Long before MLB Network launched in 2009, ESPN was the network of Major League Baseball.
When ESPN began broadcasting baseball in 1990, it aired doubleheaders on Tuesdays and Fridays, single games on Wednesdays and a stand-alone game on Sundays. Throw in holidays, and ESPN showed more than 175 games.
Next year, it isn’t expected to show any.
That’s because ESPN and MLB agreed to opt out of the remaining three years of their contract, though ESPN reportedly made the first move. It sought to significantly reduce its annual $550 million payment, which commissioner Rob Manfred said was “simply unacceptable.”
ESPN cited MLB’s $85 million-a-year deal with Apple and $10 million-a-year deal with Roku. Manfred argued those deals aren’t comparable because neither includes exclusivity, whereas ESPN owns Sunday night, the Home Run Derby and wild-card playoff series. He also said “Sunday Night Baseball” viewership increased 6% last season.
But what really chapped Manfred’s cowhide was ESPN’s limited coverage outside of game broadcasts. ESPN stopped airing “Baseball Tonight” daily in 2017, and MLB is barely mentioned on the network’s weekday talk shows.
The sides still could come to a new agreement before next season, but in the meantime, Manfred is taking ESPN’s rights package to the market. It’s unlikely he’ll come away with a deal similar to what ESPN was paying (the Wall Street Journal reported the network sought to pay no more than $200 million per year), but he should have several interested parties.
Here’s a look at where the games could land next season:
NBC
The network is considering getting back into business with baseball after airing games on Sunday mornings on Peacock in 2022-23 (that package now belongs to Roku). With “Sunday Night Baseball,” NBC could air sports on Sunday nights year-round. But NBC will have conflicts with its new NBA package early in the baseball season and with the NFL late. Still, a second night of games on broadcast TV would be appealing to MLB, even if it’s just from June to August (Fox still owns Saturdays). Perhaps Peacock could fill out the schedule.
TBS
Manfred has said he’s looking for a broadcast and/or streaming partner, and TBS is neither. But after losing the NBA, parent company Warner Bros. Discovery has been picking up smaller sports packages left and right. It still carries MLB games on Tuesday nights, though they’re not exclusive. Games on Sunday nights would be, and they’d add to TBS’ exclusive playoff series. Perhaps WBD could include its streaming service, Max, in the mix. Granted, TBS doesn’t provide the reach of a broadcast network, but Manfred might find he can’t be too picky.
Streaming
MLB already has two exclusive streaming packages. Why not a third? Amazon’s Prime Video has been successful carrying the NFL’s “Thursday Night Football” and is adding the NBA next season. Netflix just aired its first two NFL games last season and is looking for more. Obviously, MLB is not the NFL, but these streamers have deep pockets and a desire for exclusive sports packages. The problem is, we don’t know how well MLB games on Apple and Roku have rated. That usually means they haven’t rated well. Maybe Netflix or Prime would change that.
In the end, MLB could return to ESPN. There’s a non-zero chance Manfred goes back to network president Jimmy Pitaro hat in hand. But Manfred has been pretty harsh toward ESPN since the breakup, citing its declining pay-TV subscriptions, though that’s true for a lot of pay-TV outlets.
Manfred could learn the hard way that being in business with ESPN is good business. Or he could make the 30-minute walk through Midtown Manhattan and visit NHL commissioner Gary Bettman, who experienced life without the “Worldwide Leader in Sports.” Though NBC was a strong steward for hockey, Bettman was right to reengage with ESPN when NBC’s time was up.
Say what you will about those talk shows that barely discuss baseball. ESPN remains a destination for sports fans, mainly for its games. Leagues should want to be a part of it, especially MLB, which is the biggest thing going in the summer.
But MLB also needs a reality check. It doesn’t have the national appeal it once did. The NFL and NBA have blown past it, as have their rights fees. And the immense inventory of games does not lend itself to special packages. As much as ESPN loves Red Sox-Yankees games, there will be 13 of them this season, as opposed to, say, four Celtics-Knicks games.
Manfred said he wants a broadcast and/or streaming partner. ESPN gives him that, just not at his price. If he thinks Fox and TBS, whose deals expire after the 2028 season, are going to offer huge increases to renew, he’s wrong.
In this new world order, baseball doesn’t have home-run power.
Remote patrol
Apple released its “Friday Night Baseball” schedule through June 27, and the Cubs are set for two appearances: May 2 at the Brewers and June 6 at the Tigers. The White Sox have none. Apple returns its two broadcast teams of Wayne Randazzo, Dontrelle Willis and Heidi Watney; and Alex Faust, Ryan Spilborghs and Tricia Whitaker.
• Two Wolves games will air on Fox 32: March 21 against the Stars and March 30 against the Firebirds. The broadcasts move from the Wolves’ regular home, Channel 50, which was rebranded as Fox Chicago+.