On Thursday evening, it was reported that Major League Baseball and ESPN had “mutually agreed” to part ways after the 2025 MLB season, a decision that raises questions about its mutuality as suggested by commissioner Rob Manfred in his memo to MLB’s 30 owners is highly debatable. Nonetheless, the impact of this move will undoubtedly affect the market for sports media rights and the live sports content strategies of several media companies in the coming years.
This piece aims to rank the most likely destinations for the league’s newly available media rights—which include a premier package of exclusive regular-season games in Sunday Night Baseball, the Wild Card round of the postseason, and key events like Opening Day and the Home Run Derby. According to Manfred’s internal memo, MLB will seek broadcast networks and streamers for its new deal, aiming to move away from the “shrinking platform” of cable television.
So without further ado, here are the potential landing spots for MLB starting in the 2026 season:
1. Amazon/Prime Video
Amazon seems like a natural fit for MLB’s available inventory. According to John Ourand of Puck, Amazon has initiated informal discussions with the league regarding ESPN’s former package. Looking ahead to 2028, when all of MLB’s national contracts are up, Amazon may bundle local rights with any nationalized package for a future deal.
In 2026, baseball would seamlessly fit into Amazon’s sports lineup, filling a summer programming gap as Prime Video will hold rights to Thursday Night Football in the fall and winter and exclusive NBA games in the spring. Entering the baseball market now allows Amazon to secure preferred local and national rights come 2028. The streamer has already expressed interest in partnering with MLB through an agreement with the FanDuel Sports Networks, suggesting that a short-term deal for ESPN’s former inventory might be a logical step.
2. NBC/Peacock
Similar to Amazon, NBC also faces a summer programming gap for its streaming service, Peacock. For NBC, which relies on compelling content to retain subscribers, MLB could provide flagship programming during this slow period, bridging the gap between the NBA and NFL seasons. NBC could offer MLB both broadcast and streaming options.
However, NBC recently dropped its Sunday morning MLB package on Peacock, paying only $30 million per year. The next deal is likely to come with a much higher price tag, reflecting a more robust inventory than its previous package now available on Roku. While baseball may help address churn, NBC’s financials must align, especially as it prepares to spin off its lucrative cable businesses.
3. CBS/Paramount+
CBS and Paramount+ could represent an enticing option for MLB, meeting the needs for both streaming and broadcast exposure. The wildcard is Paramount’s impending ownership change, with Skydance set to take over, potentially increasing interest in securing a premier regular-season package.
Baseball could effectively mitigate churn during the summer, following March Madness and leading into football season. Paramount already boasts a solid summer lineup, including the PGA Tour, so adding baseball could strengthen their offerings, especially during a lull in international soccer programming.
4. The CW or ION
Dark horse candidates in the search for a new rightsholder include “netlets” like The CW or ION, which could meet MLB’s broadcast network criteria and might offer a premium compared to traditional media companies. As pointed out by Jon Lewis of Sports Media Watch, The CW recently attracted 1.8 million viewers for its NASCAR Xfinity Series opener, surpassing ESPN’s average Sunday Night Baseball audience of 1.5 million.
While aligning with a “netlet” may seem less appealing for MLB, these networks could still deliver substantial viewership for live sports. Smaller leagues have found success on networks like ION, indicating that baseball should remain open to this possibility at the right price.
5. Splitting the rights
It’s plausible that MLB might opt to split the rights. Perhaps Fox or Warner Bros. Discovery is keen on acquiring additional postseason content, or Netflix may show interest in the Home Run Derby even if it doesn’t want a full suite of regular-season games. However, splitting the rights among various partners may be the only viable way for the league to approach the $550 million per year that ESPN was slated to pay during the remainder of its contract, making it challenging to envision a single media company willing to invest that much for a limited number of regular-season games and Wild Card round coverage.
This option is listed last, as it feels like a fallback rather than a direct solution, but it may be the most likely scenario if Manfred’s primary goal is to regain the financial windfall from ESPN’s deal.
