Yesterday, Major League Baseball announced a new media rights agreement with NBC, ESPN, and Netflix. Here’s what you need to know:
What’s staying the same?
The All-Star Game, World Series, League Championship Series, Division Series, and
most regular season games will continue to be broadcast on Fox/FS1. TBS will again host LCS and Division Series telecasts in addition to regular season games on Tuesday nights. Apple TV will show “Friday Night Baseball” doubleheaders during the regular season.
What’s new?
A few things…
Baseball returns to NBC:
NBC hasn’t broadcast a regular season Major League Baseball game since 2000, but they were a major broadcasting partner of MLB for the better part of the 20th century. The first game ever to appear on NBC was a doubleheader between the Brooklyn Dodgers and Cincinnati Reds during Jackie Robinson’s rookie year — 1947.
Starting next year, Sunday Night Baseball, the Wild Card round, and select special event games (Opening Day, Labor Day, etc.) will be broadcast exclusively on the network, with additional content available on Peacock (NBC’s streaming service). NBC will also air the first hour of the 2026 MLB Draft.
Baseball comes to Netflix:
Because we’re in the future, the streaming giant will now air select Major League Baseball games through the 2028 season. Netflix now has rights to the Opening Night game (the first game of the year), the Home Run Derby, and a special event game once a year. In 2026, that game will be the annual Field of Dreams game. As part of the deal, Netflix also acquires the rights to all 47 games of the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
MLB.TV shifts to ESPN:
The headliner here is that MLB.TV will, as of 2026, cease to exist as an independent platform. The streaming service, previously owned by Major League Baseball itself, will now be available for purchase exclusively through ESPN. Included in the deal are the in-market local streaming rights for six clubs: the San Diego Padres, Cleveland Guardians, Seattle Mariners, Minnesota Twins, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Colorado Rockies. Fans of those teams will have the option to either purchase solely their team’s games or purchase MLB.TV as a whole. ESPN will also have a national midweek game package that will be available on ESPN networks and the ESPN app.
