Flashspoter - Major League Baseball is literally going to a new era of how the games are going to be distributed after the agreement with Netflix, NBCUniversal, and ESPN was announced. The contract covers 2026-2028 seasons and is a clear indication of the baseball league's intention to continue spreading their games on different streaming platforms and still keeping them on national TV. The press release is a result of the most-watched MLB postseason in the last eight years and the 2025 World Series Game 7 that has become the most-watched MLB game in the last 34 years.
The combined broadcast package is reportedly worth about$200 million per season and reorganizes the distribution of rights that ESPN and Fox dominated for years. In the new structure, ESPN's share was reduced, but MLB added Netflix as well as reinstating NBC as the national broadcaster for the first time since 2000. The combination also closes a gap that arose after ESPN and MLB terminated their long-term agreements early, leaving a void until the end of 2028.
Netflix role: getting into live Baseball for the first time
For Netflix, this contract marks the first time the service has broadcast MLB games live in the United States and Canada. As a part of that deal, Netflix has the exclusive rights to one Opening Night game per season for the length of the agreement. The very first game under this new contract was held on March 25, 2026, between the New York Yankees and the San Francisco Giants.
Also, the broadcast of the Home Run Derby was handed over to Netflix from ESPN, which was the major holder of the rest of the events' portfolios. Besides, the Platform is going to broadcast one MLB special event game annually. It will begin with the MLB Field of Dreams Game on August 13. Netflix has maintained its more selective approach, which is to show major events of global impact without having to shoulder a package of long-term weekly matches. MLB Network will help produce all content on Netflix.
NBC returns to being MLB's national broadcaster
NBC is back in baseball after an absence of more than two decades. In the latest package, NBC took over the Sunday Night Baseball slot from ESPN. Sunday night games will air through NBC's linear channel, Peacock's streaming service, and NBCSN's new sports network, depending on the week and deals NBC has previously scheduled for other sports.
Besides these weekly games, NBC got the broadcasting rights for the entire Wild Card Series that will be shown locally. NBC and Peacock will also air several specials, including the season opener in primetime and the Labor Day game. NBC's first game of the new cycle took place on March 26, 2026, bringing together the Arizona Diamondbacks and Los Angeles Dodgers in a championship banner-hoisting ceremony.
NBC also took over hosting of the first hour of the MLB Draft which was now moved to Saturday during All-Star Week. The rest remains aired by MLB Network. Futures Games also became part of NBC's package, complementing its growing sports portfolio after NBC regained the NBA broadcast rights.
ESPN maintains national and integration packages MLB.TV
ESPN remained a major partner of MLB despite losing some favorite products such as the Home Run Derby and Sunday Night Baseball. Under the new structure, ESPN gets 30 national games per season that will air on Thursdays, replacing the old Sunday schedule. ESPN also acquired out-of-market rights to six teams: the San Diego Padres, Cleveland Guardians, Minnesota Twins, Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Seattle Mariners.
Fans who want to tune in to the out-of-market broadcasts of the games can do so via the ESPN app as these broadcasts will be kept as a part of the MLB.TV package. this combination led ESPN to air more than 150 out-of-market games each season, one per day. In addition, ESPN maintains broadcasts of Memorial Day games as well as the opening game of the second half of the season after the All-Star break.
Integration MLB.TV into ESPN's streaming platform became one of the biggest changes, allowing fans to purchase the service independently or in bundles alongside ESPN national game access. MLB Network is also retained as part of the subscription package MLB.TV.
With the expiration of this three, year contract in 2028, all MLB broadcast rights—including those owned by Fox and TBS-will return to competition in 2029. The new package simultaneously expands MLB distribution to more screens, but also makes fans need to check different platforms to find out where each game is being broadcast.
Sources: Engadget, Forbes, Insider Sport
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