At long last, MLB has put the finishing touches on its new broadcast deal for games that previously belonged solely to ESPN. Starting in 2026 and ending in 2028, MLB will see new packages of games played on NBC, Peacock, and Netflix, while ESPN is bringing back a smaller selection of games that won’t match its previous inventory, but will ensure the channel continues to offer pro baseball.

MLB has been close to deals with ESPN, NBC, and Netflix since the end of summer, but those agreements have not been finalized until now. We’ll start with NBC, which will offer “Sunday Night Baseball,” the “Sunday Leadoff” package that was broadcast on Roku Channel for free in 2025, and the entire Wild Card playoff round. These games will also stream on Peacock and the new NBC Sports Network.

ESPN appeared to be set on ending its longstanding relationship with MLB in February, as the two sides couldn’t agree on the valuation of the rights package held by the network at the time. In the new version of the agreement between the two, ESPN will acquire MLB.TV, and will also distribute a 30-game package of national games on its linear networks, mostly on weeknights in the summer months.

ESPN will also offer a special out-of-market “game of the day” on its ESPN Unlimited direct-to-consumer service, and has gotten its hands on some local rights — a cherished goal. Starting in 2026, ESPN will be the in-market distribution partner of the Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians, Seattle Mariners, San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies, and Minnesota Twins in their respective territories. Additionally, ESPN will continue to offer the MLB Little League Classic, as well as games on Memorial Day and the second-half opener.

Lastly, Netflix is joining as an MLB broadcast partner for the first time next year. The streaming service has acquired the Home Run Derby, the rights to stream MLB’s opening night, and special events such as the MLB Field of Dreams game, and Japanese rights to the World Baseball Classic.

Speaking of the deal, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said:

“Our new media rights agreements with ESPN, NBCUniversal and Netflix provide us with a great opportunity to expand our reach to fans through three powerful destinations for live sports, entertainment, and marquee events. Following our last World Series game that averaged more than 51 million viewers globally, these partnerships build on MLB’s growing momentum that includes generational stars setting new standards for excellence, new rules which have improved the game on the field, and increases in important fan engagement metrics like viewership, attendance, participation and social media consumption. We’re looking forward to tapping into the unique areas of expertise that ESPN, NBCUniversal and Netflix each bring to the sport for the benefit of our fans.”`

The deals expire in 2028, when MLB will also be able to seek new national broadcasting deals. Now, the league has aligned most of its major contracts to come up for renegotiation at the same time, giving it more leverage over programmers when the time comes. Fans will likely see the announcement as a mixed blessing, with many getting access to games on services they already own, but also now being faced with trying to figure out which games are where.