MLB Media-Rights Shakeup: New Deal Will Bring 30 National Games to ESPN’s Linear Platform, MLB.TV Exclusively to ESPN App

ESPN’s baseball footprint expands with game package, in-market streaming, MLB.TV integration

ESPN and Major League Baseball have reached a significant new media-rights agreement that will reshape how fans watch baseball beginning in 2026, especially as it pertains to streaming. The multi-year deal adds a 30-game national-television package, makes ESPN the exclusive home of MLB.TV, and grants network-exclusive local in-market streaming rights for six Major League clubs.

Under the agreement, ESPN will integrate MLB.TV directly into the ESPN App, making thousands of out-of-market games available each season alongside ESPN’s other sports programming. Both new and existing MLB.TV subscribers will be able to access the service through the ESPN App and MLB’s digital platforms. The partnership marks the first time MLB.TV will be distributed through an external digital platform, signaling a major step in ESPN’s ongoing direct-to-consumer strategy.

“This fan-friendly agreement allows us to showcase the great sport of baseball on both a local and national level while prioritizing our streaming future,” ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in the official announcement. “MLB.TV is a coveted, must-have companion for passionate MLB fans all over the country, and it will be strongly complemented by our national-game package and in-market team rights — all within the ESPN App.”

The deal also expands ESPN’s reach into local markets. Beginning in 2026, Padres, Guardians, Mariners, Twins, Diamondbacks, and Rockies games will be available to purchase and stream on MLB platforms, reflecting MLB’s efforts to stabilize local media rights following regional-sports-network disruptions.

On the national-TV stage, ESPN will produce a new 30-game regular-season package across its linear networks and streaming platforms, focused primarily on weeknight games during the summer months. The broadcaster also retains exclusive coverage of the MLB Little League Classic presented by New York Life, while adding rights to Memorial Day and second-half opener games.

“This new agreement with ESPN marks a significant evolution in our more than 30-year relationship,” said MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred. “Bringing MLB.TV to ESPN’s new app while maintaining a presence on linear television reflects a balanced approach to the shifts taking place in the way that fans watch baseball.”

ESPN will also deliver more than 150 out-of-market games each season through a special “Game of the Day” schedule for subscribers to the ESPN Unlimited plan. Its long-standing audio partnership continues, with ESPN Radio remaining the national home of the World Series, MLB Postseason, All-Star Game, and Sunday Night Baseball.

Internationally, ESPN will maintain MLB coverage across multiple territories, including Latin America, the Caribbean, Australia/New Zealand, Africa, the Netherlands, and China, delivering daily regular-season games and postseason coverage via its linear and digital platforms.

The partnership, which runs through 2028, builds on more than three decades of collaboration between ESPN and MLB — a relationship that has helped define baseball broadcasting in the cable and digital eras.