been in negotiations with Major League Baseball to take over ESPN’s TV rights package, with Netflix emerging as a possible destination.
The current broadcast partnership between MLB and ESPN is set to expire after the 2025 season, and other companies have stepped forward to fill in the gap.
ESPN currently holds the rights to weekly “Sunday Night Baseball” broadcasts, the Wild Card Series and Home Run Derby, but all of those events will likely be carried on different platforms next year.
Back in early September, it was reported Apple and NBC were the finalists to acquire the rights to “Sunday Night Baseball” games and Wild Card Series.
Recent reports also suggested the Home Run Derby could potentially be headed to Netflix. According to Andrew Marchand of the Athletic, Netflix’s agreement with MLB will give the streaming service broadcast rights for the annual Home Run Derby and special event games:
Netflix will also have the Home Run Derby and is expected to share a handful of special location event regular-season games with NBC/Peacock, including “Field of Dreams,” “MLB at Rickwood Field” and the “MLB Speedway” game, which debuted in August. Those games have been broadcast by Fox Sports in the past. Fox may still have unique regular-season event games.
Despite the apparent losses of “Sunday Night Baseball,” the Home Run Derby and Wild Card Series games after the 2025 season, it is still possible that ESPN continues broadcasting MLB games in some capacity going forward.
The two sides reportedly reached an agreement on the framework of a new deal, which would give ESPN exclusive rights to roughly 30 regular-season games and MLB.TV.
Netflix building sports programming
If Netflix does obtain the rights for the Home Run Derby, it would be just the latest move in their attempt to add more sports programming to their platform. Netflix began streaming NFL games in 2024, with the league’s first-ever Christmas schedule.
It consisted of two separate games, which became the two most streamed NFL games in U.S. history. There was an average audience of more than 26.5 million viewers in the U.S., and over 30 million viewers globally.
Netflix also streams WWE events and boxing matches, with the Canelo Álvarez vs. Terence Crawford fight being the most recent.
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