MLB initially portrayed its split from ESPN as a mutual decision, but the full picture is far more complicated.
While ESPN is reportedly open to negotiating a new deal when its current agreement expires at the end of the 2025 season, there is growing chatter that the divide between the two entities might be too big to overcome. As a result, MLB has been searching for a new national broadcast partner to replace ESPN.
John Ourand of Puck reported earlier this week that the league is engaging with multiple potential partners, hoping to establish a relationship with a new entity before its rights are again up for bidding in 2028.
Based on Ourand’s reporting, MLB’s strategy is becoming increasingly apparent and closely mirrors the NFL’s long-standing approach of broadening its pool of potential bidders for media rights. By engaging with various entities well before its rights come up for auction, MLB is positioning itself to increase competition and drive up the value of its deals down the line — even if it means accepting a lower short-term rights fee for Sunday Night Baseball than it might have secured from ESPN.
For years, the NFL dabbled in one-off deals with platforms like Twitter, Yahoo, and Amazon, with Amazon ultimately turning its non-exclusive games into a major deal by securing Thursday Night Football. Recently, the NFL has continued to diversify by placing select games on ESPN+, Peacock, and Netflix while shifting its Sunday Ticket package to Google’s YouTube TV. Apple was also rumored to be involved when rights were last up for grabs. This strategy has proven highly successful, expanding the NFL’s reach and driving significant revenue growth.
It’s no surprise that MLB is taking a similar approach as it looks toward 2028, already forging partnerships with streaming services like DAZN, Apple, Peacock and Roku to position itself for future success.
With a more substantial package now on the table, MLB is actively courting Amazon and Netflix as potential partners. And while that might be a logical step for the league, it may not align with Netflix’s strategic goals, given the platform’s focus on high-profile, event-driven content.
As CNBC’s Alex Sherman explained in his weekly newsletter, Netflix is primarily drawn to sports that feature major tentpole events rather than regular season games that tend to get lost in the shuffle of other sporting content. The platform prefers high-impact moments that can stand out rather than the repetitive nature of games that don’t generate the same level of urgency or excitement.
Sherman sees Netflix’s interest being focused on marquee events like the Home Run Derby and Wild Card playoff games.
The Home Run Derby is an event. Wild Card playoff games can be an event. That may have some interest to Netflix, according to people familiar with the matter. Thirty regular season baseball games are not an event and are of no interest to Netflix, the people said.
And with that, it would seem that Sunday Night Baseball wouldn’t mesh with Netflix’s strategy.
Whatever percentage you want to put it at, the average sports fan couldn’t name this week’s Sunday Night Baseball matchup — that’s a problem. And that problem doesn’t fit with Netflix’s strategy — like at all.
When was the last time social media was dominated by something that happened on Sunday Night Baseball? That’s why high-profile, event-driven moments like the Home Run Derby and Wild Card playoff games could be seen as a better fit for the streaming platform. And that was the same strategy behind event-driven content — like the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight or the NFL’s Christmas Day games.
For MLB, this could mean rethinking how it packages its rights. Separating the big-event games from the regular season could attract higher bids. If the strategy doesn’t work, ESPN might be willing to negotiate — but only at a significantly reduced price.
So, MLB’s real challenge will be packaging its rights in a way that appeals to Netflix or any other streaming service or channel’s model.
