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MLB and ESPN shockingly end 35-year partnership over $550 million dispute
Major League Baseball coverage will never be the same. MLB and ESPN have “mutually agreed” to part ways at the end of the 2025 season and end their national television deal with one ano…
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Major League Baseball coverage will never be the same.
MLB and ESPN have "mutually agreed" to part ways at the end of the 2025 season and end their national television deal with one another.
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MLB and ESPN have had a partnership of 35 yearsCredit: GettyCommissioner Rob Manfred sent a memo out on Thursday afternoon to the owners of the 30 teams letting them know of his decision.
In the memo, Manfred noted that he 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.”
This brings an end to a 35-year partnership, dating back to 1990.
The two sides had until March 1 to opt out of the final three years of the deal, that would have run through the 2028 season.
Instead, the two parties have decided to pull the plug early.
According to The Athletic, it was ESPN who told the league they would be opting out first, which then forced MLB's hand to follow suit.
The broadcasting giant was due to pay Major League Baseball an estimated $550 million each of the next three years, which they deemed to be way above market value.
Manfred voiced his stance and not accepting a lower deal, on a platform that wouldn't prioritize his product.
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“We do not think it’s beneficial for us to accept a smaller deal to remain on a shrinking platform,” Manfred wrote.
“In order to best position MLB to optimize our rights going in to our next deal cycle, we believe it is not prudent to devalue our rights with an existing partner but rather to have our marquee regular season games, Home Run Derby and Wild Card playoff round on a new broadcast and/or streaming platform.
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Manfred has been the commissioner since 2015Credit: Getty“To that end, we have been in conversations with several interested parties around these rights over the past several months and expect to have at least two potential options for consideration over the next few weeks.”
ESPN released a statement of its own, standing by its decision to part ways with the professional sports league after this season.
“We are grateful for our longstanding relationship with Major League Baseball and proud of how ESPN’s coverage super-serves fans,” ESPN said in a statement.
“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.”
ESPN left the door open to begin a new partnership outside of the current deal, but Manfred's memo was cut and dry, having expressed no interest in working with the 'Worldwide Leader in Sports' again.
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