Major League Baseball (MLB) and ESPN have mutually agreed to opt out of their broadcasting contract for the 2026-28 seasons, as reported by The Athletic. MLB expressed dissatisfaction with ESPN's reduced coverage and the demands to lower rights fees, claiming that their audience and the sport's popularity justified the current fees. ESPN, on the other hand, cited fiscal responsibility and referenced lower fees paid by competitors. Both parties plan to explore new opportunities after their partnership concludes at the end of this year.
We have had a long and mutually beneficial partnership with ESPN... 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.
ESPN applied the same discipline and fiscal responsibility that has built ESPN's industry-leading live events portfolio... we remain open to exploring new ways to serve MLB fans across our platforms beyond 2025.
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