When ESPN opted out of the final three years of its rights agreement with MLB, we argued that both sides would lose in a permanent split after the 2025 season.
Although ESPN was overpaying for its current dea l— $550 million annually for Sunday Night Baseball, the Wild Card Series, and the Home Run Derby — the network is unquestionably stronger with rights to the nation’s third-most popular sports league. Whatever interest ESPN’s new direct-to-consumer app generates will be higher with MLB games anchoring the summer calendar between the NBA Finals and the start of football season.
For all its flaws, ESPN's ability to market and promote upcoming sporting events is unparalleled. Put simply, ESPN would cover MLB even less without game rights. Moreover, MLB would struggle to replicate ESPN’s audience reach on any other cable or streaming platform.
That’s why, despite months of tensions, both sides have reportedly agreed to extend their partnership beyond 2025. According to the New York Times, ESPN and MLB are finalizing a deal that would make ESPN the exclusive provider of out-of-market games through MLB.TV. ESPN would also broadcast about 30 national games each year on nights other than Sunday.
ESPN is expected to integrate MLB.TV into its $29.99/month DTC service, which launched Thursday, though it’s unclear whether MLB.TV will cost extra.
Importantly, any new broadcast deal with MLB will be short-term. The league intends to bring its full slate of rights to market in 2029, when existing agreements with Fox and TBS expire. That makes the renewed partnership with ESPN even more significant.
ESPN never sought to abandon baseball entirely—it simply wanted out of overpaying for a "C-package" of secondary matchups.
Under Chairman Jimmy Pitaro, a lifelong Yankees fan, ESPN has consistently targeted the most valuable live sports rights available. The expectation is that ESPN will now be a bidder for the World Series in 2029.
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