ESPN and MLB Split Ways After 35-Year Partnership
By Movieguide® Contributor
ESPN announced its departure from a 35-year partnership with Major League Baseball, a major move in the sports world.
“We are grateful for our longstanding relationship with Major League Baseball and proud of how ESPN’s coverage super-serves fans,” said an ESPN spokesperson. “In making this decision, we applied the same discipline and fiscal responsibility that has built ESPN’s industry-leading live events portfolio as we continue to grow our audience across linear, digital and social platforms. As we have been throughout the process, we remain open to exploring new ways to serve MLB fans across our platforms beyond 2025.”
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According to Sportcal, ESPN has paid about $550 million per year “for its rights to air 30 games nationally, 25 of which were SUNDAY NIGHT BASEBALL, the opening night game each season, and the Home Run Derby.”
The MLB responded in a statement, “Unfortunately, in recent years, we have seen ESPN scale back their baseball coverage and investment in a way that is not consistent with the sport’s appeal or performance on their platform. Given that MLB provides strong viewership, valuable demographics, and the exclusive right to cover unique events like the Home Run Derby, ESPN’s demand to reduce rights fees is simply unacceptable. As a result, we have mutually agreed to terminate our agreement.”
MLB is unsure of who it will end up with, but the company did state that there has been “significant interest from both traditional media companies and streaming services who would like to obtain rights to MLB games.”
“We will be exploring those opportunities for a new agreement which would start in the 2026 season following the conclusion of ESPN’s agreement at the end of this year,” MLB added.
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