NBCUniversal is making moves to secure a significant package of Major League Baseball rights that ESPN has decided to let go. The Comcast-backed media conglomerate is currently in preliminary discussions with the league regarding the package, which ESPN was previously paying $550 million a year for. In February, ESPN announced its decision to “opt out” of its seven-year deal with MLB, which was originally set to run through 2028. This move came after ESPN executives expressed dissatisfaction with smaller deals that MLB had made with Apple and Roku, granting them exclusive game rights for lower annual fees. As a result, ESPN may find itself without professional baseball coverage for the first time in four decades once the current season concludes.
NBCUniversal, colloquially known as the Peacock, has entered into early talks with MLB about potentially acquiring the rights package. These discussions are still in the early stages, with both parties viewing them as exploratory. Other interested parties, including ESPN, have also expressed interest in the MLB package. ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro recently stated that the company would be open to renegotiating a deal that would include rights to show local games on a new ESPN streaming service set to launch in the fall.
The interest from NBCU in the ESPN package is partly driven by ESPN’s exclusive Sunday night games, a timeslot that NBC traditionally reserves for “Sunday Night Football” during the fall season. NBC recently secured an 11-year rights deal with the NBA, which will see Sunday-night basketball games airing in 2026. Acquiring Sunday baseball games would allow NBC to offer a consistent lineup of big-league sports content to advertisers nearly year-round.
NBCUniversal and MLB have a history of collaboration, as NBCUniversal owns several regional sports networks that broadcast local-market baseball games. In 2023, NBCUniversal streamed a package of late-Sunday-morning baseball games on its Peacock streaming service before relinquishing the rights as MLB pursued a more lucrative deal.
Other major companies, such as Fox Corp. and Warner Bros. Discovery, may also explore opportunities to broadcast MLB games. Fox Corp. holds rights to the World Series in the U.S. and could look to extend its coverage, while Warner Bros. Discovery currently airs some baseball games on its TBS cable network and streaming platform, Max.
Overall, the landscape of MLB broadcasting rights is evolving, with NBCUniversal emerging as a key player in the bid for exclusive MLB content. As negotiations continue, it remains to be seen how the distribution of MLB games will shift among major media companies in the coming years.
