MLB and ESPN are getting a divorce
MLB and ESPN are parting ways after 35 years. With broadcast rights talks breaking down, the league is eyeing streaming options—while ESPN plots its next digital move. Here's what it means for the future of watching baseball.
Papers have been served to end the 35-year relationship between Major League Baseball and ESPN at the end of this season, after the league rejected the network’s efforts to negotiate a cheaper media rights deal.
Going, going…gone: The MLB and ESPN were in the midst of a seven-year partnership running through 2028 that would’ve had the network paying the league $550 million/year for the broadcast rights to 30 regular season games, Wild Card playoff rounds, and the Home Run Derby.
But, after crunching the numbers like a meme Zach Galifianakis, ESPN decided it didn’t make business sense to continue the partnership unless the league cut them a deal – even though MLB attendance was at a seven-year high last year, and viewership was also up.
For comparison:
- Apple is paying $85 million/year to air 52 Friday-night games each season (or two per week) on Apple TV+.
- Roku is shelling out $10 million/year to broadcast 18 MLB games per season.
- Fellow broadcasters Fox and Turner Sports (owns TBS) pay MLB $729 million/season and $470 million/season, respectively – but those deals include a heavy-hitting slate of playoff games, including the World Series.
The league says good riddance. In a letter to owners sent last week, Commissioner Rob Manfred cited the network’s “shrinking platform” and said he’s “not been pleased with the minimal coverage that MLB has received on ESPN’s platforms over the past several years outside of the actual live game coverage.”
What’s next for MLB & ESPN
Major League Baseball is pursuing new broadcast and streaming homes – Amazon Prime Video, Paramount+, and even splitting the rights across platforms have been tossed around as potential options.
But underpinning these negotiations is the MLB’s timeline. The league is reportedly seeking a three-year deal – short term by business standards – in preparation for the Babe Ruth of negotiations.
In 2028, the MLB’s deals with Fox and Turner are set to expire, and roughly two-thirds of the league’s 30 teams are expected to have their rights available. The league could then bundle all of those games together, without local blackouts, to maximize rights fees by signing a variety of packages (like the NBA), Huddle Up reports.
As for ESPN…The network is scheduled to launch its own standalone streaming service later this year – which will reportedly include user-generated content, similar to YouTube – as it works to court younger audiences and better compete in the digital age.
