A $550 million mistake shook up the media! The Major League Baseball and ESPN agreement has come to a standstill while the sports network looks to detach itself from the $550 million annual media rights—cutting off all ties paves the way for streaming platforms like Amazon and NBC Universal to telecast baseball games. However, it’s still a question of whether the MLB’s fault will allow them to secure a better deal or if the exit of ESPN may indicate a major transformation in broadcasting. 

Well, as per reports, ESPN doesn’t seem satisfied with the MLB deal, as it had very little game coverage when compared to the other streaming platforms like Fox. Although Fox pays $178 million more, covering multiple events like the World Series, the All-Star game, and more, ESPN has managed to receive only the regular season games and the Home Run Derby. Had it been that ESPN paid $550 million annually, there wouldn’t have been any reason to opt out by March 1.

On February 22, Andrew Marchand of the Athletics said on Foul Territory, “I am very doubtful that they will get even any, you know, near that number. I’d be surprised by that. Because of the precedence of the other deals and where the value is, a Sunday night baseball game probably brings in about a million and a half to two million dollars when you add it all up. In advertising per game, there are 26 of them around.”

Marchand even mentioned that they could get around $200 to $250 million; however, he denied any chances of the Fox making a cut into it, as they already had baseball. Marchand believes that CBS maybe could be a new entry, while there’s a possibility of Amazon as well, but Amazon seems to be less interested, as they are in a good position right now. In addition to this, Marchand even cited that Apple hadn’t been very successful, in terms of broader distribution, and that’s what reduces its chances too. So, what lies ahead amid the MLB and ESPN opting out in the context of having no market?

Will there be a new era in baseball broadcasting?

MLB’s tie with ESPN had been quite strong, as the television package was much more robust and smooth. While it carried the Sunday night game every week during the regular season, it was considered much more worthy when compared to the other streaming platforms. However, soon after the limited coverage received by MLB on the ESPN platform for the last few years, they decided to opt out, putting into light the major fault committed by MLB seeking a $550 million agreement—isn’t it?

Yes, it is, since if ESPN decides to back out of the agreement, their ten-year partnership will literally come to an end. While the MLB is hopeful of finding other streaming and media partners, it looks very unlikely that they will fetch a bigger deal, considering that the viewership is dwindling, and the other streaming platforms may not give the desired exposure needed. In the face of the changing sports media, one thing is sure: there will be a massive change in broadcasting baseball.

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