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Newsweek
a day ago
- Business
- Newsweek
MLB Could Limit Playoff Viewers With Apple TV+ Deal: Report
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Major League Baseball is enjoying strong growth this year, though a major aspect of the near future is in doubt. After ESPN announced it would be ending its partnership with MLB three years early, questions about how commissioner Rob Manfred would make up that revenue going forward have risen. "Major League Baseball is off to its best start in years," according to Lucas Shaw and Hannah Miller of Bloomberg, who reported that ESPN, TBS and Fox are all enjoying double-digit viewership lifts this year, while game attendance hit a seven-year high in 2024. "And yet, the league is scrambling to find a buyer for a major TV package that includes 30 regular season games, the Home Run Derby, the Wild Card playoff round and up to 10 spring training games." Without ESPN, MLB is left to scramble for a new partner to broadcast some of its most popular events, particularly the wild card playoff round. And it might have found that new partner in a broadcaster whose reach is not nearly as wide as ESPN's. NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 11: Rob Manfred, Commissioner, Major League Baseball speaks onstage during the Growing the Game panel, at the Fortune Global Forum on November 11, 2024 in New York City. (Photo... NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 11: Rob Manfred, Commissioner, Major League Baseball speaks onstage during the Growing the Game panel, at the Fortune Global Forum on November 11, 2024 in New York City. (Photo byfor Fortune Media) More Countess/Getty "Major League Baseball is close to announcing a new TV deal for the package that ESPN opted out of from 2026-2028, and a source indicates that Apple TV+ is currently the highest bidder," per Boston Red Sox reporter Sean McAdam of MassLive. "Baseball is, like most sports, out to make a deal for the most revenue possible, but if MLB puts an entire round of its postseason on a streaming service with just 45 million subscribers, it deserves all the grief it's going to catch." MLB and Apple TV+ recently partnered on a "Friday Night Baseball" package that gives the streamer exclusive rights to high-profile matchups each week. Those broadcasts can frustrate fans of the involved teams as they require a subscription to watch. But as Manfred seeks a profitable replacement for ESPN, he seems likely to move the package to whichever partner makes the highest offer. Soon, that could mean some of baseball fans' favorite moments will require a new subscription. More MLB: Phillies 'Bench Bat' Becomes One of Team's Best Pitchers Amid Downward Skid
Forbes
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Forbes
NBA Announces Round 2 Schedule in the East with Notable Change This Year
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - NOVEMBER 11: Adam Silver, Commissioner, National Basketball Association speaks ... More onstage during the Growing the Game panel, at the Fortune Global Forum on November 11, 2024 in New York City. (Photo byfor Fortune Media) The Boston Celtics dispatched the Orlando Magic on Tuesday night at TD Garden. After a taxing 4-1 series, the reigning NBA champions earned nearly a week of needed rest before round 2. They'll await the winner of the first-round series between the New York Knicks and Detroit Pistons. The former, who returned home after taking both games in the Motor City, had a chance to join the Celtics in punching their ticket to the Eastern Conference Semifinals. However, Tuesday night at Madison Square Garden didn't go as the Knicks envisioned. With 2:57 left and New York trailing 97-95, the hosts subbed out Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart due to injuries. Not wanting to burn their final timeout, the two watched as an extended run without a stoppage in play unfolded. When they finally returned, 27 seconds remained, and the Pistons had seized a 103-97 lead. A pair of Cade Cunningham free throws with 5.1 seconds left sealed a 106-103 win for the visitors. Cunningham registered 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. Ausar Thompson provided 22 points and stellar defense, while Tobias Harris scored 17. Including regular season contests, Detroit is now 4-1 at the world's most famous arena in the 2024-25 campaign. But the Pistons have lost nine-straight home games in the playoffs, dating back to 2008. Interestingly enough, whether they snap that streak on Thursday at Little Caesars Arena has no bearing on when the winner of this series will start their second-round matchup vs. Boston. If a Game 7 at Madison Square Garden is required to determine who advances, it will take place on Saturday. Even if the Knicks end this series with a third consecutive victory in Detroit, round 2 against the Celtics won't start until Monday. That creates the possibility the NBA misses out on a weekend playoff game. That's a significant change in course from a year ago when the league took the opposite approach. If the Houston Rockets and Los Angeles Lakers rally from 3-1 series deficits, New York wins Game 6, and the Denver Nuggets eliminate the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday, the NBA would either have to flex a matchup to Saturday or accept a weekend date without a playoff contest. As for the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Indiana Pacers, who have booked their ticket to the Eastern Conference semifinals, the schedule calls for their best-of-seven to start on Sunday in Cleveland. Here's a look at the NBA playoff schedules for the series' for the second round of the Eastern Conference playoffs, courtesy of Jared Weiss of The Athletic.
