While much of the focus has been placed on Sunday Night Baseball, the Home Run Derby, and the Wild Card Round, an underrated part of the MLB package ESPN surrendered by opting out of its deal is the standalone Opening Day game.
And we now know where that asset is heading, with The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand reporting that Netflix will stream MLB’s Opening Day matchup for the next three years, beginning with the 2026 showdown between the New York Yankees and San Francisco Giants on March 25.
News of Netflix landing the Opening Day game effectively completes MLB’s latest round of negotiations, which was initially triggered by ESPN opting out of its deal following the 2025 season (MLB, in turn, also opted out). With ESPN’s soon-to-be former rights available, MLB recently reached agreements for Netflix to host the Home Run Derby and for NBC to become the home of Sunday Night Baseball and the Wild Card round. Meanwhile, NBC is also taking over Roku’s Sunday Morning Leadoff game, while it is expected that ESPN will begin licensing MLB.tv from the league.
MLB declined to comment on Marchand’s report. Last week, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed that the previously reported deals have been finalized.
“We have, kind of, agreements in principle,” he said at Front Office Sports’ Tuned In conference. “We still have issues that need to be resolved. They are the agreements that have been reported publicly, and we hope to push them across the finish line.”
The partnership between MLB and Netflix — which will also see the streamer share special event games, such as “Field of Dreams,” “MLB at Rickwood Field,” and “MLB Speedway,” with NBC/Peacock — appears to be mutually beneficial for both parties. For MLB, it increases the league’s presence on a massive global platform, while also fitting into Netflix’s big event tentpole strategy.
The length of the deal also isn’t a coincidence. With all of MLB’s current national rights set to expire after the 2028 season, it won’t be long until the league is back at the negotiating table.
About Ben Axelrod
Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.