ESPN, NBC, Netflix secure 3-year deals to air Major League Baseball games

by · UPI

Nov. 19 (UPI) -- Major League Baseball agreed to a three-year media rights contract with ESPN, NBCUniversal Media and Netflix that starts in 2026.

The rights agreements extend to 39 seasons MLB's relationship with ESPN, while NBC returns for the first time in 25 years, the MLB reported on Wednesday. Netflix has never aired MLB games.

"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 Manfred Jr. said.

"These partnerships build on MLB's growing momentum that includes generational stars setting new standards for excellence," Manfred added.

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He said new rules have improved the game on the field, which has helped to improve fan-engagement metrics, including viewership, attendance and consumption of related social media.

The agreement with Netflix gives the streaming giant the right to show MLB games for the first time after previously only showing documentaries and other MLB-related content.

The new deals enable NBCUniversal to show Sunday Night Baseball, which ESPN had shown for the past 35 years but ended, along with its $550 million payment for it, according to CNBC.

Instead, NBCUniversal is paying $250 million for the rights to the Sunday Night Baseball game.

NBCUniversal also gets the rights to air Sunday Leadoff and the postseason Wild Card Series on NBC and Peacock.

ESPN is allocating its prior $550 cost for Sunday night baseball on the rights to broadcast midweek games for a national audience throughout the next three seasons.

It also has the right to sell MLB.TV, which is MLB's streaming service for games that are held outside of respective consumer markets.

MLB.TV streamed 19.4 billion minutes in 2025, which was the most ever for the streaming service.

Netflix agreed to pay $50 million to secure the rights for the MLB's Opening Night game that precedes opening day, plus the T-Mobile HomeRun Derby, the 2026 MLB at Field of Dreams Game and the World Baseball Classic in Japan.