ESPN releases statement explaining decision to opt out of MLB TV deal

After news broke of ESPN’s decision to opt out of its TV deal with MLB, the network released a statement on the move. The Athletic first reported the two sides were mutually opting out at the end of the 2025 season.

ESPN and MLB recently signed an extension of their partnership in 2021, which ran through 2028. However, there was a clause with an option for the final three years, and The Athletic reported commissioner Rob Manfred cited declining coverage as a reason MLB was exploring the opt-out. The deadline to do so was set for March 1.

ESPN confirmed the two sides are parting ways. The network also said it is open to finding different avenues for MLB coverage after the deal expires following the 2025 season.

ESPN statement on our decision to opt out pic.twitter.com/V8cABUQ8sc

— ESPN PR (@ESPNPR) February 20, 2025

“We are grateful for our longstanding relationship with Major League Baseball and proud of how ESPN’s coverage super-serves fans,” the statement read. “In making this decision, we applied the same discipline and fiscal responsibility that has built ESPN’s industry-leading live events portfolio as we continue to grow our audience across linear, digital and social platforms. As we have been throughout the process, we remain open to exploring new ways to serve MLB fans across our platforms beyond 2025.”

ESPN and MLB’s media partnership began in 1990 with Sunday Night Baseball as a pillar of the agreement. The standalone window on Sunday nights proved to be a lucrative slot, with Jon Miller and Joe Morgan on the call from its inception in 1990 until their departures in 2010.

The average value of ESPN and MLB’s contract is worth $550 million, but ESPN asked the league to take less than that figure during negotiations, The Athletic reported. In a memo from Manfred reported by The Athletic, MLB didn’t rule out potentially signing a new deal with ESPN as it weighs its next steps.

MLB ‘not pleased’ with decreased ESPN coverage

MLB also has deals in place with Apple and Roku as it expands its list of media partners, and FOX is the home of the World Series. In Manfred’s memo, obtained by The Athletic, he noted the difference between those deals and the agreement with ESPN.

Citing decreased coverage despite increased ratings for Sunday Night Baseball and the Home Run Derby, Manfred said the plan is to opt out of the deal with ESPN. Baseball Tonight decreased its airing times in 2017, and ESPN reduced the amount of MLB games it showed starting in 2021.

“The inventory involved in the Apple and Roku deals is very different from the ESPN inventory,” the memo read. “The ESPN deal contains the only truly exclusive regular season windows on Sunday nights, the exclusive right to an entire round of playoffs, and the Home Run Derby, one of the most exciting events of the summer. In contrast, Apple and Roku have games that compete against a complete slate of other games broadcast in local markets.

“In fact, in the last round of bargaining with ESPN, they declined to purchase the inventory we subsequently sold to Apple and Roku. … Third, we do not believe that Pay TV, ESPN’s primary distribution platform, is the future of video distribution or the best platform for our content. As of December 2024, ESPN was available in 53.6M homes, down from its peak of over 100M homes in 2011 and 69M homes when we struck the current deal in 2021. Furthermore, we have not been pleased with the minimal coverage that MLB has received on ESPN’s platforms over the past several years outside of the actual live game coverage.”

ESPN is currently getting ready to launch its direct-to-consumer service. All the while, the network is also reportedly in talks with the NFL about acquiring NFL Network and NFL RedZone.