ESPN and Major League Baseball (MLB) separate each other in the conclusion of the regular season 2025, finishing its media rights association.
The MLB commissioner, Rob Manfred, explained the reasoning behind the end of the association in a letter to the owners of the League, according to Atlético.
In the letter, Manfred said the League “had not been satisfied with the minimum coverage that MLB has received on ESPN platforms in recent years outside the real live game coverage.”
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The Major Baseball Commissioner, Robert D. Manfred Jr., speaks during the 2024 MLB Draft presented by Nike at the Cowtown Coliseum on Sunday, July 14, 2024 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photos of Daniel Shirey/MLB through Getty Images)
To that end, ESPN was ready to pay the league approximately $ 550 million in each of the next three years, which he considered that it was above the current market value, according to Atlético.
With a deadline of March 1 for ESPN and MLB to choose not to participate in the last three years in the agreement, both agreed to do so.
“We do not believe it is beneficial for us to accept a smaller agreement to remain on a reduced platform,” Manfred wrote in the letter to the owners. “To better position MLB to optimize our rights in our next cycle of treatment, we believe that it is not wise Round on a new transmission and/or transmission platform.
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“To that end, we have been in conversations with several interested parties about these rights in recent months and we hope to have at least two potential options for consideration in the coming weeks.”
ESPN will continue to have its transmission as “Sunday Night Baseball”, bunned postseason games and the rest of its association details with MLB in the 2025 season.
MLB has had an association with ESPN since 1990, and due to the long relationship, both are willing to work in a new agreement.
The MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred before game four of the MLB World Series of 2024 between the Dodgers of Los Angeles and the New York Yankees in the Yankee Stadium in New York City on October 29, 2024. (Brad Penner-Imagn images)
“When making this decision, we apply the same discipline and fiscal responsibility that the Leaders Live Events portfolio has built in the ESPN industry as we continue to grow our audience on linear, digital and social platforms,” Manfred wrote. “As we have been throughout the process, we remain open to explore new ways of serving MLB fans on our platforms beyond 2025”.
According to reports, ESPN has presented national and regional programming ideas so that the MLB reviews it.
Manfred said ESPN approached MLB to reduce the annual total of $ 550 million, citing Apple paying $ 85 million per year for the rights of the games, while Roku only pays $ 10 million.
Manfred’s argument for MLB was the “inventory involved” so that ESPN was much larger compared to Apple and Roku.
The Baseball Major Leagues Commissioner, Robert D. Manfred Jr., speaks with the media during the media day of the spring cactus league in Arizona Biltmore on Wednesday, February 15, 2023 in Phoenix. (Photos of Daniel Shirey/MLB through Getty Images)
“The ESPN agreement contains the only regular seasonal windows truly exclusive on Sunday nights, the exclusive right to a complete playoffs and the home run derby, one of the most exciting events of summer,” Manfred wrote. “In contrast, Apple and Roku have games that compete against a complete list of other games transmitted in local markets.”
Who would be associated with the MLB, if a reviewed agreement with ESPN is not resolved, remains to be seen.
