ESPN and MLB mutually decided to part ways at the conclusion of the 2025 season, which will conclude the latest media right contract between the two sides. In a letter to the league's owners obtained by The Athletic, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred laid out the league's reasons to end the partnership.
According to Manfred, ESPN had approached the MLB to reduce the $550 million it spends annually on the deal, citing the $85 million that Apple and $10 million that Roku pay for their packages. ESPN's family of networks has broadcast the primetime Sunday Night Baseball since 1990. Manfred cited 2024's improved Sunday Night Baseball ratings, up 6% from the prior year he said, as reason against reducing the fee.
Manfred also cited ESPN's dwindling number of subscribers, and a lack of baseball coverage on the network's shows outside of games.
"Furthermore, we have not been pleased with the minimal coverage that MLB has received on ESPN’s platforms over the past several years outside of the actual live game coverage," Manfred wrote.
The commissioner says that ESPN is still interested in striking a new MLB deal, especially as it prepares to launch its own direct-to-consumer platform.
“Based on the foregoing, we and ESPN have mutually agreed to terminate our agreement. While ESPN has stated they would like to continue to have MLB on their platform, particularly in light of the upcoming launch of their DTC product, we do not think its beneficial for us to accept a smaller deal to remain on a shrinking platform. In order to best position MLB to optimize our rights going in to our next deal cycle, we believe it is not prudent to devalue our rights with an existing partner but rather to have our marquee regular season games, Home Run Derby and Wild Card playoff round on a new broadcast and/or streaming platform.
“To that end, we have been in conversations with several interested parties around these rights over the past several months and expect to have at least two potential options for consideration over the next few weeks. To be clear, our games will continue to be on ESPN for the entirety of the 2025 MLB season, including the postseason. Any new deal will commence in 2026. I will be in touch with more information as events warrant."
While the situation continues to evolve, as of now ESPN's 35-year partnership with MLB is set to come to a close at the end of the coming season.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Why Rob Manfred, MLB Decided to Drop ESPN As National TV Partner.
