For the past couple of seasons, Major League Baseball has dipped its toes into streaming entertainment platforms. Apple TV Friday night games were the most substantial non-traditional TV presence (and will continue), with smatterings of the odd Peacock or Roku games here and there.
In 2026, MLB is going to Greg Louganis into the deep end of all-digital television—kind of—which a series of recent league announcements revealed as part of a new 3-year media deal with various partners:
ESPN takes over MLB.TV
First and foremost,
ESPN is now taking over MLB.TV. While still letting MLB produce the contests and “air” them on the MLB.TV app (at least for 2026—further changes are almost assured for subsequent seasons), the out-of-market package can now be purchased/seen on the ESPN app too. ESPN will also air 30 weeknight primetime games throughout next season.
What does this mean for in-market Twins fans? Well, nothing—again, at least in ‘26. In a very detailed season ticket holder email—and of course Twins brass would never screw up this marketing—I was assured that nothing will change in my ability to purchase the entire in-market Twins package in 2026. The ESPN app will NOT be needed (yet), Twins.TV subscriptions will remain the same (we’ll see on pricing, of course), and the Twins channel will still reside in local cable and satellite provider lineups.
Bottom line: ESPN is partnering with MLB to slow-play an attempt to consolidate all team broadcast rights by 2029. In the early stages (2026), the sports behemoth is keeping things pretty status quo. As such, there should be much less consternation and confusion regarding how to watch your Minnesota Twins in 2026.
I’ve been waiting all day for Sunday Night (Baseball)
For the first time since the 1990s and its Bob Costas heyday, NBC will have a significant baseball footprint.
Yes, the weird MLB Sunday Leadoff late-morning package will continue—but NBC will also slide into the summer Sunday Night Baseball slot (taking over for the aforementioned ESPN in that role). Presumably, these contests will begin on linear NBC and transition to Peacock when the NFL ramps up. No word on if Carrie Underwood is crafting a baseball theme.
NBC/Peacock will also be the exclusive home of MLB’s playoff Wild Card Round.
Netflix noses in
Because Netflix is still king of the streaming realm and are currently making a play for the whole dominion, they’ll also share a piece of the baseball pie the next 3 years.
Netflix will be home to the Opening Night primetime game between the San Francisco Giants & New York Yankees. Later in the summer, the ta-dum company will produce and air the MLB Home Run Derby.
Big Red will also air the now-annual Field of Dreams game—in ‘26 featuring the Philadelphia Phillies and your Minnesota Twins on August 3! Hopefully the only ghosts will be in the stalks and not in Netflix’s servers.
DYERSVILLE, IA - AUGUST 11: A general view during the game between the Chicago Cubs and the Cincinnati Reds at The MLB Field at Field of Dreams on Thursday, August 11, 2022 in Dyersville, Iowa. (Photo by Daniel Shirey/MLB Photos via Getty Images)" data-portal-copyright="" />
On one hand, “streaming fatigue” is very much a thing right now. We’ve slain the cable TV empire, only to have it replaced by a different monster we don’t yet fully understand.
On the other hand, this type of exposure is exactly what Major League Baseball desperately needs. As frustrating as it is to manage/budget multiple subscriptions and their requisite technology, that’s where the eyeballs/money are right now.
With MLB looking to avoid a strike or lockout after 2026, every bit of revenue potential may be helpful in dragging the owners and the Players Union to the bargaining table to avoid a shutdown.
