Major League Baseball has struck a new media rights package with Turner Sports worth $3.2 billion over seven years, according to CNBC. Though neither party has released details, the deal will reportedly go into effect in 2022 and see Turner pay $470 million per year through 2028.
The league earns $325 million per year from Turner’s current eight-year contract with MLB, which expires after the 2021 season. In recent years, MLB has partnered with tech companies such as Facebook and YouTube to stream games. But the shift in American media consumption from cable to streaming appears not to have devalued the league’s broadcast rights package. The new contract marks a 45% annual increase in rights fees, and does not include any additional MLB content.
According to CNBC, Turner has retained rights to broadcast the divisional rounds of the MLB playoffs, one championship series, and one game per week during the regular season. The biggest change in MLB and Turner’s extension is that Turner’s weekly regular season game will now be a Tuesday game instead of one on Sunday.
Disney-owned ESPN is the lone MLB TV partner to yet renew its media rights package. ESPN’s current contract—an eight-year, $5.6 billion deal—expires after the 2021 season. MLB’s third television partner, Fox Sports, agreed to a $5 billion deal in 2018 to keep baseball games on the network through 2028.
