Disney‘s ESPN and Major League Baseball are breaking up after nearly 40 years together, a sign of how even the most durable content relationships have come under scrutiny in the streaming era, with sports rights increasing exponentially and entertainment conglomerates left to figure out how to pay the bill.
“We are grateful for our longstanding relationship with Major League Baseball and proud of how ESPN’s coverage super-serves fans,” ESPN said in a statement Thursday evening. “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 were in the midst of a seven-year deal that started in 2022. But the two sides allowed for an “opt-out” clause in 2025, with either side able to break the pact under certain conditions — a necessary condition, perhaps, in an era when more media companies are eager to snatch up sports rights for their streaming services. At a time when viewers can pick and choose content at a whim, sports remains one of the few formats extant that can draw the large simultaneous audiences that advertisers crave.
More to come….
