Major League Baseball’s new media rights agreement will give Seattle Mariners fans expanded streaming access under a deal that shifts out-of-market and select in-market rights to ESPN, MLB announced Wednesday.
The three-year package, which also includes major new game slates on NBC and Netflix, is valued at nearly $800 million annually.
Commissioner Rob Manfred said the league structured the deals to prioritize streaming access while keeping longtime broadcast partners in the mix.
Under the agreement, ESPN becomes the new streaming home for MLB.TV, putting every out-of-market game — including Mariners games for fans outside the Northwest — on the ESPN App.
ESPN also secured in-market streaming rights for six clubs, including the Mariners, whose games are produced directly by MLB, after the closure of Root Sports earlier this year.
“This fan-friendly agreement allows us to showcase the great sport of baseball on both a local and national level, while prioritizing our streaming future,” ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement.
He added that MLB.TV “will be strongly complemented by our national game package and in-market team rights — all within the ESPN App.”
While ESPN is losing the Home Run Derby and postseason games, it will still carry 30 national broadcasts, primarily weeknight games during the summer.
“We’re excited to have a midweek package back out there,” Manfred said, calling the ESPN partnership an “evolution” as the network pivots further toward streaming.
NBC and Netflix take over several high-profile events that had long been ESPN staples.
NBC/Peacock becomes the new home of “Sunday Night Baseball” and the entire wild-card round, with 25 Sunday night games airing mostly on NBC and streaming on Peacock.
NBC will also revive Sunday early-afternoon games and produce the Futures Game and amateur draft coverage during All-Star Week.
Netflix, continuing to expand into live sports, picks up some of MLB’s marquee attractions.
The streamer will carry the Home Run Derby, season-opening games, and annual special-event matchups, including the MLB at Field of Dreams game.
MLB’s balancing act came as it worked to avoid conflicts with existing partners Fox and Turner Sports, whose own deals run through 2028.
Apple TV will continue to air Friday night games as part of its separate agreement.
For Manfred, the new contracts also serve as groundwork for future negotiations. He has repeatedly signaled that MLB wants a more national distribution model and fewer games tied to regional sports networks — a system that has become increasingly unstable for several teams, including Seattle.
“I think it’s really important that we manage to continue a relationship with ESPN,” Manfred said. “They’ve been kind of the bedrock of our broadcast program for a long time.”
The new TV era begins March 25, when Netflix airs Yankees-Giants on Opening Day, and continues March 26 when NBC broadcasts the Dodgers versus Diamondbacks.
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