ESPN Is Looking To Back Out Of Its MLB Media Rights Deal

The ever-shifting landscape of sports media rights deals is once again set to take another turn; potentially sooner than expected.

ESPN, is reportedly looking to alter its agreement with Major League Baseball after the 2024 season, well ahead of schedule. The current deal between ESPN and the league stretches through 2028, with MLB receiving $580 million per year for just 30 regular season games. Those 30 games however, are completely exclusive to ESPN, with regional sports networks not broadcasting their own coverage.

A previous contract between the two sides saw ESPN show 90 games on its networks, though most were on weekdays and also shown on regional sports networks. 

Though even with the reduced, exclusive schedule where it broadcasts exclusively Sunday Night Baseball, ESPN is apparently not happy with the current arrangement. 

John Ourand at Puck reported that ESPN is now considering exercising an opt-out in its contract after the 2024 season, hoping to renegotiate to receive rights to broadcast more games without spending more money. Seems like something MLB would be interested in!

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred. (Stephen Brashear-USA TODAY Sports)

ESPN Could Add Local Rights To Broadcast Deal

According to Ourand, ESPN may attempt to get MLB to add local media rights to their contract, a possibility that became more realistic during the 2023 season. 

Teams like the San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies and Arizona Diamondbacks saw their television contracts fall apart with the bankruptcy of Diamond Sports, the group that operates the regional Bally Sports networks. MLB took over production and distribution of those teams' games, making them available to in-market fans through team-specific streaming packages.

ESPN may see an opportunity to add local distribution rights, though the league itself has also announced its intention to move to a more comprehensive streaming package.

READ: MLB Could Soon Be Launching Its Own Blackout-Free Streaming Package

It's unclear how this could all shake out after the 2024 season; MLB will certainly want to continue a relationship with ESPN, given the network's continued importance. But they're also hoping to make games even easier to access for fans; something that's vital for the sport's potential growth with younger viewers.

If ESPN wants to add more exclusive games to its ESPN+ service, that could complicate the league's intention to open up access to more broadcasts. 

It's a fascinating time in the sports media landscape, and MLB suddenly finds itself at the center of the rapidly changing priorities.