MLB, Peacock Announce 18-Game Slate As League Leans into Streaming Platforms

NBC hasn’t carried Major League Baseball games in decades — but that’s changing this year.

On the eve of Opening Day, MLB announced it had finalized a deal with the broadcaster to stream 18 games on Peacock and create an inaugural slate of “Sunday Morning Baseball” games. Several outlets previously reported the deal as close to finalized. 

MLB will rake in $30 million for the partnership, according to Forbes.

The first six weeks of games will have 11:30 a.m. ET start times, beginning with a Chicago White Sox-Boston Red Sox matchup on May 8 at Fenway Park. The following 12 games will see a first pitch at noon E.T.  The initiative will extend into September.

The deal furthers MLB’s trend of putting more games on streaming platforms — in early March, the league announced a partnership with Apple TV+ to stream games on Friday evenings. 

MLB Chief Revenue Officer Noah Garden said in a statement that it was important to provide cord-cutters with more opportunities to watch games.

The last time NBC aired a MLB game was in 1989, according to the Wall Street Journal.