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From Broadcast to Broadband: MLB Takes its Streaming Leap

 

Major League Baseball ("MLB") season is swinging into full gear; but for many fans and viewers, the biggest change isn’t happening on the field. On November 19, 2025, the MLB announced a new, short-term media rights deal with ESPN, NBCUniversal, and Netflix covering the 2026-2028 seasons.[2] The deal reflects a broader trend in professional sports as leagues continue shifting premium content toward streaming platforms.


So, Who Gets What?


ESPN: ESPN and MLB will continue their decades-long partnership, extending the relationship into its 39th consecutive season.[3] Under the new agreement, ESPN retains its national midweek game package, continued integration of MLB content into the ESPN app, and in-market streaming rights for select MLB teams.[4] The sports network will also retain rights to the MLB Little League Classic.[5] ESPN also maintains its distribution rights to MLB.TV, allowing fans to purchase the league’s out-of-market streaming service directly through ESPN.[6] However, ESPN will no longer carry Sunday Night Baseball, a right it has held since 1990, as those rights now shift to NBCUniversal.[7] ESPN also loses the rights to the T-Mobile Home Run Derby, which will now stream on Netflix, as the streaming giant continues to invest in marquee live sporting events.[8]

 

NBCUniversal: The new deal positions NBCUniversal as a central broadcasting partner, marking MLB’s return to regular NBC coverage for the first time in decades. NBCUniversal acquires the rights to Sunday Night Baseball and will also air the Wild Card Series, Sunday Leadoff early games, select special event matchups, and portions of All-Star week programming.[9] The All-Star week programming will include the first hour of the MLB Draft and the Future Game, which showcases top Minor League prospects on All-Star Sunday.[10] Coverage will be distributed across NBC, Peacock, and NBCSN, combining broadcast reach with streaming access.[11]

 

Netflix: Netflix continues its expansion into live sports with its first-ever live MLB game coverage beginning in 2026. Under the agreement, Netflix will exclusively stream MLB Opening Night games, the T-Mobile Home Run Derby, and one special event game per season.[12] Netflix also secures exclusive rights to globally stream the 2026 World Baseball Classic being held in Japan, expanding MLB’s global reach and strengthening Netflix’s sports portfolio to its international markets.[13] This builds on Netflix’s prior collaborations with MLB, including globally distributed documentaries such as The Turnarounds, The Comeback: 2004 Boston Red Sox, and the eight-part docuseries The Clubhouse, which followed the 2025 Boston Red Sox.[14]

 

What Stays the Same: Fox, TBS and Apple TV+


Despite notable changes, several key media rights remain unchanged. FOX and FS1 retain rights to the World Series, League Championship Series, Division Series, the All-Star Game, and select regular-season games.[15] TBS will continue to air postseason coverage and Tuesday night regular-season games.[16] Apple TV+ remains the home of Friday Night Baseball, while MLB Network will continue its production and availability role through both linear and direct-to-consumer (DTC) platforms, collaborating with media partners to develop new and engaging content for fans.[17]

 

The Move to Streaming


This media rights agreement reflects a broader and accelerating shift toward streaming platforms as major players compete to secure live sports content. Sports leagues and entities are increasingly prioritizing streaming partnerships to reach younger, digital-first audiences, while streaming companies view live sports as one of the remaining forms of “appointment viewing” capable of driving subscriptions and maintaining long-term engagement.

 

It was projected that by 2025 the number of U.S. viewers who stream a sporting event at least once per month to exceed 90 million, up from 57 million in 2021.[18] This dramatic growth has only intensified competition among streaming platforms seeking exclusive sports rights to differentiate their services.

 

NBCUniversal has positioned itself as a dominant force in the sports media market, with Peacock offering access to the NFL, NBA, college football, the Olympics, and now MLB; providing consumers with year-round sports programming under one platform.[19] Similarly, Netflix has increasingly turned to live events as a strategic growth driver.[20] Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos told investors on July 17, 2025, “What we’ve seen with live [events] is it has outsized positive impacts around conversation around acquisition, and we suspect around retention.”[21]

 

The Skyrocket Price of Media Rights


As streaming competition intensifies, the cost of sports media rights has surged. Under this deal, MLB’s agreements with ESPN, NBCUniversal, and Netflix will average nearly $800 million per year. ESPN will continue to pay approximately $550 million annually, while NBCUniversal’s deal is valued at $200 million per year and Netflix’s at $50 million.[22]

 

These figures come on top of MLB’s existing national deals, under which FOX pays an average of $729 million per year, and Turner Sports ("TBS") pays $470 million annually, both expiring after the 2028 season.[23] Collectively, these agreements, which total just under $2 billion per year, highlight how professional sports rights have become one of the most valuable, and costly, assets in the media landscape.

 

Industry analysts expect this trend to continue. Ampere Analysis Senior Research Manager Dan Harraghy has noted that major U.S. negotiations, particularly those involving the MLB and potentially the NFL, “could push global spend even higher,” adding that increased competition for U.S. rights, “will lift worldwide spend to more than $78 billion by 2030.”[24]

 

What This Means for the Future of Sports and Media


For consumers, the proliferation of streaming-exclusive sports rights may result in higher costs, as fans increasingly need multiple subscriptions to follow their favorite teams and leagues. Additionally, live sports are uniquely vulnerable to disruptions such as delayed streaming or connectivity issues, which can significantly diminish the viewing experience.

 

At industry level, recent developments, such as the $110 billion Paramount-Warner Bros. Deal, suggest that some streaming companies may pursue consolidation or strategic partnerships to manage rising costs and remain competitive.[25] However, these moves raise potential antitrust and regulatory concerns, particularly where consolidation or exclusivity may limit consumer choice or disadvantage competing platforms.[26]

 

These concerns have not gone unnoticed. In September 2025, members of the U.S. Congress sent a letter to professional sports commissioners and the executives of several leagues expressing concern that certain media rights agreements could infringe on market power, reduce competition, and increase prices for consumers.[27] Since then, policymakers have intensified their scrutiny through hearings, formal briefing, and renewed discussion of potential reforms to antitrust law and the Sports Broadcasting Act to better address the realities of the modern streaming ecosystem.[28]

 

Looking ahead, MLB and other professional sports leagues face mounting pressure from soaring media rights costs, fractured fan access, and heightened antitrust scrutiny when negotiating these future deals with potential partners. How the league manages consumer benefit, fan engagement, and brand exposure will shape the future of professional sports as fully integrated media businesses navigating an increasingly competitive streaming landscape.

 

Katelyn Fuller (staff writer) is a 1L at Villanova Law from Middletown, DE and the surrounding Philadelphia suburbs. She earned her B.A. in International Relations with a minor in Sport Management from the University of Delaware. At Villanova, Katelyn serves as a 1L Rep. for the Fashion Law Society and is a member of the Sports Law Society, Intellectual Property Society, and the Sports Law Blog staff. Prior to Villanova Law, Katelyn worked at NFL Films as a Licensing and Research Intern. She aspires to pursue a legal career in collegiate athletics or within professional sports - particularly the NFL - focusing on in-house counsel, content licensing, and brand management. 


References:

[2] Anthony Castrovince, MLB announces new 3-year rights deal with ESPN, NBC, Netflix, (Nov. 19, 2025), https://www.mlb.com/news/mlb-announces-media-rights-deals-with-espn-nbc-netflix

[3] Id.

[4] Id.

[5]  Eric Fisher, MLB finalizes Short-Term TV Rights Deals, Adds NBC and Netflix, (Nov 2025). https://frontofficesports.com/mlb-finalizes-short-term-tv-rights-deals-adds-nbc-and-netflix/

[6] Id.

[7] Anthony Castrovince, supra note 2.

[8] Eric Fisher, supra note 5.

[9] ESPN News Services, ESPN, MLB reach new 3-year media rights agreement, (Nov. 19, 2025), https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/47026249/espn-mlb-reach-new-3-year-media-agreement

[10] Id.

[11] Anthony Castrovince, supra note 2.

[12] Supra note 9.

[13] Anthony Castrovince, supra note 2.

[14] Id.

[15] Supra note 9.

[16] Anthony Castrovince, supra note 2.

[17] Supra note 9.

[18] PWC, Streaming the game: How the rise of digital platforms is changing sports consumption, (2024), https://www.pwc.com/us/en/industries/tmt/library/sports-streaming-platforms.html

[19] Alex Weprin, As Pay TV Collapses, Sports’ Streaming Wars Kick Off, (Dec. 6, 2025), https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/sports-streaming-wars-1236440665/

[20] Id.

[21] Id.

[22] ESPN News Services, ESPN, MLB reach new 3-year media rights agreement, (Nov. 19, 2025), https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/47026249/espn-mlb-reach-new-3-year-media-agreement

[23] Id.

[24] Alex Weprin, supra note 19.

[25] Dawn Chmielewski, Warner Bros' Oscar triumph a bittersweet moment as Paramount deal looms, (March 15, 2026), https://www.reuters.com/business/media-telecom/warner-bros-oscar-triumph-bittersweet-moment-paramount-deal-looms-2026-03-16/

[26]  Jablon, Lavery, Streaming Wars Expand to Sports Media, Spark Antitrust Concerns, (Dec. 2, 2025), https://news.bloomberglaw.com/legal-exchange-insights-and-commentary/streaming-wars-expand-to-sports-media-spark-antitrust-concerns

[27] Id.


[28] Id.


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