A big change is coming to the distribution of Major League Baseball games as ESPN’s TV rights contract will expire at the end of the 2025 season.
The self-proclaimed “worldwide leader in sports” and MLB mutually agreed to opt out of their deal, marking the end of a relationship that began more than three decades ago.
Multiple networks and streaming services are said to be interested in picking up some of ESPN’s TV rights that include “Sunday Night Baseball” games, the Wild Card Series and Home Run Derby.
MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said his hope is a new deal gets finalized by the All-Star Game in July, via Evan Drellich and Andrew Marchand of The Athletic:
MLB is in talks with three different broadcasters over the rights ESPN once held, Manfred said, and he hopes a new 2026-28 deal is done come the All-Star Game in mid-July.
A recent report suggested that NBC has emerged as a potential frontrunner to take over the package that ESPN is giving up after this season. If the media conglomerate wins the bidding, the aforementioned events will also be streamed on Peacock beginning with the 2026 season.
Fox president and chief operating officer John Nallen said earlier this year that his network was looking into acquiring ESPN’s expiring package, but it’s unclear if they are still in the running.
It is also believed that Apple TV+, Amazon and Netflix are possibilities to pick up some of ESPN’s rights.
MLB on NBC
MLB games first aired on NBC from 1947-1989 before returning to the network in 1994. More than two decades passed before regular season baseball returned to NBC in 2022 as part of the short-lived “MLB Sunday Leadoff” games on Peacock.
Roku replaced Peacock as the home for MLB Sunday streams last season. The Roku Channel is widely available to stream for free without a subscription or sign-up required.
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