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MLB’s next media deal will be in the ballpark of its current one.
At the Front Office Sports Tuned In summit, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred confirmed that the league has “agreements in principle” for its next media deal. He added that it will be worth roughly the same annually as the $550 million MLB receives in its current deal with ESPN.
“We’ve essentially replicated where we would’ve been if ESPN hadn’t opted out,” Manfred said.
MLB and ESPN “mutually agreed” to end their media deal in February, but the two sides re-engaged in conversations over the summer. The new deal is expected to still include ESPN, and ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro said at the FOS summit earlier in the day that “good progress” has been made.
The Wall Street Journal reported that NBC and Netflix will also be involved. The commissioner called the new deal a “plus” for MLB’s reach and distribution.
Manfred admitted that a shorter deal was “not his first choice,” though entering the market again in three years has “benefits.” This includes local broadcasting rights, with all 30 teams expected to be available by 2028.
“If I had to guess today, we would have the availability of all 30 clubs,” Manfred said.
However, he said the execution of that future deal will be complicated.
“The best I can do for you right now is [that] we’re not going to centralize local media as a standalone deal. There will have to be other gives and takes that make sense,” Manfred said.
