ESPN Ditches MLB Deal: Commissioner Slams ‘Shrinking Platform’ After Disney’s Low Offer

by

At the end of the 2025 baseball regular season, ESPN, owned by Disney, will sever its long-standing media rights partnership with Major League Baseball (MLB), dating back to 1990. This move signifies another major hurdle for Disney, which has been grappling with numerous issues in its media sectors.

In a letter to league owners, as reported by The Athletic, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred voiced his concerns about the coverage MLB has been getting on ESPN’s networks over the past few years.

He stated, “We’ve been disappointed by the limited attention given to Major League Baseball (MLB) on ESPN’s channels beyond just live game broadcasts.

The financial aspect significantly influenced the situation as well. ESPN had been contractually obligated to pay Major League Baseball around $550 million each year for the next three years. However, ESPN felt that this amount surpassed the current market value, which led both parties to mutually agree to terminate the deal before the March 1 opt-out date.

Manfred stated that they consider it unwise for them to agree to a smaller deal in order to stay on a declining platform. He stressed the importance of maximizing the value of Major League Baseball’s broadcasting rights, stating that it would be more advantageous for MLB to place its marquee regular season games, Home Run Derby, and Wild Card playoff round on a new broadcast or streaming platform in order to optimize their rights during the next contract negotiation cycle.

Regardless of the separation, ESPN plans to keep broadcasting “Sunday Night Baseball”, wild-card playoff games, and additional coverage all the way up until the end of the 2025 season.

As a movie buff enthusiast, I’d like to share an exciting piece of news – I’ve learned that Major League Baseball (MLB) has been holding talks with several prospective collaborators regarding future broadcasting agreements.

Over the last few months, we’ve been engaging with multiple parties about these rights. We anticipate having a couple of possible proposals to review within the coming weeks.

ESPN emphasized their dedication to prudent financial choices alongside broadening their viewer base. In reaching this decision, they employed the same financial discipline and responsibility that has established ESPN’s renowned live events portfolio, all while expanding our audience on television, digital, and social platforms.

As a movie reviewer, I’d say: It’s no secret that ESPN has been in negotiations with MLB over their annual fee agreement. The reason? They’ve noticed some impressive deals struck by competitors like Apple and Roku. Apple is rumored to pay around $85 million each year for its MLB package, while Roku manages to secure theirs for a mere $10 million annually.

However, Commissioner Manfred didn’t shy away from highlighting ESPN’s extensive catalog of exclusive content. This includes Sunday night games, the full round of playoffs, and the ever-popular Home Run Derby. It seems like they’re emphasizing the value of their unique offerings in these negotiations.

The extended collaboration between ESPN and MLB is drawing to a close, but there’s potential for further cooperation in the future. According to reports, ESPN has put forth innovative suggestions for national and regional programming that MLB is considering beyond the year 2025.

For Disney, ending this collaboration marks another setback for their media empire, highlighting wider challenges in securing top-tier content agreements, given that the sports broadcasting industry is undergoing significant transformation.

Read More

2025-02-21 20:55