The ESPN de Major League Baseball coverage is directed at the end of the ninth.
The sports transmission giant and MLB of sports property of Walt Disney Co. On Thursday night they announced separately the end of their long association after the season that begins next month. The network and the league had been under discussions to restructure the television rights agreement, but those conversations collapsed this week.
ESPN asked MLB to accept a lower license rate because the station has been losing money in the $ 550 million agreement a year. After the conversations broke, ESPN activated its exclusion clause to terminate the contract, which should expire in 2028.
The network said it would transmit the 2025 season as planned, then it would end its career after 36 seasons of Sunday night games. The ESPN agreement includes the home run derby in July and the first round of the playoffs in October.
MLB launched ESPN's attempt to reduce the license rate.
“Since MLB provides a strong audience, a valuable demography and the exclusive right to cover unique events such as home run, the demand for ESPN to reduce rights rates is simply unacceptable,” the league said in a statement.
The change occurs when the networks absorb the high costs of the main sports rights at a time when cable channels such as ESPN are losing subscribers. Cord reduction has led to a substantial decrease in distribution rates that cable and satellite operators pay to Disney to carry their channels.
Disney sports rights costs have also been fired, particularly after the network agreed in thousands of millions every year to maintain the NBA, including the finals of the championship and the NFL.
Burbank Entertainment conglomerate is also preparing to launch its independent ESPN transmission service at the end of this year.
ESPN said I would like to find ways to execute some regional baseball games.
“We are still open to explore new ways to serve MLB fans on our platforms beyond 2025,” said Espn.
The national transmission of “Sunday Night Baseball” has been a fixed element at the network schedule since before Disney out of ESPN. Last week, ESPN announced its transmission teams for the 2025 season.
The coverage begins on March 27 with a game of the Yankees and Milwaukee Brewers in New York, followed by the World Series champion Dodgers who face the Tigers of Detroit.
“We are grateful for our long relationship with Major League Baseball and proud of how ESPN's coverage is supervitor,” said ESPN in a statement. “By making this decision, we apply the same discipline and fiscal responsibility that the Leaders Live Events portfolio has built in the ESPN industry as we continue to grow our audience on linear, digital and social platforms.”
The League said the agreement to terminate the early contract was a mutual decision.
“We have had a long and mutually beneficial association with ESPN that goes back to its first MLB game in 1990,” said the League. “Unfortunately, in recent years, we have seen ESPN reduce its coverage and baseball investment in a way that is not consistent with the attractiveness or performance of sport on its platform.”
