On Monday, MLB and Roku officially announced their rumored streaming deal for a package of Sunday games.
The package, which will remain branded as Sunday Leadoff, begins on May 19 with Red Sox-Cardinals at 1:05 p.m. ET.
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 (blackout-free) for subscribers.
Both Roku and MLB talked up the deal in a release.
“As television programming, live sports, and the leagues have fragmented across networks, apps, and multiple packages, Roku—home to all of them—plays an increasingly crucial role for viewers and advertisers,” said Charlie Collier, President, Roku Media. “With this deal, Roku delivers free, live, weekly Sunday baseball and 24/7 baseball curation, destinations, and channels across our platform. The lead-in to all of television is now the lead-off for Sunday baseball as well. It’s a terrific partnership.”
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“With free games available to anyone, MLB games on Roku will be widely accessible to fans,” said Noah Garden, MLB Deputy Commissioner, Business and Media. “Since Roku serves as an entertainment gateway for millions, this partnership offers a valuable new promotional and distribution platform for MLB games and content.”
The MLB/Roku pact, announced as a multi-year agreement, runs from May 19-September 15 this season. The Sunday package is exclusive, meaning games will not be also airing on regional sports networks (RSNs).
MLB will produce the games, with each being called by “market-focused” broadcasters each week. The opener on May 19 will be called by Chip Caray, Will Middlebrooks, and Alexa Datt.
Additionally, Roku is launching the MLB Zone, which includes ” live and upcoming games, nightly recaps, highlights, a fully programmed MLB FAST channel.”
Here’s the full schedule of games.
- May 19, 1:05 p.m: Boston at St. Louis
- May 26, 11:35 a.m: Toronto at Detroit
- June 2, 1:05 p.m: Minnesota at Houston
- June 9, 1:05 p.m: San Francisco at Texas
- June 16, 1:05 p.m: St. Louis at Chicago
- June 23, 11:35 a.m: Arizona at Philadelphia
- June 30, 11:35 a.m: Pittsburgh at Atlanta
- July 7, 4:10 p.m: Arizona at San Diego
- July 14, 11:35 a.m: NY Yankees at Baltimore
- July 21, 1:05 p.m: Milwaukee at Minnesota
- July 28, 11:35 a.m: Cincinnati at Tampa Bay
- August 4, 12:05 p.m: San Francisco at Cincinnati
- August 11, 11:35 a.m: LA Angels at Washington
- August 18, 12:05 p.m: Miami at NY Mets
- August 25, 12:05 p.m: Washington at Atlanta
- September 1, 4:10 p.m: LA Dodgers at Arizona
- September 8, 12:05 p.m: Tampa Bay at Baltimore
- September 15, 1:05 p.m: Cincinnati at Minnesota
The Roku deal will inevitably lead to complaints from MLB fans, but this is a better outcome for viewers than the Peacock Sunday Leadoff deal from the last two years. Games in the Roku package aren’t behind a paywall. Instead, they’re on a free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channel available on oodles of platforms, as well as on Roku’s own devices. MLB.TV subscribers also get an olive branch with games available on that platform.
[MLB]
