Roku announced the broadcast schedule Thursday for its 2025 MLB Sunday Leadoff series, as it enters the second year of its media rights deal.
The streaming service will broadcast 18 MLB games this season, many leading off the day’s schedule on Sundays. The first game on May 11 (11:35 a.m. ET) features the Chicago Cubs at the New York Mets.
Roku is your home for #MLBSundayLeadoff! Stream every game free all summer long on the Roku Channel starting on May 11. pic.twitter.com/VyDowE7gqP
— Roku Channel (@TheRokuChannel) February 20, 2025
Viewers do not need a Roku device to watch the games. The matchups will be available on the free Roku Channel, and also on MLB.TV (no blackout) for subscribers. However, the MLB Sunday Leadoff games will be blacked out on regional sports networks (RSNs).
Once again, MLB will produce the games, and local broadcasters will call the action.
It’s perhaps surprising that last year’s World Series teams, the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers, will make only one appearance each in this slate.
Roku began a three-year, $30 million media rights deal last year to broadcast 18 MLB games per season, part of their overall sports approach. While the deal is not particularly lucrative in terms of revenue for MLB, the Roku Channel brings wide exposure for the games. The most popular free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) service in the U.S., Roku reached an estimated 145 million people in 2024, more than any streaming service with the exception of Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+.
