MLB has shopped MLB.TV to networks, streaming services
MLB has shopped MLB.TV to networks, streaming services
Licensing the out-of-market games service could be a sweetener for outlets that are considering ESPN’s current rights package.
The winds of change are blowing at the MLB league offices. The company is set to move on from its decades-long relationship with ESPN after the 2025 season, and is also looking toward a future in which it can ideally distribute all local games through a unified streaming platform. According to Andrew Marchand of The Athletic, the league is also exploring options to potentially license its out-of-market platform MLB.TV.
MLB.TV is primarily an out-of-market service that allows fans to watch games from any or all non-local teams in the league for up to $150 per season. The platform is also home to in-market plans for 10 teams that no longer have a regional sports network partner.
As of yet, there are no details on precisely where MLB has tried to license the package, but according to Marchand, both major TV networks and streaming services have been in on the talks. ESPN’s current inventory of games, which includes a regular season package, the Home Run Derby, and a first-round playoff series, has drawn some level of interest from Fox, as well as Apple TV+, Google’s YouTube TV, and NBC.
MLB.TV could become a key factor in those negotiations as it might be the sweetener an outlet needs to seal a deal with the league. Fox would be an intriguing choice; it already has a contingent of MLB games, and is launching a new streaming service this fall that could be a good distribution platform for MLB.TV.
But in this observer’s eyes, the best partner for MLB.TV’s distribution is ESPN. Its chairman, Jimmy Pitaro, has explicitly discussed the desire to get local baseball rights for the company’s forthcoming streaming service, and a licensing deal for MLB.TV would be the perfect way to start distributing some local games, as well as out-of-market contests. ESPN already has the rights to the NHL’s out-of-market service NHL Power Play, so the worldwide leader in sports already knows how to make this type of plan work.
One of the reasons that ESPN and MLB broke up in the first place is that the network was insistent that it get more content from MLB if it was going to pay more money for its existing rights package; a licensing deal for MLB.TV would seem to fit that requirement, if the money makes sense.
Perhaps the relationship between MLB and ESPN is already too far gone for a renewal to be possible, but regardless of where it ends up, fans shouldn’t be surprised if there is a new way to stream out-of-market games in the near future.
MLB.TV
MLB.TV is the official streaming service of Major League Baseball. You can see every out-of-market game live or on-demand and choose home or away TV and radio feeds. The app allows fans to watch up to four games simultaneously on the same screen through its Multi-view feature. MLB.TV can be added to your Sling TV or Prime Video subscription.