MLB Streaming Rights: ESPN, NBC, Netflix Deals; Apple Stays

MLB announces new deals with ESPN, NBC, Netflix for 2026-2028. Apple continues 'Friday Night Baseball' despite earlier reports. ESPN gets midweek games. Netflix expands to live events.

MLB’s New Media Rights Agreements

Baker went on to claim that, although things were still in motion and subject to change, Friday night games would likely transfer to NBC/Peacock, and that Netflix would certainly broaden its partnership with the organization to stream Home Run Derby matches.

In essence, today’s announcement puts any substantial development of Apple’s baseball streaming civil liberties unreachable for at least the following few years, contrasting with reports previously in the year that put Apple as one of the competitors for the brand-new MLB media offers.

Apple’s Sports Streaming Strategy

Still, Apple has actually been developing momentum with sporting activities for Apple television, with the current announcement of the United States streaming civil liberties to F1, in addition to a changed agreement with MLS that will certainly finish MLS Period Pass and make video games available free of cost to Apple TV subscribers.

Earlier this year, Yahoo Sports’ Kendall Baker reported that Apple had actually chosen to end its connection with Big league Baseball, which indicated that not only would Apple not expand its streaming handle the organization, yet the firm would additionally finish its Friday Night Baseball programs.

ESPN and Netflix Expands Coverage

And ESPN will certainly get a nationwide midweek game bundle throughout the period while also acquiring the civil liberties to sell MLB.TV, the league’s out-of-market streaming solution that established a record with 19.4 billion minutes watched in 2025.”

MLB today announced new media legal rights contracts with ESPN, NBCUniversal, and Netflix, and verified that, contrary to previous records, Apple will remain to stream “Friday Night Baseball”. Here are the information.

Apple’s Senior Vice President Vision

Simply just recently, Apple’s Elderly Vice President of Providers, Eddy Sign, went on a press tour and reviewed his (and Apple’s) vision for the future of sports streaming, which involves “more bundling,” as he stated throughout a panel at Motorsport Network’s Autosport Service Exchange New York City.

“As component of the civil liberties agreements, which cover the 2026-2028 MLB seasons, the league’s longstanding partnership with ESPN will certainly reach 39 consecutive seasons, NBC will certainly return to frequently airing video games on its program network for the very first time in a quarter century, and Netflix’s involvement with MLB will certainly increase from docudramas to live baseball occasion coverage for the very first time.