After a long-standing partnership, ESPN and Major League Baseball have announced that they will be ending their relationship at the conclusion of the 2025 baseball season. This decision was reportedly mutual and comes after ESPN first started airing MLB games in 1990. The league expressed disappointment in ESPN’s reduction of baseball coverage, but ESPN defended their decision by citing fiscal responsibility in building their live events portfolio.
ESPN stated that they would consider a less expensive rights deal with MLB, referencing the smaller deals MLB has with other platforms like Roku. MLB, on the other hand, expressed a willingness to work with ESPN but will be exploring other opportunities for a new agreement starting in the 2026 season.
In addition to its partnership with ESPN, MLB has agreements with other networks such as Fox and its affiliated channels, as well as the MLB Network which is owned by the league itself. Turner Broadcasting and Apple+ are also set to continue airing games on certain nights.
Overall, the end of the ESPN and MLB partnership marks a significant shift in the way baseball games will be broadcasted in the future, with both entities looking towards new opportunities for coverage starting from the 2026 season.
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