Major League Baseball is negotiating new broadcast deals for ESPN's TV rights package that expires after the 2025 season. ESPN currently holds Sunday Night Baseball, the Wild Card Series, and the Home Run Derby, and those events will likely move to different platforms next year. Reports indicate Peacock (NBC) or Apple TV+ could acquire Sunday Night Baseball and the Wild Card Series, while Netflix may acquire the Home Run Derby. Apple TV+ currently streams Friday Night Baseball and may relinquish Friday games if it wins Sunday rights. Splitting the package could increase fan subscription costs while boosting MLB revenue and benefiting NBC.
A recent report suggested that Peacock (NBC) or Apple TV+ could take over "Sunday Night Baseball" and the Wild Card Series, while the Home Run Derby may potentially be headed to Netflix. According to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic, Apple and NBC are the finalists to acquire the rights to "Sunday Night Baseball" games and Wild Card Series: Meanwhile, Apple and NBC/Peacock appear to be the final contenders for the "Sunday Night Baseball" package and, presumably, playoff games.
Apple TV+ has been the home of "Friday Night Baseball" since the 2022 season, so they are looking to add even more MLB content to its growing library of exclusive programming. Though, it's believed Apple TV+ would drop Friday streams if they replace ESPN for "Sunday Night Baseball" games.
MLB looking to split up ESPN's expiring package would seemingly be a negative outcome for fans as it will require them to have more subscriptions to networks and streaming services. However, the multiple broadcasting partners will likely lead to more revenue for MLB in the long run. It also would be a significant boon for NBC, as they re-acquired NBA rights for the start of the 2025-2026 season and still broadcast Sunday Night Football with the NFL.
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