NBCUniversal to bid for ESPN’s MLB package, WSJ reports

Comcast’s (CMCSA) NBCUniversal has made an offer to Major League Baseball to take over the package of regular-season and postseason games that Disney’s (DIS) ESPN is walking away from, offering much less than its rival currently pays, The Wall Street Journal’s Joe Flint and Jared Diamond report, citing people familiar with the matter. In February, ESPN exercised a clause to opt-out of the final three years of its $550M-per-year contract after the 2025 season. The move ended a 35-year partnership with MLB and put the rights into play for others. If the bid is successful, NBC would air games on Sunday night, the slot ESPN has occupied since 1990. Games would also appear on NBC’s sister streaming service Peacock. NBC is also interested in ESPN’s rights to the first round of the postseason and the annual Home Run Derby.