MLB announces new media rights deals for NBC, ESPN and Netflix
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Shohei Ohtani (17) throws during an MLB game between the Philadelphia Phillies and the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on September 16, 2025 in Los Angeles, California.
Brian Rothmüller | Icon Sportswire | Getty Images
Major League Baseball officially announced a new three-year media rights deal with NBC, Netflix and ESPN on Wednesday, foreshadowing the league’s more significant TV deal coming in 2028.
The new deal stems from ESPN’s decision earlier this year to exit its “Sunday Night Baseball” package. ESPN has struck a new deal with MLB, acquiring the rights to MLB.TV and its midweek game package. NBC Sports will take over the Sunday Night games, and Netflix will be the new home for the next three Home Run Derbys. All opportunities start with the 2026 season.
CNBC previously revealed most of the details of the deal in August.
“Our new media rights agreements with ESPN, NBCUniversal and Netflix provide us with a great opportunity to expand our reach to fans through three powerful destinations for live sports, entertainment and major events,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.
The new deal is part of MLB’s quest to increase TV revenue through the end of the 2028 season, as well as those rights from Fox and Warner Bros. It is a sign that Discovery will take back its existing broadcasting rights.
While it’s not an exact apples-to-apples comparison, MLB had to take a cut of nearly $300 million per year compared to what ESPN was paying before it pulled out earlier this year. NBC is paying about $200 million a year for its new package, and Netflix is paying about $50 million a year for Derby, CNBC reported in August. Together, the two packages roughly make up what ESPN paid.
Even so, MLB has a chance to expand its reach through new, streaming-exclusive partners.
The average ESPN Sunday Night Baseball game last season averaged 1.8 million viewers.
The loss of revenue from the Sunday Night package suggests MLB may have to get creative about creating new game packages in 2028 to ensure it continues to grow media revenue. In total, the league now earns more in overall media revenue, but it had to sell ESPN rights and games it didn’t previously offer. According to CNBC’s report in August, ESPN is paying approximately $550 million for its new package.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told CNBC that the NBA nearly tripled its national media revenue in its latest rights deal and that he’s so confident the NFL can create a big boost in the deal it signed in 2021 that he’s open to accelerating talks with existing media partners early next year. In September.
New deal details
ESPN’s new deal allows the league to sell and distribute its out-of-market streaming service, MLB.TV, through the ESPN app. ESPN will also receive a new 30-game midweek live game package across ESPN’s linear networks and the ESPN app.
ESPN will also sell and distribute the MLB Network and in-market games for select MLB teams through the ESPN app. These teams are the Cleveland Guardians, San Diego Padres, Minnesota Twins, Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies; These teams’ games were produced and distributed by MLB after the collapse of the regional sports networks that carried these teams.
NBC’s broadcast network will now have MLB, NBA and NFL on Sunday. new cable sports channeland Peacock streaming service. NBC will also carry MLB’s entire Wild Card round, which ranges from eight to 12 games each season.
Netflix will have the rights to a single game on Opening Night for the next three seasons, in addition to the three-year Home Run Derby. Netflix will also offer all 47 games of the 2026 World Baseball Classic exclusively to viewers in Japan.
Disclosure: NBCUniversal is the parent company of CNBC.
