MP & Silva retained global media distribution rights for the 2017 World Baseball Classic, "while adding a package of global sponsorship inventory," according to Eric Fisher of SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. The company held rights for the 2013 World Baseball Classic, and for '17, the media rights agency "will market live content and highlight rights for the event" outside of the U.S., Japan and Puerto Rico. But unlike its prior deal, MP & Silva "will have some nonexclusive global sponsorship rights for the event." And Canada, which was not part of the '13 agreement but saw marked increases in tournament viewership, "is included in the agency's new batch of rights, as well." The deal from Major League Baseball and the MLB Players' Association "covers numerous content platforms, including broadcast, cable and satellite TV, radio, online, mobile, over-the-top video and social media." Domestically, English-language coverage of the World Baseball Classic "will continue to air exclusively on MLB Network." Execs also said that they were "particularly enthused by the emerging possibilities for OTT and social platforms" compared with '13. MP & Silva Senior VP, Americas Daniel Cohen said, "The market around many of these emerging platforms is so different than 2013. There are so many more vehicles at play." Financial terms of the deal "were not disclosed" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, issue 2/22).
