MLB, Facebook Significantly Cut Back Streaming Games In '19

This year's games will not be exclusive to Facebook Watch, though they will be subject to blackoutsFACEBOOK

MLB and Facebook "inked a new one-year agreement" for the '19 season, in the process "cutting the number of games livestreamed on the social media platform to six, down from 26 the previous season," according to Mark Burns of MORNINGCONSULT.com. The new deal also makes the games "non-exclusive, unlike 25 of the games broadcast last year." The six games "will appear for free on Facebook Watch -- one per month" -- in the U.S. and globally, excluding select international markets. They "will be subject to blackouts in local markets." It is "too early to say if games will appear exclusively on Watch outside of the participating club markets" (MORNINGCONSULT.com, 3/29). VARIETY's Todd Spangler reported MLB "will have the opportunity to sell sponsorships against those broadcasts." Meanwhile, the schedule of games has not been determined (VARIETY.com, 3/29).