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The Key Takeaways
- Disney's ESPN confirmed on Thursday that the sports giant has mutually agreed to end its broadcasting partnership with the MLB after this season.
- ESPN wanted to lower how much it paid to broadcast "Sunday Night Baseball" and other games, while MLB was unhappy with the amount of coverage baseball was getting on ESPN.
- ESPN is also reportedly out of contention for a contract after the 2025 Formula One season.
ESPN confirmed on Thursday that Major League Baseball and the sports giant have agreed to mutually opt out of the current broadcasting agreement after the 2025 campaign.
The Athletic reported that on Thursday, the two sides agreed to cancel the contract which would have potentially seen ESPN—owned by Disney (DIS)—broadcast its “Sunday Night Baseball,” Home Run Derby and one playoff round will continue through 2028. ESPN and MLB both confirmed Thursday’s report.
ESPN wanted to lower the fees it would pay for the broadcasting rights from the $550 million average it paid previously, while league officials had reportedly grown unhappy with how little coverage the MLB was given across ESPN's traditional sports talk show programming, per The Athletic. The league called ESPN's request to lower its rights fees "simply unacceptable."
ESPN said it was exercising "discipline and fiscal responsibility" with the decision, and said it remains "open to exploring new ways to serve MLB fans across our platforms beyond 2025." It has been broadcasting MLB games on the network since 1990 but it’s reduced how many games they show in recent years.
ESPN likely to also drop F1 broadcasting
Puck News first reported on the decision a few days ago. ESPN will also probably end its Formula One partnership after 2025, when its most recent three-year contract expires.
Netflix’s F1 (NFLX) has helped to grow the popularity and audience of the sport in the U.S. “Drive to Survive” docuseries. According to The Athletic, other broadcasters such as Comcast (CMCSA), NBC or streaming services like Netflix and Amazon are reportedly in the running for the next F1 deal.
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