ESPN, MLB Near Agreement for Out-of-Market, In-Market Rights

Major League Baseball and ESPN are nearing a groundbreaking agreement that would make ESPN the primary digital distributor of all out-of-market MLB games, currently offered through MLB.TV, as part of ESPN’s new $29.99 monthly streaming service. This deal would also grant ESPN the local broadcast rights for five teams—Cleveland Guardians, San Diego Padres, Minnesota Twins, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Colorado Rockies—addressing distribution challenges following the collapse of many regional sports networks. ESPN would continue to air around 30 nationally televised games per season, but the iconic Sunday Night Baseball would shift to a different weeknight. While the deal is not yet finalized and expected to sign in September, it represents a significant shift in baseball’s broadcast landscape, centralizing digital rights under ESPN and potentially requiring fans to subscribe to ESPN's streaming service for access to these games. The agreement also reflects a reconciliation between ESPN and MLB leadership, with ESPN avoiding the large financial commitments of its previous deal but positioning itself as baseball’s digital hub amid the changing media environment. Meanwhile, other properties like the Home Run Derby and playoff games may be sold separately to other broadcasters such as Netflix, NBC, and Apple TV+.