ESPN prioritizes NFL and College Football over the MLB Postseason. While it is unlikely that ESPN will be shifting away from the linear cable bundle by 2028, the deal provides “flexibility to maximize the current and potential future distribution of ESPN.” ESPN’s linear networks will also have expanded highlight rights. It will have rights to air new studio and highlight shows. The streaming platform will continue to carry one out-of-market game on most days of the regular season. Unlike ESPN’s NHL deal, ESPN+ will not have any exclusive MLB rights - though it will have the ability to simulcast games that air on the linear ESPN networks. In addition, Turner’s new deal includes a regular Tuesday night slate starting next season.Īssuming an expanded Wild Card round, the number of regular season baseball games on ESPN’s linear networks will only slightly exceed the number of NHL games it will air in its new contract with that league (25). Per SBJ, MLB is shopping around those weeknight rights and a deal with a digital media company could be announced in the coming weeks. Most of those weeknight games either co-existed with RSN coverage in participating markets or were blacked out entirely. MLB will still make more in its new media deals than under the current contracts, with Fox and Turner Sports - which previously announced seven-year extensions - increasing their rights fees substantially.ĮSPN’s MLB deal effectively marks the end of regular weekday baseball on the network. The reduction in rights fees and game inventory had been anticipated for months. In addition to the regular season and postseason, ESPN will continue carrying the MLB Home Run Derby.Īccording to Sports Business Journal, ESPN’s deal is worth around $560 million/year, a reduction from the network’s current $700 million/year rights fee. Should MLB elect not to expand the Wild Card round, ESPN would continue airing one of two Wild Card games and get eight additional regular season windows in return. When MLB expanded the Wild Card round on a one-time basis last season, ESPN carried seven of the eight series. The deal includes exclusive rights to an expanded MLB Wild Card round should that ever come to fruition. The regular season slate, all exclusive, includes 25 Sunday Night Baseball games and just five others - including an Opening Night game. The TBD games will be updated once they are released.ESPN has reduced its Major League Baseball inventory to Sunday Night Baseball, a potential expanded Wild Card round and little else.ĮSPN announced Thursday that it has reached a new, seven-year media rights deal with Major League Baseball through the 2028 season that will include just 30 regular season games per year. This could allow ESPN to flex should the A’s (2 games out of the AL Wild Card) or Mariners (3 games out of the AL Wild Card) were to mount a charge and be in the mix for landing in the postseason as the final games of the regular season arrive.īelow shows the 11 games over the last two weeks of the season, as provided by ESPN. With ESPN able to work a short lead time for games they have the rights to air, the final two games of the programming schedule are TBD. Louis is currently the second NL Wild Card team with a 3-game lead on the Cincinnati Reds.Īs ESPN has exclusivity agreements with Major League Baseball several of the games will see blackouts for the TV territory that one, or both teams playing. This game is the only one that features a team out of the postseason hunt - the Cubs are currently 24 games out of the NL Central race and 13.5 out of the NL Wild Card. The San Diego Padres will be featured in three games (9/22, 9/24, and 9/28) where they will face off with the Braves, Dodgers, and Giants.Īs part of Friday’s tripleheader, ESPN will air the Cardinals vs. The tight races out west in the National League fit into ESPN’s programming for double and tripleheaders are set to take place. The Blue Jays will face the AL East-leading Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday in what ESPN is calling a “postseason impact game” on Tuesday where Toronto will look to both solidify their AL Wild Card spot and possibly catch the Red Sox who are one slim game ahead of the Blue Jays for the first AL Wild Card position.
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