Sat Feb 22 18:00:00 UTC 2025: ## ESPN and MLB Part Ways After 35 Years, Ending Long-Running Broadcasting Partnership

**NEW YORK** – ESPN’s long-standing relationship with Major League Baseball will come to an end after the 2025 season, both parties announced Thursday. The decision follows a mutual agreement to opt out of the final three years of their current seven-year contract, which began in 2021 at an average annual cost of $550 million.

While ESPN expressed gratitude for the partnership and highlighted its efforts to serve fans across multiple platforms, the network’s decision reflects a strategic shift towards fiscal responsibility and a realignment of its live events portfolio. The statement emphasized a desire to explore new opportunities to engage MLB fans.

This marks a significant reduction in ESPN’s MLB coverage compared to previous agreements. The current deal significantly reduced the number of regular-season games broadcast by ESPN to just 30 (primarily Sunday Night Baseball) and included the Wild Card series, Home Run Derby, and 10 spring training games. This is a sharp contrast to the previous contract (2014-2021) which saw ESPN air up to 90 regular-season games. The network also discontinued its daily baseball highlights show, *Baseball Tonight*, in 2017.

MLB, however, expressed disappointment with ESPN’s scaling back of coverage and investment, stating it was inconsistent with the sport’s popularity and performance on the ESPN platform. The league cited the strong viewership and demographic appeal of MLB, along with exclusive events like the Home Run Derby, as reasons why ESPN’s request to reduce rights fees was unacceptable.

Despite the conclusion of this long-standing partnership, Major League Baseball is optimistic about the future. The league stated that significant interest from both traditional media companies and streaming services exists for securing the broadcasting rights, with negotiations for a new agreement to begin for the 2026 season. This announcement follows current broadcasting deals with Fox ($729 million annually) and Turner Sports ($470 million annually), which expire after 2028. The termination of ESPN’s contract opens a significant opportunity for other media companies to acquire rights, particularly in the evolving landscape of streaming services.

Read More