Major Changes in MLB Broadcasting: New Agreements for 2026-2028
The commissioner of Major League Baseball (MLB), Rob Manfred, announced that the league is about to close broadcast deals with four major media companies for the 2026 to 2028 seasons. These negotiations mark a milestone in the way fans will enjoy baseball in the coming years. During a Q&A session following Front Office Sports’ “Tuned In” event, Manfred revealed details about the deals in development. MLB is close to finalizing deals with Comcast’s NBCUniversal for the wild card series and Sunday night games, Netflix for the All-Star Home Run Derby, Apple TV for regular season games, and ESPN for a regular season package, in addition to rights in specific markets.ESPN had previously opted not to renew its agreement for Sunday Night games and Home Run Derby rights for the 2026 to 2028 seasons. Manfred highlighted the importance of keeping ESPN as a partner and the excitement of partnering with Netflix. Conversations with ESPN President James Pitaro resumed in July during the Allen & Co. Sun Valley Conference, demonstrating a mutual interest in continuing the collaboration. Manfred anticipates a different model for the rights packages that will begin in 2029. More games are expected to be available in national packages, although the local solution will remain crucial for the 2,430 games that will not be included in the national packages. MLB seeks to have each team’s games available on fewer channels and emphasizes the need for a greater national presence to maximize revenue in the current media environment. The main goal is to bring more games nationally, although there are concerns about what will happen to the games not included in these packages.We have agreements in principle. There are still issues to be resolved. These are the agreements that have been publicly reported and we hope to bring them to a successful conclusion.
Rob Manfred, MLB Commissioner
