CNN
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ESPN and Major League Baseball mutually agreed to part ways and end their decades-long partnership after the 2025 season, the league announced on Thursday, a little less than a month before the start of the season.
The network first aired MLB games in 1990, but the league said in a statement that it is dismayed at how ESPN has pared back its baseball coverage.
“Given that MLB provides strong viewership, valuable demographics, and the exclusive right to cover unique events like the Home Run Derby, ESPN’s demand to reduce rights fees is simply unacceptable. As a result, we have mutually agreed to terminate our agreement,” the league said in a statement.
In a statement, ESPN defended its coverage of the league and said it is grateful for the long relationship with the league.
“We are grateful for our longstanding relationship with Major League Baseball and proud of how ESPN’s coverage super-serves fans,” the network’s statement read. “In making this decision, we applied the same discipline and fiscal responsibility that has built ESPN’s industry-leading live events portfolio as we continue to grow our audience across linear, digital and social platforms. As we have been throughout the process, we remain open to exploring new ways to serve MLB fans across our platforms beyond 2025.”
The move amounts to a big bet by MLB on its ability to attract new investment by a different company, whether that involves streaming or traditional cable companies.
The deal between ESPN and MLB had been a reported $550 million per season, the league’s second-largest package of national TV rights, and was set to expire after the 2026 season. The deal included the airing of 30 games nationally, 25 of which were “Sunday Night Baseball,” the opening night game each season and the Home Run Derby.
The market for media rights to live sports contests has become increasingly lucrative in recent years as sports remain some of the only consistent ratings draws for cable and broadcast networks.
The league believes it is riding a wave of momentum and interest that should improve upon that ESPN deal. MLB drew its largest live attendance figures in seven years last season, drawing more than 71.3 million fans into ballparks during 2024. It also saw jumps in television viewership, including on ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball,” which is typically the premier game of the week and has been a staple of the baseball weekly viewing schedule for years.
“Entering the 2025 season, MLB is enjoying tremendous momentum led by generational talent on the field and an entertaining brand of baseball due to rule changes which have improved the pace of play and action on the field,” the league’s statement read. “The results have generated increases in attendance, viewership, streaming, international growth and overall fan engagement. The positive energy around the sport has also led to significant interest from both traditional media companies and streaming services who would like to obtain rights to MLB games.
The statement added, “We will be exploring those opportunities for a new agreement which would start in the 2026 season following the conclusion of ESPN’s agreement at the end of this year.”
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