Major League Baseball has announced three-year media rights deals with Netflix (NFLX), Comcast’s (CMCSA) NBCUniversal, and Walt Disney’s (DIS) ESPN, spanning 2026 to 2028. The combined annual value of the three deals stands at $800 million. The deals come as streaming platforms are competing to win new subscribers through live sports and related entertainment.
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Also, the new deals reflect Major League Baseball’s efforts to boost its TV revenue after the 2028 season, when it will regain these rights, along with its existing broadcast rights from Fox (FOX) and Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD).
Major League Baseball Strikes New Media Deals
Interestingly, Netflix will own the rights to air a single game on the season’s opening night, aside from airing the Home Run Derby for three years. The platform will also exclusively stream all 47 games of the 2026 World Baseball Classic to its subscribers in Japan. Netflix will pay about $50 million annually for the new rights.
Meanwhile, Disney’s ESPN gains the rights to sell and distribute MLB.TV, Major League Baseball’s out-of-market streaming service, through the ESPN app. The deal comprises a package of 30 live games per season, rights to air Memorial Day game coverage, and the Little League Classic. Disney stated that the games will also be available on MLB platforms in 2026.
Additionally, ESPN will sell and distribute the MLB Network and in-market games for select MLB teams (Cleveland Guardians, San Diego Padres, Minnesota Twins, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Colorado Rockies) through the ESPN app. It is worth noting that ESPN is paying about $550 million per year for its new package.
For NBCUniversal, rights have been granted for Major League Baseball on Sunday for its broadcast network, its new cable sports channel, and its Peacock streaming service. NBC’s deal also includes Major League Baseball’s entire Wild Card round of the postseason, ranging from eight to 12 games each season. Notably, NBCUniversal will pay about $200 million per year for the new media rights. With the new deal, NBCUniversal will have sports on Sunday throughout the year, as it already airs National Football League and National Basketball Association games.
Wall Street’s Ratings on Stocks of Streaming Players
Currently, Wall Street is highly bullish on Disney but cautiously optimistic on Netflix and Comcast. The average price targets on these stocks indicate that Wall Street sees the highest upside potential in Netflix.
