MLB strikes major broadcast deals with Netflix, ESPN and NBCUniversal
Major League Baseball (MLB) has secured a series of new broadcast and streaming agreements with Netflix, ESPN, and NBCUniversal, expanding the league’s media footprint across both traditional and digital platforms for the next three seasons.
The deals, announced Wednesday, will bring some of baseball’s biggest events to wider audiences, including Opening Night, the Home Run Derby, and Sunday Night Baseball, News.Az reports, citing BBC.
For the first time in its history, Netflix will broadcast select MLB events. The world’s largest streaming platform has secured rights to the league’s Opening Night exclusive as well as the popular Home Run Derby, which attracts millions of viewers annually.
Netflix will also air the World Baseball Classic in Japan, marking a significant expansion of live sports content on the platform.
Starting with the 2026 season, ESPN will gain rights to MLB.TV, MLB’s on-demand subscription service that allows fans to watch out-of-market games. The league did not disclose upcoming subscription costs or the overall value of the media agreements.
The shift comes after ESPN opted out of the final three years of its previous contract—worth more than $1.5 billion—triggering negotiations with MLB and other platforms for renewed rights.
NBCUniversal, owned by Comcast, will take over Sunday night MLB broadcasts, bringing regular MLB games back to its network for the first time in 25 years. The move marks a major return to baseball coverage for NBC, which was once a key broadcaster of the sport.
With the new deals in place, MLB’s media distribution will stretch across a wide range of platforms:
Fox Sports will continue airing the World Series and other marquee games.
Apple TV+ will maintain its Friday Night Baseball doubleheader coverage.
Netflix, ESPN, and NBCUniversal will each add new baseball programming beginning in 2026.
MLB Commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. said the three-year agreements will help the league “expand its reach” across both traditional TV networks and global streaming services.
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