ESPN, MLB resume conversations over potential new deal
ESPN, MLB resume conversations over potential new deal
The two sides ended their relationship earlier this year, but a new report indicates the split might not be permanent.
Is 2025 the last season that the Worldwide Leader in Sports will broadcast MLB games? Maybe not. ESPN and MLB seemed set on a divorce in February, when they exercised mutual opt-out clauses that seemingly pointed to the end of their relationship. But a new report from The Athletic indicates that ESPN and MLB are talking about a deal once again, one that could be quite different from their former relationship.
Key Details:
- Early days: The resumed discussions between MLB and ESPN are said to be in the initial stages.
- Going local: A new deal between ESPN and MLB could feature local rights.
- Bite of the apple: Apple has also been discussed as a potential home for ESPN’s former package of MLB rights.
Discussions between ESPN and MLB are still in their early stages, and there’s plenty of chance that the talks come to nothing in the end. But as far back as April, ESPN sources reported that there was optimism that the league could return to the network in some form or other.
According to The Athletic, talks would center around local rights as well as pieces of ESPN’s former package. That bundle includes “Sunday Night Baseball,” between eight and 12 playoff games, and the Home Run Derby. The reason the two sides split was primarily that MLB wanted more than its current fee of $550 million for the rights package as constituted, while ESPN was eager to get its hands on MLB local rights.
Barring a new deal, the 35-year relationship between the two sides will end this October. MLB has been casting about for a new potential partner for ESPN’s package ever since the two sides split in February, and other streamers such as Apple TV+ have been discussed as possibilities.
ESPN is gearing up to launch a new streaming service this fall, which can use geo-targeting abilities to stream games only in their own markets. That would allow the service to be a viable option for MLB, which distributes the bulk of its regular season games on regional sports networks currently. The issue of visibility for these games in a world where fewer and fewer people are watching regional sports networks is also facing the NBA and NHL.
Most expect MLB to try and align any deal for the package to end in 2028, when the league’s other TV rights go up for sale. Still, a renewal of their relationship could be mutually beneficial for MLB and ESPN even in the short term, and it would hardly be a surprise to see the two sides get back into business with each other.
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