The landscape for how sports are consumed has drastically changed over the years, with streaming services emerging as a viable alternative to traditional television.
That has played out in Major League Baseball, with exclusive games being made available to the likes of Roku, Apple TV+ and Amazon, among others.
While games can still be watched on cable networks such as ESPN, Fox and TBS, it is clear that MLB has been moving in a different direction.
According to Evan Drellich of The Athletic, MLB is planning to offer national packages to streaming companies to bid on for the 2028 season and beyond:
MLB plans to create national packages for major streaming companies to bid on come 2028, the year that the league’s national television deals with ESPN, Fox and Turner are set to expire.
MLB’s shift toward streaming services comes at a time in which they are facing a major dilemma with their regional sports network model.
A bankruptcy case involving broadcasting partner Diamond Sports Group was recently resolved, which temporarily left six teams’ media rights up in the air.
MLB’s ultimate goal is to make all 30 teams’ media rights available on different platforms, similar to what the NBA has done in recent years.
However, this would require team owners to transfer control and agree to share the local TV income. MLB would also need approval from the Players Association since they have a say in revenue sharing between clubs.
ESPN could opt out of MLB TV rights contract
ESPN has exclusively televised Sunday Night Baseball games, the Home Run Derby and select postseason matchups for decades, but could opt out of their TV rights deal after the 2025 season.
Even if that does transpire, ESPN has made it clear they would like their relationship with MLB to continue for many years to come.
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