Major League Baseball’s deal with NBC’s Peacock is now official. Plus: Bob Costas will call some baseball games for TBS this season; ABC is set to air primetime NBA conference final games for the first time in 13 years; and more.
MLB-Peacock deal officially announced; each game at 11:30 AM or Noon ET
Major League Baseball has officially announced a new media rights deal with NBC’s Peacock streaming service for a package of 18 exclusive late morning and early afternoon Sunday windows running May 8-September 4. As previously reported, the NBC broadcast network will simulcast the first game of the package — White Sox-Red Sox at 11:30 AM ET on May 8 — with the remaining games exclusively on Peacock.
NBC Sports will produce the games and shoulder programming, marking the organization’s return to Major League Baseball broadcasting for the first time since 2000.
The first six of the games are scheduled to begin at 11:30 AM ET, with the remaining games set to start at Noon. Each week, the Peacock game will be the only one played until 1:30 PM ET. Peacock will also carry the All-Star Futures Game.
Peacock joins Apple TV+ in acquiring exclusive rights to a package of games. [NBC Sports PR]
Costas to call some Tuesday MLB games for TBS
MLB Network play-by-play voice Bob Costas will be one of the play-by-play voices for the new Tuesday package of Major League Baseball games on TBS, splitting time with Brian Anderson, it was announced Wednesday. Costas, who filled in for Ernie Johnson on TBS NLCS coverage last October, has not called a baseball game for an outlet other than MLB Network since 2000 for NBC.
Costas will call at least the first two games of the Tuesday night TBS schedule (Padres-Giants next Tuesday and Braves-Dodgers on April 19) and likely more over the coming weeks, as Anderson will be busy with NBA playoff duties.
In the studio, Lauren Shehadi will split hosting duties with Ernie Johnson. Shehadi will handle at least the first two weeks as Johnson focuses on the NBA Playoffs. [Turner Sports PR]
ABC to air primetime NBA conference final games, skip an NBA Sunday for F1
ABC is scheduled to carry NBA conference final coverage in primetime for the first time since 2009, per an ESPN advance schedule. The network is currently set to carry what would be Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Saturday, May 21 and Game 4 on Monday, May 23, both at 8:30 PM ET. ABC has only aired a handful of conference final games in recent years, each of them 3:30 PM ET Sunday starts.
In addition, ABC is set to skip its usual Sunday afternoon NBA playoff window on May 8 in favor of the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix. The network will instead carry two games on Saturday, May 7. [Related: NBA Playoffs TV schedule.]
Notably, ABC is not currently listed as airing any NHL playoff games in the month of May. ESPN and ESPN2 are scheduled to carry 42 playoff windows in May alone, including three-straight nights of competing doubleheaders to open the season May 2-4. [Related: Stanley Cup Playoffs TV schedule.]
Plus: ESPN extensions, “Roundball Rock,” Hockey East
ESPN last week announced contract extensions with NFL reporter Adam Schefter and NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski. Per the New York Post, Schefter will make $9 million per year and Wojnarowski $7 million, each over five years. ESPN has also announced extensions with a number of hard news reporters, including Steve Fainaru and Mark Fainaru-Wada, Mike Fish and T.J. Quinn. … ESPN on Wednesday night will carry a special simulcast of a Nets-Knicks NBA regular season game that will take on the stylistic touches of NBA coverage throughout the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. Each segment will take on the look and feel of NBA television coverage in the respective period, including graphics modeled after the look of ABC in the 1960s, CBS in the 1970s and 1980s and NBC in the 1990s. The NBC-themed segment will include the first usage of the network’s “Roundball Rock” theme music on any NBA game since NBA TV used it in 2004. … ESPN has acquired rights to Hockey East through the 2027-28 season, moving the rights from CBS Sports. [ESPN PR; NYP 4.5]
