Major League Baseball has announced deals with ESPN, NBCUniversal and Netflix covering 2026-2028 that make ESPN the exclusive rightsholder of MLB.TV, see regularly aired games returning to NBC for the first time in 26 years and expand the role of Netflix from presenting documentaries to live baseball coverage for the first time.
ESPN
MLB awarded ESPN rights to present thousands of out-of-market live and on-demand games during each of the covered seasons on the ESPN App and on MLB platforms. Its agreement with the sports network also includes a broad range of national rights and in-market rights.
New MLB.TV subscribers will be able to purchase and stream the service through the enhanced ESPN App. New and existing MLB.TV subscribers will be able to access the service on the ESPN App and through MLB platforms.
ESPN has also secured the exclusive local in-market streaming rights for the San Diego Padres, Cleveland Guardians, Seattle Mariners, Minnesota Twins, Arizona Diamondbacks and Colorado Rockies. Next year, their in-market games will be available to purchase and stream on MLB platforms.
The sports broadcaster will also deliver more than 150 out-of-market regular season games every season across a special game of the day offering for subscribers to the ESPN Unlimited plan.
ESPN will also deliver more than 150 out-of-market regular-season games every season across a special game of the day offering for subscribers to the ESPN Unlimited plan.
NBCUniversal
The league’s rights deal with NBCUniversal sees the return of baseball to NBC and Peacock beginning with primetime coverage of the Los Angeles Dodgers vs. the Arizona Diamondbackson March 26, 2026—the only primetime MLB game on Opening Day.
NBC’s coverage consists of 25 primetime games each season; “MLB Sunday Leadoff” with 18 late-morning start games; 17 Peacock NBCSN exclusives; one Peacock-NBC simulcast over the 2026 season; a Sunday afternoon whip-around show looking at live action from across the league on Peacock; a Sunday, July 5, “Roadblock” featuring all 15 MLB games that day on Peacock-NBC; Peacock-exclusive regular season and postseason games on the NBCSN sports cable network; and Telemundo Deportes presentation of all NBCUniversal-produced MLB games in Spanish with Universo televising all games broadcast on NBC.
Netflix
The MLB awarded Netflix the rights to air the T-Mobile Home Run Derby on Opening Night as well as special event games, including the 2026 MLB at Field of Dreams Game and the World Baseball Classic in Japan.
A post on MLB.com quoted MLB commissioner Robert Manfred as calling the new deals “a great opportunity to expand our reach to fans through three powerful destinations for live sports, entertainment and marquee events.”
More information is available on the ESPN website.
