Why MLB dropped ESPN and what it means for baseball fans in 2025
Major League Baseball was finally gaining momentum in 2023. Fans were coming back, viewership was up, and stars like Shohei Ohtani and Aaron Judge were leading the headlines. But in early 2024, MLB took a hit.
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A major broadcast deal with ESPN, worth $1.5 billion, suddenly ended. Now, many say this move has hurt the league's national reach and popularity.
MLB loses $1.5 billion ESPN deal and fans worry about future of baseball on TV
In February 2024, ESPN and MLB ended their 7-year broadcast deal three years early. The original deal, signed in 2021, was supposed to run until 2028 and paid MLB around $550 million every year. This included popular broadcasts like Sunday Night Baseball, the Home Run Derby, and Wild Card games.
The decision left many surprised. Commissioner Rob Manfred said the breakup was 'mutual' and blamed ESPN's loss of subscribers and fewer baseball shows. But reports say there's more to the story.
According to a detailed report by Bloomberg, shared by journalists Lucas Shaw and Hannah Miller in March 2024, industry insiders called MLB's decision an 'unforced error.' This is because MLB had already sold off smaller game rights to companies like Apple TV+ and Roku for low prices.
When it came time to sell the bigger national deal, networks like Fox, NBC, and Apple felt the full package wasn't worth $550 million anymore.
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ESPN media shift leaves MLB in a tough spot as fans change how they watch
Baseball's biggest problem today is adjusting to the new way fans watch sports. The cable TV era helped MLB grow for decades. But now, with streaming platforms leading the way, networks want fewer games and bigger events.
As one Bloomberg report put it, baseball's 162-game season is tough to sell to modern viewers.
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Most regular-season games in April and May don't feel very important. Even dedicated fans may not watch every day.
Now, without ESPN, MLB is in a tricky place. The league is trying to keep national interest strong. Commissioner Manfred hopes that platforms like Netflix or ESPN's upcoming streaming service could be future options.
For now, though, MLB has to wait. There's no new deal yet, and the league's top national games are still up for grabs.
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