For most of the past decade, the trends showed no signs of abating. Major League Baseball’s contracts with its national television partners spiked in value. So did its clubs’ deals with regional sports networks.
The media landscape, however, is changing, and the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic are contributing to the impact on professional sports leagues. On both the national and local levels, the latest developments for baseball are troubling.
The league, after negotiating significant increases in its most recent contracts with Fox Sports and Turner, is bracing for a reduction on a deal it is nearing with ESPN, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.
The Miami Marlins and Milwaukee Brewers, meanwhile, are still without regional television contracts for the 2021 season, which is scheduled to begin in less than three months, on April 1.
MLB’s previous deal with ESPN was an eight-year, $5.6 billion contract worth $700 million per year. The agreement under discussion would be for seven years and approximately $3.85 billion, reducing the average annual value to about $550 million per year, sources said.