NBC makes offer to take over ESPN's MLB television slate
NBC is taking a swing at getting back into the baseball broadcasting game.
NBCUniversal made an offer to the MLB to scoop up the broadcast package of regular season and playoff games that ESPN is giving up, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.
According to the report, the offer is less than what the Worldwide Leader in Sports currently pays Major League Baseball to carry games, which includes 'Sunday Night Baseball.'
Advertisement
3 NBC Sports is making a play for ESPN's slate of MLB games next season.
Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The offer by NBC was made earlier in May after the league and network had conversations in the weeks prior.
Comcast exec Brian Roberts and MLB commissioner Rob Manfred had also talked about a potential deal.
Advertisement
NBC is offering less than what ESPN currently pays because the network isn't looking for any international rights or radio rights, which ESPN licenses from the league, the Wall Street Journal reported.
The Comcast-owned network reportedly is also interested in the rights to the first round of the playoffs and the Home Run Derby, which ESPN currently carries.
3 Yankees left fielder Cody Bellinger (35) hits a grand slam home run in the eighth inning against the New York Mets at Yankee Stadium on ESPN 'Sunday Night Baseball.'
Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
The offer would also include games airing on NBC's streaming service, Peacock, which has shown exclusive NFL and Premier League games.
Advertisement
ESPN triggered its opt-out clause in February for the final three years of its $550 million-a-year deal with MLB, ending a longstanding broadcast partnership between the two sides after this season.
NBCUniversal cable channels, including USA Network, have been spun off into a separate company, Versant, which has expressed interest in picking up a baseball package.
Versant hasn't been part of NBC's talks with MLB.
3 ESPN is giving up its MLB package after this season.
REUTERS
Advertisement
NBC already holds the rights to the NFL and will carry NBA games starting next season.
According to the report, when there are scheduling conflicts with other sports, MLB games would be streamed on Peacock.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Arsenal need goals and see Igor Paixão as an affordable alternative
Arsenal need goals and see Igor Paixão as an affordable alternative Arsenal have added Igor Paixão to their list of potential transfer targets for this summer, The Times reports. The Feyenoord winger is said to be an alternative to the 'expensive' Nico Williams and Leroy Sané. According to the English paper, Mikel Arteta has prioritised strengthening his attack after Arsenal were forced to settle for a third consecutive second-place finish in the Premier League. The team scored 69 goals, 22 fewer than the previous season. Advertisement Paixão joins Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers on the Gunners' wishlist. Rogers seems to have a slight advantage over Paixão. 'Arteta likes versatile players and prefers to sign players with Premier League experience. The 24-year-old Paixão would be a cheaper option than Rogers.' Paixão has been under contract with Feyenoord since the summer of 2022. In Rotterdam-Zuid, the Brazilian has made 129 appearances so far, in which he has scored 39 goals and provided 29 assists. With this, Paixão has caught the attention of clubs from Europe. Olympique Marseille are said to have offered around 20 million euros, although Feyenoord were quick to turn that down. GBeNeFN | Max Bradfield
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Tonali breaks silence on Newcastle future, confirms Italy strategy
Newcastle star Sandro Tonali confirms he's happy at the club and doesn't want to 'break the bonds' he's built: 'I've found people who care about me, and I care about them.' Tonali is preparing for Italy's World Cup qualifying match against Norway on June 6. Advertisement The Azzurri trained at Coverciano this morning and will depart for Oslo this evening. Tonali spoke to Sky Sport Italia about the Azzurri's approach against Norway, but also discussed his future at Newcastle, sending a clear transfer message. Read more – New Italy injury blow as Kean set to miss World Cup qualifying games 'I'm happy where I am now. I've found people who care about me, and I care about them. I don't want to break any of the bonds I've built,' he said. Tonali 'happy' at Newcastle NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE, ENGLAND – MAY 11: Sandro Tonali of Newcastle United celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Newcastle United FC and Chelsea FC at St James' Park on May 11, 2025 in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. (Photo by) 'I've had a lot of thoughts every day, but right now, I'm happy where I am.' However, the Newcastle star misses the Italian atmosphere when he's away. 'Sometimes, when I am away from Italy for a long time or during long breaks, I do miss coming home a bit, but I always come back with the national team and I always give my best,' Tonali added. Advertisement 'There's a group here that wants to be together and needs to be here, united. There's a desire to face these ten days as a real team, staying close and trying not to make things harder for ourselves. That's often where the teams struggle, and we're trying to keep things simple.' Tonali won the EFL Cup with his club in March, beating Federico Chiesa's Liverpool in the Final. Sandro Tonali celebrates on the Wembley pitch after winning the EFL Cup final with Newcastle in a 2-1 victory over Liverpool. (Picture @NUFC via X) 'It was beautiful because it was hard,' said Tonali. 'We weren't the favourites, and we never really have been. We beat Arsenal, Liverpool and Chelsea. We weren't the favourites in almost every match, but it was special also because when an unexpected team wins, all eyes turn to them. It was amazing to do it with a team that hadn't done it in 70 years, with incredible fans.' Advertisement The Azzurri will make their debut in the World Cup qualifiers against Norway tomorrow. Erling Haaland's country has already won two games out of two in Group I. Italy's tactic against Norway epa11976764 Italy's midfielder Sandro Tonali (R) celebrates after scoring the 1-0 goal during the UEFA Nations League quarterfinals first leg soccer match between Italy and Germany at the Giuseppe Meazza Stadium in Milan, Italy, 20 March 2025. EPA-EFE/Daniel Dal Zennaro 'We need to be smart and understand that against players of this quality, we have to take the ball away from them and try to keep it as much as possible. 'The match is long, 90 minutes is a long time, and both teams will want possession for extended periods. We don't want to let them control the game, and we need to start the match with that mindset. We know playing away is more difficult, but we're ready for anything. We're Italy and we must be prepared to face any team.' Advertisement Luciano Spalletti, Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Giovanni Di Lorenzo previously suggested that the Azzurri would need to keep possession for longer than Norway to secure a positive result in their upcoming meeting. Tonali scored six goals and provided three assists in 45 appearances across all competitions with Newcastle this season.
New York Post
36 minutes ago
- New York Post
Hooters shutters dozens of restaurants after bankruptcy filing as industry suffers
Hooters has closed dozens of restaurants nationwide just a few months after filing for bankruptcy as a slump in consumer sentiment continues to hit casual dining chains hard. Around 30 locations were shuttered across Florida, Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Texas, according to local news outlets. 'After careful consideration of what is needed to best position our company for the future, Hooters made the difficult decision to close certain Company-owned locations,' with closures effective Wednesday, a Hooters spokesperson told The Post. Hooters has closed dozens of restaurants around the country just a few months after filing for bankruptcy. AP CNN earlier reported the closures. The dining chain, best known for its scantily-clad, all-female staff, filed for bankruptcy in March to address $376 million in debt. At the time, it boasted that its restaurants 'are here to stay' and announced plans to sell all 150 locations to a franchise group backed by the chain's founders. Earlier in the year, Hooters had revealed a 're-Hooterization' effort aimed at creating a more family-friendly image for the chain and improving service times and ingredients. The closures are not a complete surprise, as the chain said it was evaluating its retail footprint during the bankruptcy process. Hooters is just one of many fast-casual dining chains to suffer over the past few years as food prices remain stubbornly high and consumer sentiment slumps, prodding customers to tighten their purse-strings and cook at home more. Last week, Bahama Breeze abruptly closed more than one-third of its locations, or 15 stores, including its sole restaurant on Long Island. The Caribbean-inspired dining chain is owned by Darden Restaurants, which also runs Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse. Hooters is just one of many fast-casual dining chains to suffer over the past few years. Alamy Stock Photo TGI Fridays filed for bankruptcy in November and closed a whopping 100 locations last year. Red Lobster, which struggled to recover from its all-you-can-eat shrimp deal, shuttered at least 50 locations and filed for bankruptcy last May. It hired a new chief executive that summer. Italian restaurant chain Buca di Beppo also closed about 20 locations and filed for bankruptcy in 2024. It was a rough year across the industry. Sales ticked up just 3% across the 500 largest restaurant chains in the US – the slowest rate in a decade aside from the pandemic, according to Technomic's Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report. More than half of those chains saw their sales fail to keep pace with the 4% food service inflation rate, according to the report.
