MLB viewership is about to look very different.
After months of speculation, MLB reached three-year TV/media rights deals with ESPN, NBC and Netflix that will change the way audiences consume America’s pastime.
Starting next season, “Sunday Night Baseball” will air on NBC instead of ESPN, which had carried the prime-time broadcast since 1990.
That’s part of a larger commitment for NBCUniversal, which is also set to air the Wild Card Series and the “Sunday Leadoff” package of day games on NBC and Peacock.
It will be the first time in more than two decades that NBC airs MLB games on a regular basis.
Netflix landed a rights package that includes the Home Run Derby, the 2026 Field of Dreams Game, the World Baseball Classic in Japan, and an Opening Night exclusive.
The Home Run Derby and the Wild Card Series had previously aired on ESPN, too.
And ESPN obtains the rights to MLB.TV, which is MLB’s out-of-market streaming service. Those games are set to appear on the comprehensive streaming app that ESPN launched in August.
ESPN also acquired the in-market streaming rights for the San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians, Minnesota Twins and Seattle Mariners.
All three deals are set to run from 2026-28.
“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,” MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said in a statement.
“Following our last World Series game that averaged more than 51 million viewers globally, these partnerships build on MLB’s growing momentum.”
The new contracts come in response to ESPN opting out of the final three years of its previous seven-year contract with MLB in February.
All three deals are set to expire in the same year as Fox’s contract with MLB. Fox holds the rights to the World Series and MLB All-Star Game, among other programming.
NBC, which long has carried “Sunday Night Football” and the Olympics, continues to add to its live sports portfolio. The network’s 11-year contract with the NBA kicked in this season, marking the first time in more than two decades that NBC is airing that league’s games.
Netflix, meanwhile, continues to emphasize premium sporting events, including its agreement to air NFL games on Christmas.
