Major League Baseball is having conversations with some of the industry’s biggest players, who may have an eye on a bigger prize than just replacing ESPN.
MLB has held early discussions with Netflix, Amazon and Comcast about its media rights, John Ourand of Puck reported Thursday, but those talks have not focused specifically on the ESPN package that expires after this season. Instead, discussions are said to have focused just as much on 2028, when all of the MLB media rights will be available.
Amazon’s Prime Video service currently offers locally-produced MLB games by way of partnerships with Main Street Sports Group (formerly Diamond Sports) — operator of the FanDuel Sports Network RSNs — and a separate agreement with YES Network. Comcast owns a handful of RSNs that carry MLB games and previously owned a $30 million/year Sunday morning package of MLB games from 2022-23 that it elected not to renew. Netflix, which is growing a burgeoning sports operation, has never carried MLB.
Per Ourand, Fox Sports has expressed interest in one piece of the ESPN package, the annual Home Run Derby. ESPN is also said to “expect to reengage” with MLB, as the company’s decision to opt-out of its contract was always believed to be a step toward a renegotiation, rather than a full split.
In a memo to owners last week, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said MLB is pursuing either a broadcast or streaming partner for the ESPN package, which consists of Opening Day, Sunday Night Baseball, the aforementioned Derby and the full Wild Card Series.
