MLB Media-Rights Shakeup Overview: ESPN, NBCU, Netflix Ink Three-Year Deals

MLB Media-Rights Shakeup Overview: ESPN, NBCU, Netflix Ink Three-Year DealsESPN gets new 30-game package, MLB.TV; NBC extends Sunday nights; Netflix adds tentpole eventsby Brandon Costa, Jason Dachman, and Ken Kerschbaumer

Wednesday, November 19, 2025 - 4:16 pm

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Major League Baseball announced new three-year media-rights agreements with Netflix, ESPN, and NBCUniversal today, marking a new era for how the game is consumed by fans. The agreements will extend MLB and ESPN's long-term relationship to 39 consecutive seasons, mark the return of MLB games on NBC for the first time in 26 years, and signal Netflix's most significant expansion into the sport to date.

Meanwhile, the league's existing deals with FOX Sports, TNT Sports, and Apple remain in place. According to The Athletic, MLB will receive almost $750 million per year in total over the next three seasons.

ESPN's new MLB rights deal will dramatically reshape how fans watch baseball beginning in 2026, especially as it pertains to streaming. The multi-year deal adds a new 30-game national television package while making ESPN the exclusive home of MLB.TV and granting the broadcaster exclusive local in-market streaming rights for six MLB clubs. According to The Athletic, ESPN will pay the same $1.65 billion over three years for the newly created package as it did for the previous package it opted out of in February.

MLB returns to NBC Sports with a showcase package of exclusive games and events across NBC, NBCSN, and Peacock. The deal includes primetime's Sunday Night Baseball, a Peacock-exclusive MLB Sunday Leadoff package of games, a Sunday-afternoon whip-around show on Peacock, an exclusive Opening Day primetime game (March 26, 2026), a new Labor Day primetime tradition, and the entire Wild Card round of the postseason. NBC/Peacock is expected to pay nearly $200 million per year, according to The Athletic.

For the first time, fans will be able to watch MLB games live on Netflix. Beginning in 2026, Netflix will livestream multiple MLB events each year, including a single game on Opening Night, the T-Mobile Home Run Derby, and an additional special-event game each year, starting with MLB at Field of Dreams in 2026. Netflix will pay $50 million per season, according to The Athletic. As previously announced, Netflix will also deliver live coverage of all 47 games of the World Baseball Classic to its audience in Japan starting in 2026.

As for the league's existing rights deals, FOX and FS1 will continue as the home of the World Series, LCS, LDS, All-Star Game, 2026 World Baseball Classic, and selected regular-season and special-event games. TBS will continue as the home of LCS and LDS games, plus regular-season games on Tuesday nights. Apple TV will continue to stream Friday Night Baseball doubleheaders throughout the regular season. And MLB Network will continue to air live games and its full slate of studio shows.

ESPN Gets 30 National Games on Linear, MLB.TV Exclusively on ESPN AppESPN's new deal features a broad range of national rights, plus local in-market and out-of-market rights. As part of the agreement, ESPN also becomes exclusive rightsholder of MLB.TV, making thousands of games available each season on the ESPN App, in addition to MLB platforms, in 2026.

Under the agreement, ESPN will integrate MLB.TV directly into the ESPN App, making thousands of out-of-market games available each season alongside ESPN's other sports programming. Both new and existing MLB.TV subscribers will be able to access the service through the ESPN App and MLB's digital platforms. The partnership marks the first time MLB.TV will be distributed through an external digital platform, signaling a major step in ESPN's ongoing direct-to-consumer strategy.

The deal also expands ESPN's reach into local markets. Beginning in 2026, Padres, Guardians, Mariners, Twins, Diamondbacks, and Rockies games will be available to purchase and stream on MLB platforms, reflecting MLB's efforts to stabilize local-media rights in the wake of regional-sports-network disruptions.

ESPN will also deliver more than 150 out-of-market regular-season games every season across a special game of the day offering for subscribers to the ESPN Unlimited plan.

ESPN will produce a new, exclusive package of national regular-season MLB games each year for its linear networks and direct-to-consumer offering. The 30-game schedule will comprise primarily weeknight games, with a focus on the core summer months.

Other rights include:

Fans with an MLB.TV subscription also have access to MLB Network and its 24/7 programming

ESPN's MLB studio rights for Baseball Tonight will continue

Existing audio package continues as ESPN Radio remains the national audio home of the World Series, the full MLB Postseason, the MLB All-Star Game and Home Run Derby, weekly Saturday games and Sunday Night Baseball

ESPN retains Spanish-language rights for its new, linear games package

Rights for SportsCenter and additional ESPN studio-show presence at signature MLB events, including the World Series

Rights in Latin America, the Caribbean, Australia/New Zealand, Africa, Netherlands, and China

CLICK HERE for more details.

NBC Adds Sunday Night Baseball, Peacock-Exclusive Game, Wild Card Games, and MoreNBCUniversal's new MLB agreement is headlined by exclusive packages across NBC, NBCSN, and Peacock, including primetime's Sunday Night Baseball, a Peacock-exclusive MLB Sunday Leadoff package of games, a Sunday-afternoon whip-around show, an exclusive Opening Day primetime game (March 26), a new Labor Day primetime tradition, and the entire Wild Card round of the postseason.

The Sunday Night Baseball package consists of 25 primetime games per year, a mixture of games on NBC/Peacock (in all available

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2025/11/19/mlb-media-rights-shakeup-overvi...
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