ESPN Just Dropped GREAT News for Major League Baseball Fans

ESPN and Major League Baseball announced a new agreement on November 19th, 2025. With the agreement, ESPN becomes the exclusive rights holder to MLB.TV. The agreement also features a broad range of “national rights, plus local out-of-market rights and in-market rights.”

©Disney

The deal will be effective from 2026 through 2028, and will make thousands of games available each season on the ESPN app. What does this mean for MLB fans? We have the details!

According to Forbes, MLB made deals with Netflix, NBC, and ESPN for media rights. NBC’s deal includes the rights to Sunday Night Baseball and the Wild Card series. Netflix will have the “Home Run Derby, the Field of Dreams game, and other MLB content globally.” Netflix will also stream one Opening Night game before the rest of the traditional Opening Day games. All of the deals with NBC, Netflix, and ESPN will be in effect from 2026 through 2028.

©Netflix

How will this deal affect those who watch MLB on MLB.TV? Now that ESPN has become the exclusive rights holder, MLB.TV and its “thousands of out-of-market games” will be available on the ESPN app and on MLB platforms in 2026. Both new and existing subscribers to MLB.TV will be able to access the service through the ESPN app or MLB platforms.

©MLB.TV

In addition to exclusive rights to MLB.TV, ESPN has also acquired the local in-market streaming rights for MLB Clubs (which currently include the San Diego Padres, Cleveland Guardians, Seattle Mariners, Minnesota Twins, Arizona Diamondbacks, and Colorado Rockies), and ESPN will show more than 150 out-of-market regular-season games each season. Additionally, ESPN will produce an exclusive package of national regular-season MLB games each year. This will include 30 games, primarily on weeknights. ESPN is also maintaining rights to the MLB Little League Classic.