ESPN, MLB reach new 3-year media rights agreement - ESPN

ESPN and Major League Baseball have a reworked deal that includes out-of-market streaming rights while NBC and Netflix will air games as part of a new three-year media rights agreement announced Wednesday.

Commissioner Rob Manfred also was able to maximize rights for the Home Run Derby and Wild Card Series.

NBC/Peacock will become the new home of «Sunday Night Baseball» and the Wild Card round while Netflix will have the Home Run Derby and two additional games.

The three deals will average nearly $800 million per year. ESPN will still pay $550 million while the NBC deal is worth $200 million and Netflix $50 million.

ESPN, which has carried baseball since 1990, loses postseason games and the Home Run Derby, but becomes the rights holder for MLB.TV, which will be available on the ESPN app.

«This new agreement with ESPN marks a significant evolution in our more than 30-year relationship,» Manfred said in a statement. «Bringing MLB.TV to ESPN's new app while maintaining a presence on linear television reflects a balanced approach to the shifts taking place in the way that fans watch baseball and gives MLB a meaningful presence on an important destination for fans of all sports.»

ESPN also gets the in-market streaming rights for the six teams whose games are produced by MLB — the San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies, Arizona Diamondbacks, Cleveland Guardians, Minnesota Twins and Seattle Mariners.

«This fan-friendly agreement allows us to showcase the great sport of baseball on both a local and national level, while prioritizing our streaming future,» ESPN chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement. «MLB.TV is a coveted, must-have companion for passionate MLB fans all over the country, and it will be strongly complemented by our