Though ESPN’s time with the MLB is coming to an end, the network remains open to negotiating a deal with the baseball league.
“We remain ready to listen when the league is ready to have a conversation,” ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said on Tuesday during a press event for ESPN’s upcoming streaming service. “We have said that to them, and we have said it publicly many times. As I sit here right now, we are not in conversations with them. I don’t know for sure, but I’m assuming they are out there testing the market, which is their right to do. But we love the game of baseball and we would like to figure something out with them, ultimately.”
In 2021, both ESPN and the MLB agreed to a seven-year deal that averaged $550 million per season. That deal included the option for both companies to opt out of the final three years of their agreement, an option both companies agreed to implement ahead of the March 1 deadline. Because of this, ESPN will no longer carry MLB games after the 2025 season.
“We are grateful for our longstanding relationship with Major League Baseball and proud of how ESPN’s coverage super-serves fans,” the network said in a statement at the time. “As we have been throughout the process, we remain open to exploring new ways to serve MLB fans across our platforms beyond 2025.”
“Unfortunately, in recent years, we have seen ESPN scale back their baseball coverage and investment in a way that is not consistent with the sport’s appeal or performance on their platform,” the MLB added in its own statement. “Given that MLB provides strong viewership, valuable demographics and the exclusive right to cover unique events like the Home Run Derby, ESPN’s demand to reduce rights fees is simply unacceptable. As a result, we have mutually agreed to terminate our agreement.”
According to The Athletic, NBC, Google, YouTube and Fox have all shown interest in acquiring ESPN’s package.
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