Why MLB is suddenly betting big on NBC and Netflix
If the football games, boxing matches, and comedy specials weren’t indication enough that Netflix is making a bold move for the live television market, here’s another: Beginning in 2026, it will air live baseball for the first time.
Major League Baseball announced a new three-year media rights agreement on Wednesday with NBC, ESPN, and Netflix that could see baseball fans channel surfing to find their games.
The shakeups in the agreement mostly see NBC and its parent company, NBCUniversal, commanding a larger share of baseball coverage, picking up several key games and events previously aired by ESPN, including “Sunday Night Baseball.” And, for the first time in 26 years, NBC will once again air baseball games on its broadcast network.
ESPN, meanwhile, opted out of its $550 million rights to “Sunday Night Baseball” games earlier this year, which it has aired since 1990. But the sports network will continue a nearly-four decade partnership with MLB as it will instead receive rights to a national midweek game package, along with MLB.TV.
Finally, streaming giant Netflix is now up to bat with a limited number of special event games, including the T-Mobile Home Run Derby and an Opening Night exclusive.
“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 marquee events,” MLB Commissioner Robert D. Manfred, Jr. said in a statement.
INSIDE BASEBALL
If all of this sounds like some inside baseball, it kind-of is: While diehard baseball fans aren’t likely to be so impacted, the new agreements may help the league expand its reach. But these rights do come at a price, according to reporting by CNBC: MLB is losing about $300 million for the rights to the same games previously paid for by ESPN.
Still, the league says that much of its national broadcast rights remain unchanged, as Fox, TBS, and Apple TV will continue to air other games. But the MLB is trying to raise TV revenue at the end of the 2028 season, when the rights agreements announced this week expire, according to CNBC.
There’s some optimism about keeping the momentum going in the wake of the World Series last month, which saw an average of 51 million viewers globally when the Los Angeles Dodgers ousted the Toronto Blue Jays, according to the league. And finding new ways to reach potential fans is key, especially as baseball is appealing to a younger demographic. The MLB saw double-digit increases in audiences this year among fans under the age of 17 and between the ages of 18 and 34, it reported..
