NBCU Among Companies In Talks With MLB for ESPN Package

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NBCUniversal is one of several entities making an initial bid for a significant bundle of Major League Baseball rights that ESPN has decided not to renew.

A Comcast-supported media conglomerate is tentatively discussing a deal with the league regarding the package valued at $550 million per year that ESPN is reportedly paying. In February, ESPN announced they would step away from their seven-year agreement, which was set to last until 2028, due to frustration over smaller deals MLB has made with Apple and Roku that provide these platforms exclusive games for reduced annual fees. This has affected the financial viability of ESPN’s terms in the contract. ESPN and MLB have a term in their current agreement that permits separation, and following the end of this season, ESPN could be without professional baseball coverage for the first time in four decades if they don’t reach a new deal.

In recent weeks, discussions about a potential deal between NBCU and MLB have taken place, as suggested by someone knowledgeable about the situation. It’s important to note that neither party considered these talks to be anything more than preliminary explorations. Other entities have also shown interest in the MLB package, including ESPN. Last week, ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro openly stated that his company would be keen on renegotiating a deal that encompasses the rights to broadcast local games via a new ESPN streaming service set to debut in the fall. In essence, Pitaro expressed that ESPN values baseball and is eager to work out an arrangement with MLB, which would involve showcasing local games as well.

Neither NBCU, MLB, nor ESPN provided comments. Previously, negotiations between NBCU and MLB had been reported in The Wall Street Journal.

NBC’s enthusiasm for the ESPN package is fueled partly because ESPN airs exclusive games on Sunday evenings – a time slot that NBC has traditionally dedicated to “Sunday Night Football” in the fall, and will use in 2026 for basketball matches as part of a new 11-year contract with the NBA. NBC could leverage Sunday baseball to enrich its programming schedule throughout the year, providing advertisers with big-league sports almost every week of the year.

NBCUniversal and Major League Baseball have a longstanding relationship. NBCUniversal manages several regional sports networks that broadcast local baseball games. In 2023, they streamed a collection of late-Sunday-morning baseball games on their Peacock streaming platform. However, they chose to relinquish the rights as the league aimed for a larger financial gain.

Other organizations might look into MLB’s matchups as well. For instance, Fox Corporation, a significant league collaborator with rights to the U.S. World Series, could potentially expand their broadcast schedule. Similarly, Warner Bros. Discovery holds rights to certain baseball games that are aired on their TBS cable channel and streamed on Max.

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2025-05-22 02:19