A report today from The Athletic indicates that the broadcast rights for D-backs games will be finding a new home. This is part of a wholesale restructuring of the television situation, in which MLB will be divesting itself of the six teams whose broadcasts were taken over after Diamond Sports Group filed for bankruptcy in 2023. The changes will also affect playoff coverage and some other games:
The new agreements will give ESPN rights to out-of-market games for all 30 teams and six in-market clubs.
NBC/Peacock will become the new home of the first round of the playoffs and Sunday Night Baseball, while Netflix will showcase the standalone Opening Day game in prime time, the Home Run Derby and the ‘Field of Dreams’ game.
It’s something of a surprise to see MLB getting back in bed with ESPN, and even significantly increasing their share of baseball. Earlier this year, ESPN opted out of the final three years on their existing deal with MLB, a move which caused some rancor. But it appears the two sides have negotiate a way forward, which will still lead to ESPN paying the same amount ($1.65 billion) for the 2026-28 seasons. Of particular note: “NBC’s first game will be a standalone matchup on the second night of the season, featuring the Los Angeles Dodgers, who will raise their World Series banner, against the Arizona Diamondbacks.”
However, the main change is the end of MLB being the broadcast partner of the D-backs. They replaced Diamond Sports in July 2023, and since then, it has been a bit of a golden era for local fans. You’ve simply been able to buy an in-market package which allows you to see the games, rather than needing a more expensive cable deal. Indeed, last season, the team even rolled back the clock and a number of their contests were broadcast on over-the-air television, in a partnership with 12News. I think I speak for most people when I say it worked fairly well, with the existing broadcast team largely being retained.
What will this change bring? We’ll probably have to wait and see: the article says, “ESPN has not decided how it will sell MLB.TV [out of market games], but it is expected to be at the same $150 per year that subscribers paid when it was under the league’s control. For at least the first year, subscribers will still be able to continue on the MLB app… Sources briefed on ESPN’s plans said the network may add a free month for its direct-to-consumer app, which provides unlimited ESPN programming and costs $30 per month. MLB.TV subscribers would be able to cancel ESPN after the first month. ESPN has yet to make a final decision on how it will price in- or out-of-market games.”
The Diamondbacks are not the only team who will be affected. The Guardians, Padres, Twins, Rockies and Mariners are in the same boat, having seen their previous broadcast provider go under. My immediate reaction is concern, because I have close to zero interest in ESPN’s coverage, both of other teams and sports. If watching the team will require an ESPN subscription, at around the current price point, that’s potentially going to be a bit of a problem. /adjusts eyepatch. I hope there will continue to be a standalone package, offering just D-backs games. But ESPN has not exactly been fan-friendly in previous offerings.
