Just last month, Major League Baseball (MLB) announced landmark partnerships with ESPN, NBCUniversal and Netflix. The new agreements run through the 2028-29 season, starting in 2026. Ultimately, their aim is to grow the league’s profile and create a more fan-friendly experience.
These pacts allow MLB to provide its cut-what-you-kill service, MLB.TV, through ESPN. This allows consumers to watch more games with teams from outside their local area. This new feature should draw a broader audience, giving fans more flexibility and viewing options. The partnerships will extend to amazing spectacles as well, including the Home Run Derby. In this fast paced tournament style competition, players go head to head to determine who can smash the most home runs!
At least MLB has gotten itself an exclusive opening night for its games. This latest move is a strong signal of the league’s overall commitment to providing original, exclusive content to their fans. Major League Baseball Commissioner Robert D. Manfred Jr. is looking ahead with an eye toward the future. He argues they will vastly increase MLB’s visibility and engage new fans across a number of platforms.
Then, on a Wednesday, MLB announced this pair of deals. It’s a key component of AT&T’s strategy to compete with ESPN and NBCUniversal, and ultimately, streaming behemoth Netflix. During the full-length MLB game broadcasts on Peacock and Apple TV+, each partner will showcase the work of a diverse group of content creators. These contracts are capped at three years.
Osmond Chia, a business reporter, highlighted the importance of these deals in broadening the league’s viewer base and enhancing overall fan experience. MLB is pairing their content strategy with the traditional media companies. With this joint effort, they’re bringing in old-school fans as well as a younger new wave of consumers that adore streaming platforms.