MLB on Wednesday announced a new three-year television deal with ESPN, NBC Universal and Netflix that runs through 2028.
In one of the more significant changes, Sunday Night Baseball now will be carried by NBC instead of ESPN. NBC also will have the rights to the entire wild-card round of the playoffs.
ESPN had been scheduled to pay an estimated $1.65 billion over the next three seasons, according to The Athletic, before it opted out of that deal in February and the restructured media rights deal was announced.
NBC will pay approximately $200 million over each of the next three years, while Netflix will pay $50 million per season, according to The Athletic, erasing $750 million of ESPN’s previous commitment.
NBC will also utilize the streaming service Peacock to broadcast games, as well as the newly formed NBC Sports Network. Peacock will take over the early Sunday game broadcasts from Roku.
ESPN announced that it has acquired the rights to MLB.TV, which allows subscribers to watch all out-of-market games, and still will televise 150 out-of-market MLB games each season for subscribers of the ESPN Unlimited plan.
The network also will have the in-market rights for six MLB teams: San Diego Padres, Cleveland Guardians, Minnesota Twins, Arizona Diamondbacks, Colorado Rockies and Seattle Mariners.
Netflix will televise the return of the “Field of Dreams” game, which will take place in the 2026 season between the Philadelphia Phillies and Minnesota Twins at the famed corn field in Dyersville, Iowa.
Netflix also will broadcast the season-opening game between the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants on March 25, while the first NBC/Peacock game will take place March 26 in the season opener for the two-time defending World Series champion Los Angeles Dodgers against the Arizona Diamondbacks.
In addition, Netflix will broadcast the Home Run Derby and World Baseball Classic games from Japan.
–Field Level Media
