major League Baseball Announces Landmark Rights Deals with ESPN, Netflix, and NBCUniversal
NEW YORK – Major League baseball today unveiled a new three-year media rights agreement encompassing ESPN, netflix, and NBCUniversal, reshaping how fans consume the sport and setting the stage for a perhaps contentious labor negotiation. The deals, finalized as MLB enjoys a strong position bolstered by recent fan engagement – including surging TV ratings during the Toronto Blue Jays’ World Series run - will bring baseball to a wider audience across customary broadcast, cable, and streaming platforms.
NBCUniversal will reclaim exclusive broadcast rights to Sunday Night Baseball for the first time in decades, positioning the games alongside its NBA and NFL coverage. The agreement spans NBC, NBCSN, and Peacock, and includes the entire Wild Card round of the postseason. “we are excited to reignite NBC Sports’ storied Major League baseball history through this extensive and innovative partnership that will honor the past and create new traditions,” said Rick Cordella, President, NBC Sports. The partnership will debut on march 26 with a prime-time game between the Los Angeles dodgers and the Arizona Diamondbacks, preceded by a ceremony celebrating the Dodgers‘ 2025 championship.
ESPN, a longtime partner, will continue to air regular MLB games but will relinquish its Sunday Night Baseball franchise to NBC. The network is utilizing the new agreement to refine its sports portfolio after initially signaling an intention to move away from baseball entirely before reconsidering a scaled-down role.
In a groundbreaking move, Netflix will become the first streaming service to carry live MLB games, including select contests on Opening Day. The streaming giant will also broadcast the Home Run Derby during the All-Star Game break in July and the annual Field of Dreams Game from Iowa.”We are incredibly thankful for our partnership with Major League Baseball. We started with critically acclaimed documentaries, deepening the existing global passion for baseball,” says Netflix Chief Content Officer bela Bajaria. “Now, we are seizing that moment by bringing massive cultural spectacles – from Opening Night to the home Run Derby – directly to our members, reinforcing Netflix as the ultimate home for both the story and the sport.”
The agreements arrive at a critical juncture for MLB, as the league’s collective bargaining agreement with the players’ union expires after the 2026 season. The players’ union is anticipated to strongly oppose any attempts by owners to implement a salary cap,a measure that could potentially avert escalating player salaries exemplified by recent contracts exceeding $700 million for players like New York Mets slugger Juan Soto and Los Angeles Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani. Baseball observers suggest the entire 2027 season could be jeopardized if owners lock out players and a new CBA isn’t reached.
