Major League Baseball and ESPN have “mutually agreed” to let their partnership of more than 35 years expire at the end of the year.
In a memo from baseball commissioner Rob Manfred that was obtained by The New York Times on Thursday, Manfred wrote the league has “not been pleased with the minimal coverage that MLB has received on ESPN’s platforms over the past several years outside of the actual live game coverage.”
ESPN issued a statement that they are “grateful for our longstanding relationship with Major League Baseball” and “proud of how ESPN’s coverage super-serves fans.”
The statement continued, “In making this decision, we applied the same discipline and fiscal responsibility that has built ESPN’s industry-leading live events portfolio as we continue to grow our audience across linear, digital and social platforms. As we have been throughout the process, we remain open to exploring new ways to serve MLB fans across our platforms beyond 2025.”
“We do not think its beneficial for us to accept a smaller deal to remain on a shrinking platform,” Manfred also wrote in his memo. He said that in the next deal cycle, the league is looking for “a new broadcast and/or streaming platform.”
He added that MLB has been in conversation with “several interested parties around these rights over the past several months “and expects to present two options for consideration “over the next few weeks.”
Manfred also cited lower ESPN rates for Apple and Roku, saying those are ïnapt” and “we have rejected ESPN’s aggressive effort to reduce rights fees for several reasons.”
