ESPN is set to reduce its MLB regular season inventory by more than half in a deal that is worth less than its current contract, per the New York Post.
ESPN is nearing a new media rights deal with Major League Baseball in which it would televise only 30-40 regular season games per year — down from 90 in the current agreement — and pay less than its current rights fee, the Post reported Monday. The deal would begin in 2022 and run through 2028, the same year MLB’s deals with Fox and Turner Sports expire.
It should be noted that both Fox and Turner are paying substantially more in their new contracts than the current deals — around 40% for each, per reports by Sports Business Daily — though both outlets will be carrying games at or in excess of current levels. The Fox deal was reached in 2018 and the Turner deal was reported shortly before baseball’s shortened season began in July.
Most of the ESPN games would air on Sunday Night Baseball with remaining windows “spread out across the season.” ESPN would have the ability to air games on ABC.
The news is no real surprise as it has been reported for months that ESPN planned to do away with its Monday and Wednesday night baseball games. MLB is said to be talking to other networks about carrying the weeknight games. Already, TBS has committed to airing its regular season games on Tuesday nights starting in 2022.
While ESPN’s regular season presence will be limited, the network could gain a greater footprint in the MLB Postseason. Per the Post, ESPN is set to become the exclusive home of a potential first round of playoffs if the postseason expands. ESPN carried seven of the eight MLB Wild Card series this past season, a one-off best-of-three round of playoffs necessitated by the shortened 60-game regular season.
Also in Monday’s report, ESPN is said to be in talks with Alex Rodriguez about remaining the lead analyst on Sunday Night Baseball.
[News from NYP 12.14]
