MLB Media Rights Update
Summary
Major League Baseball has announced new three-year media rights agreements with ESPN, NBCUniversal, and Netflix, effective from the 2026 season. This restructuring follows ESPN’s decision to opt out of its “Sunday Night Baseball” package earlier this year.
Key Points
- NBC acquires “Sunday Night Baseball” rights (2026-2028), paying approximately $200 million annually.
- ESPN opted out of its previous $550 million/year “Sunday Night Baseball” deal but secured a new $550 million package including MLB.TV rights and a 30-game midweek package.
- Netflix acquires the next three Home Run Derbies and a singular Opening Night game each season, paying about $50 million annually.
- Revenue Shift: MLB is receiving about $250 million for the Sunday night games previously paid for by ESPN at $550 million, representing a reduction of about $300 million annually.
- Future Strategy: These deals set the stage for MLB’s larger media rights negotiation in 2028, aiming to increase overall TV revenue by bundling these reclaimed rights with existing deals from Fox and Warner Bros. Discovery.
- Expanded Reach: The league aims to broaden its audience through new, streaming-exclusive partners like Netflix and enhanced distribution via ESPN and NBC platforms.
MLB媒体版权更新
总结
美国职业棒球大联盟(MLB)已宣布与ESPN、NBCUniversal和Netflix达成新的三年期媒体版权协议，自2026赛季起生效。此次重组是在ESPN今年早些时候决定退出其”周日之夜棒球”套餐后进行的。
关键点
- NBC 获得”周日之夜棒球”版权(2026-2028年)，每年支付约2亿美元。
- ESPN 退出了其先前每年5.5亿美元的”周日之夜棒球”协议，但获得了一个新的总价5.5亿美元的套餐，包括MLB.TV版权和一个30场比赛的周中套餐。
- Netflix 获得未来三届全垒打大赛以及每个赛季一场开幕夜比赛的版权，每年支付约5000万美元。
- 收入变化： MLB为先前由ESPN以5.5亿美元支付的周日晚间比赛，现在获得约2.5亿美元，意味着每年减少了约3亿美元。
- 未来战略： 这些协议为MLB在2028年进行更大规模的媒体版权谈判奠定了基础，旨在通过将这些收回的版权与福克斯和华纳兄弟探索公司现有的协议捆绑销售，来增加整体电视收入。
- 扩大覆盖范围： 联盟旨在通过像Netflix这样的新的、流媒体独家合作伙伴，以及通过ESPN和NBC平台增强的分发能力，来扩大其观众群。
Original Article Link: https://www.cnbc.com/2025/11/19/mlb-media-rights-deals-nbc-espn-netflix.html