Major League Baseball announces new media rights deals for NBC, ESPN and Netflix

Core Insights - Major League Baseball (MLB) has announced a new three-year media rights agreement with ESPN, NBC, and Netflix, which will begin in the 2026 season and is seen as a precursor to a more significant deal expected in 2028 [1][4]. Group 1: New Media Rights Agreement - ESPN opted out of its "Sunday Night Baseball" package earlier this year and has now acquired rights to MLB.TV and a midweek game package [2]. - NBC Sports will take over the Sunday Night games, while Netflix will host the next three Home Run Derbies [2][10]. - MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred stated that the new agreements provide an opportunity to expand the league's reach through powerful platforms for live sports and entertainment [3]. Group 2: Financial Implications - MLB is experiencing a revenue reduction of approximately $300 million per year compared to previous ESPN payments, with NBC paying around $200 million annually and Netflix contributing about $50 million for the Home Run Derby [5]. - The average viewership for ESPN's Sunday Night Baseball was 1.8 million viewers last season, indicating a need for MLB to innovate in packaging games for future deals to sustain media revenue growth [6]. Group 3: Future Prospects - The new agreements allow ESPN to sell and distribute MLB.TV through its app, along with a new 30-game midweek package [8]. - NBC will broadcast MLB, NBA, and NFL games on Sundays, and will also carry the entire Wild Card round of MLB games [10]. - Netflix will have exclusive rights to a singular game on Opening Night for the next three seasons and will deliver all 47 games of the 2026 World Baseball Classic to its audience in Japan [10].