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This article describes Major League Baseball's television coverage in the 2020s.
Major League Baseball renewed its broadcast agreements withFox Sports,ESPN Major League Baseball andTBS prior to the 2022 season. Because ESPN reduced the number of games it would broadcast in its new deal, MLB reached new streaming agreements to air exclusive games onApple TV+ andPeacock. In 2024, the games on Peacock would move toThe Roku Channel.
Due largely to the bankruptcy ofDiamond Sports Group and the shutdown ofAT&T SportsNet, several teams experienced changes to their local broadcasts during the 2020s. Major League Baseball, through itsMLB Local Media unit, took over local broadcasts for the Diamondbacks, Padres, Rockies, Guardians, and Twins.
ESPN and Major League Baseball, which have had a broadcast relationship since 1990, mutually agreed to exercise an opt-out of their broadcast agreement following the 2025 season. This decision marked a significant shift in sports media, potentially opening the door for new broadcasting partners and digital streaming opportunities.[1]
2020 was the seventh year of an eight-year-long deal withFox,ESPN, andTBS. Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the2020 Major League Baseball season was shortened to 60 games. The season's opening day was July 27, and there was noAll-Star game orHome Run Derby.[2]
As part of the shortened season, Major League Baseball used an expanded Wild Card Series for the 2020 season. TBS televised one AL Wild Card Series, bothAmerican League Division Series match-ups and theAmerican League Championship Series. ESPN televised seven of the eight Wild Card Series with live look-ins and alternate broadcasts onESPN+.[3][4][5] On September 28, it was announced thatABC would broadcast at least four of ESPN's Wild Card Series games, marking the network's first national MLB game broadcast since1995 (via the ill-fatedThe Baseball Network arrangement).[6] FS1 andMLB Network would televise bothNational League Division Series match-ups. Fox and FS1 broadcast theNational League Championship Series, and theWorld Series was on Fox for the 21st straight year.
TheChicago White Sox andChicago Cubs signed new broadcast deals that went into effect in the 2020 season. The White Sox moved all their locally controlled games toNBC Sports Chicago, while the Cubs moved all their locally controlled games toMarquee Sports Network.[7][8][9]
Long-time Cincinnati Reds television play-by-play announcerThom Brennaman resigned on September 26 after he was caught using ahomophobic slur in a game on August 19 against the Kansas City Royals.[10][11] Sideline hostJim Day took over Brennaman's duties for the rest of the season, beginning August 20.
2021 was the eighth and final year of the contracts withFox,ESPN, andTBS before new seven-year deals began in 2022.FS1 televised games on Tuesday nights and Saturdays, both during the afternoon and evening. Fox also aired some Saturday night games, as part ofBaseball Night in America. ESPN televised games on its flagshipSunday Night Baseball as well as Monday and Wednesday night games and holiday games on Memorial Day and Labor Day. ESPN Sunday Night Baseball telecasts were exclusive. TBS televised 13 weeks of Sunday afternoon games and the National League postseason. The American League postseason was split between ESPN, Fox/FS1, and MLB Network (AL Wild Card on ESPN, the ALDS split between FS1 and MLB Network, and the ALCS on Fox and FS1). For the 22nd straight year, the2021 World Series aired exclusively on Fox.[12]
A three-game series between thePhiladelphia Phillies and theSan Francisco Giants, whose regional television rights were both held by theNBC Sports Regional Networks, aired exclusively and nationally onNBC's streaming servicePeacock. This was the first time NBC Sports had produced a nationally televised Major League Baseball game since 2000.[13]
ABC televised aSunday Night Baseball match-up between theChicago White Sox and theChicago Cubs on August 8. The broadcast marked ABC's first broadcast ofSunday Night Baseball and the first regular season game since its involvement inThe Baseball Network in 1995. Former ABC broadcaster and 2021Ford C. Frick Award winnerAl Michaels appeared as a special guest.[14]
On March 31, the eve of Opening Day, theFox Sports Networks were rebranded asBally Sports as part of an agreement between majority-ownerSinclair Broadcast Group and casino operatorBally's Corporation.[15][16][17]
As part of its co-ownership ofYES Network,Amazon Prime Video simulcast 21 of the Yankees games carried on broadcast TV byWPIX forAmazon Prime subscribers in the New York Yankees' home market.[18]
2022 was the first season of new broadcast deals forFox,ESPN andTBS that were expected to run through 2028. Fox remains the league's main broadcaster, carrying a package of regular season games on the mainFox broadcast network andFS1, and Spanish-language broadcasts onFox Deportes. Fox aired primetimeBaseball Night in America games primarily on Saturday nights, as well as theAll-Star Game andMLB at Field of Dreams games.[19][20] With the move ofJoe Buck to ESPN andMonday Night Football over the NFL off-season,Joe Davis became the new lead play-by-play announcer for Fox's MLB coverage.[21] ESPN networks carried 30 exclusive games per season, including 25Sunday Night Baseball games, as well as an Opening Day primetime game, theHome Run Derby, and Spanish-language broadcasts onESPN Deportes. ESPN dropped most of its weeknight game packages under its new contract, with only five non-Sunday games scheduled. As part of the new deal, ESPN had the option to carry selected games onABC and stream all of its games onESPN+ (which, as before, carries a daily game from MLB.TV at no additional charge).[22][20] TBS switched from late-season Sunday games toTuesday-night games throughout the season.[20][23] MLB Network continued to broadcast various games throughout the season, including originalMLB Network Showcase games, and simulcasts from local broadcasters.[20]
For the postseason, ESPN networks held rights to the wild-card round; due to logistical concerns (especially with the fluctuating placements of teams in the standings during the final games of the regular season), the network employed remote production for the Padres/Mets and Mariners/Blue Jays series. The latter series employed a variant of the "enhanced world feed" model used in the 2020 season, with commentators and other selected staff on-site at Rogers Centre, using video feeds from theSportsnet production.[24]
Fox Sports held rights to the National League Division Series, Championship Series, and the World Series for the 23rd consecutive season; TBS held rights to the American League Division Series and Championship Series. Spanish-language broadcasts of all ALDS and ALCS games aired on MLB Network.[20][25]
Major League Baseball also reached a deal withApple Inc. to establish a new exclusive package known asFriday Night Baseball in the United States, Canada, and other international territories, which is produced byMLB Network and streams onApple TV+ throughout the regular season.[26]NBC Sports re-entered MLB broadcasting withMLB Sunday Leadoff, a new exclusive package of Sunday afternoon games streamed onPeacock. The contract will initially be for two years.[27][20] TheMLB Game of the Week Live on YouTube also returned with fifteen games during the season.[28]
In Canada,Sportsnet—the main Canadian rights-holder of MLB, and regional broadcaster of the co-owned Toronto Blue Jays—gained the rights to produce local broadcasts of postseason games if the Blue Jays participate (as opposed to previous seasons, where it was required to simulcast the U.S. telecasts), featuring its main broadcast team ofBuck Martinez andPat Tabler (Sportsnet's alternate play-by-play announcer,Dan Shulman, had commitments to ESPN Radio's postseason coverage. This became moot for future seasons after Shulman announced that he would step down from ESPN Radio's coverage after the 2022 season to focus more on roles at Sportsnet).[29][30][31]
Amazon Prime Video exclusively streams 21 Yankees games in the Yankees home market (except for the final game in the package, which was simulcast on both Prime Video and YES Network due to Aaron Judge's home run record). These games used to be allocated toWPIX (which retains a sub-licensed 28-game Mets package fromSNY).
On June 1, 2022,NESN, the television home of the Boston Red Sox, launched NESN 360, an over-the-top subscription streaming platform that offers live streams of Red Sox games without a cable subscription.[32][33]
On June 23, 2022,Bally Sports soft-launchedBally Sports+, an over-the-top subscription streaming platform that offers live streams and market-specific video-on-demand content from its regional networks. At that time, Bally managed to negotiate streaming rights for only five of the MLB teams it owns local TV rights to: Detroit, Kansas City, Miami, Milwaukee, and Tampa.[34]
2023 was the second year of the existing planned seven-year deals withESPN,Fox,TBS,Apple TV+, andMLB Network; and the second year of a two-year contract withNBC Sports/Peacock:[35]
Fox continued to air theirBaseball Night in America exclusive Saturday games. However, the slate began in May, with the return of Saturday afternoon games in April, and Thursday evening games in the latter part of the season where Saturday games would conflict with Fox's college football obligations. The network also aired the2023 MLB All-Star Game.FS1 also broadcast non-exclusive games on Saturdays at times when no game is on the broadcast network, along with some irregularly scheduled weeknight games, mostly on Monday nights.[36][37]Jason Benetti joined Fox as a play-by-play announcer.[38][39]Derek Jeter joined Fox Sports as a studio analyst.[40]
During the postseason, the ESPN networks (including ABC) (with Spanish–language simulcasts on ESPN Deportes) aired all four Wild Card Series.[41] TBS (with Spanish-language simulcasts on MLB Network) then broadcast the National League Division Series and the National League Championship Series,[42] and Fox Sports (Fox and FS1, with Spanish-language simulcasts on Fox Deportes) broadcast the American League Division Series, the American League Championship Series and the World Series.[19]
Apple TV+ continues to hold the rights toFriday Night Baseball.[35]Wayne Randazzo andAlex Faust will be the new primary play-by-play commentators, replacingMelanie Newman andStephen Nelson.Dontrelle Willis andRyan Spilborghs will be the new primary color commentators, replacingKatie Nolan,Hunter Pence, Hannah Keyser, andChris Young. Randazzo will partner with Willis, while Faust will partner with Spilborghs.[43]Peacock will continue to air 19MLB Sunday Leadoff games onSunday afternoons.Brendan Burke will be the primary play-by-play announcer withMatt Vasgersian and Chris Vosters filling in. One game will be simulcast onNBC.[35]
YouTube did not renew its deal for theMLB Game of the Week Live on YouTube.YouTube TV also droppedMLB Network on February 1 in a carriage fee dispute.[44]
In Canada,TVA Sports became the new national French-language broadcaster of the league under a three-season deal, carrying a package of 78 regular season games, the All-Star Game, and the postseason. TVA has historically also held French-language rights to the Toronto Blue Jays sub-licensed fromSportsnet, from which the network has sub-contracted some of its sports rights.[45][46]
In December, St. Louis Cardinals play-by-play announcerDan McLaughlin was released by Bally Sports after a DWI arrest.[47] The Cardinals later announced that Atlanta Braves play-by-play announcerChip Caray would take over the same role with the team.[48] In February,Brandon Gaudin was announced as the new play-by-play announcer for the Atlanta Braves onBally Sports South andBally Sports Southeast, replacing Caray.[49]
On February 15, 2023,Diamond Sports Group, owners of theBally Sports regional sports networks, failed to make a $140M interest payment and entered a 30-day grace period.[50] On March 14, Diamond Sports officially filed forChapter 11 Bankruptcy.[51]
On May 31, Diamond officially missed a second payment to the Padres, and the Padres' television rights were returned to Major League Baseball. BecauseBally Sports San Diego, which aired Padres games, is ajoint venture between the Padres and Diamond, it was technically not in bankruptcy. Therefore this missed payment did not have the same bankruptcy protections that Diamond's other missed payments had.[52][53]
On June 22, Diamond Sports Group announced its intention to reject its contract with the Diamondbacks on June 30.[54] Diamond and the Arizona Diamondbacks later released a joint statement pushing back the hearing to July 17 and agreeing to continue Diamond's broadcast of Diamondbacks' games.[55] On July 18, Diamond Sports officially rejected its contract with the Diamondbacks. Like with the Padres, Major League Baseball took over the production of the games, with the Diamondbacks' regular announcing team remaining in place.[56][57]
[58][59]
On February 24, 2023, theAT&T SportsNet regional sports networks sent a letter to the Rockies, Astros, and Pirates saying they had until March 31, to reach an agreement to take their local television rights back.Warner Bros. Discovery, the owners of the networks, intend to leave the regional sports networks business. If a deal is not reached the networks will file forChapter 7 bankruptcy.Root Sports Northwest was not affected because the Mariners already owned majority control of that network.[60][61] The Houston Astros andHouston Rockets negotiated throughout the season to take overAT&T SportsNet Southwest from Warner Bros. Discovery.[62] Ultimately, Warner Bros. Discovery and Major League Baseball negotiated a deal to keep the remaining RSNs operational through the end of the season.[63]
On March 29,YES Network, the television home of the New York Yankees, launched an over-the-top subscription streaming platform that offers live streams of Yankees games without a cable subscription.[64]
On May 22,NBC Sports California fired Oakland Athletics television play-by-play announcerGlen Kuiper. Kuiper's last broadcast was a May 5 game at the Kansas City Royals, during which he unintentionally uttered a racial slur while on the air.Vince Cotroneo andJohnny Doskow have since shared play-by-play duties in the television booth to replace Kuiper.[65]
On July 25,Marquee Sports Network, the television home of the Chicago Cubs, launched an over-the-top subscription streaming platform that offers live streams of Cubs games without a cable subscription for $19.99 a month.[66]
On September 29, the Houston Astros confirmed their acquisition of a 50% stake inSpace City Home Network, the rebranded successor to AT&T SportsNet Southwest, securing a place for their games to air in 2024.[67]
On December 13, the Pittsburgh Pirates announced they had acquired a stake inSportsNet Pittsburgh, the rebranded successor to AT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, securing a place for their games to air in 2024.[68]
On December 31,AT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain shut down, leaving the Colorado Rockies without a television broadcaster.
2024 was the third year of the planned seven-year deals withESPN,Fox,TBS,Apple TV+, andMLB Network.[35] 2024 was the first year of a multi-year contract withTelevisaUnivision.[69]
Fox continued to air theirBaseball Night in America andFox Saturday Baseball slate of exclusive games on Saturday and select Thursday nights. The network aired thegame at Rickwood Field, and also aired the2024 MLB All-Star Game; both being exclusive games.[70]FS1 also broadcasts non-exclusive games, including most Saturday afternoon games.[19] Following his retirement,Adam Wainwright joined Fox as a full-timecolor commentator. He previously had done color commentary for Fox during select playoff games.[71]
TBS continued to broadcastMLB Tuesday. Most games wereblacked out in the home markets of the teams playing, however, TBS was allowed to co-exist once with a team's local broadcast.[42] During the final month of the regular season, TBS' sister networkTruTV also airedMLB Race to the Pennant on Tuesday nights. The show featured a whip-around format hosted byAlanna Rizzo andYonder Alonso. For the first time, TruTV announced its intention to air a regular season baseball game, between the Astros and the Padres, on Tuesday, September 17.[72] This marked the first regular season that the streaming serviceMax simulcasted TNT Sports (TBS and TruTV) games on its Bleacher Report Sports Add-on tier.[73]
ESPN continued to broadcastSunday Night Baseball, with the option to show alternate broadcasts. ESPN also exclusively aired six other non-Sunday night games, including a primetime game onopening night, twoWednesday Night Baseball games, one game from theMLB Mexico City Series and one game from theMLB London Series. ESPN also aired both games from theMLB Seoul Series which were blacked out in local markets.[74] To end the regular season, ESPN2 aired a doubleheader featuring the Braves and the Mets. The games were scheduled to air on September 25 and 26 but were moved due toHurricane Helene. The broadcasts were blacked out in New York.[75] The network also had the rights to the2024 Home Run Derby.[41]ESPN+ continues holding rights to stream one game a day. All games are blacked out in local markets.[76] During the final three weeks of the season, ESPN or ESPN2 airedBaseball Tonight Special: MLB Squeeze Play on Wednesday nights. The studio show featured whip-around coverage focused on the pennant chase.[77]
In August 2024, MLB announced a new Spanish-language television agreement withTelevisaUnivision (whoseTUDN Radio network holds the main Spanish-language radio rights to the league), under whichUniMás andTUDN would air the weekly whip-around showMLB En Vivo on Tuesday nights through the remainder of the season, the weekly studio showMLB Esta Semana (lit. 'MLB This Week') on Saturday nights, and postseason coverage. Coverage is also streamed onVix.[78] Univision talent includesAntonio de Valdés andEnrique Burak as hosts,Daniel Nohra andLuis Quiñones as play-by-play commentators andLuis Alberto Martínez andDaniel Schvarztman as reporters and guest analysts.[69]
MLB Network continued to broadcast games daily. While most games were simulcasts of the home teams'regional sports network broadcasts, select games were produced by the network under itsMLB Network Showcase banner. All games were blacked out in the home markets of the teams playing.[79]
Apple TV+ continues to hold the rights toFriday Night Baseball.[35] Apple had the option to opt out of theFriday Night Baseball deal before the season, however on March 7 it announced that it would not opt out therefore it would not be able to exit the agreement until it expires in the 2028 season.[35] This would also be the second year ofDirecTV's sub-licensing agreement to show these games to commercial establishments.[80][81]
The Roku Channel replacedPeacock as the home forMLB Sunday Leadoff. Games are also available to MLB.tv customers blackout-free.[82]
During the postseason, the ESPN networks and ABC aired all four Wild Card Series.[41]TNT Sports (TNT, TBS and TruTV) then carried the American League Division Series and the American League Championship Series. Fox Sports (Fox and FS1) broadcast the National League Division Series, the National League Championship Series, and the World Series.[19]
ESPN Deportes andFox Deportes hold rights to Spanish-language broadcasts of the postseason games aired by ESPN and Fox respectively, as part of MLB's agreement with TelevisaUnivision, Spanish-language coverage of the ALDS and ALCS aired onTUDN,UniMás, andUnivision, and streamed onVix. Spanish language coverage of Game 1 of the 2024 World Series will also air on Univision, marking the first time a Spanish language network aired the World Series on broadcast television.[78]
Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) wound down itsAT&T SportsNet regional sports network (RSN) business before the start of the 2024 season.[83] The move affected the Colorado Rockies onAT&T SportsNet Rocky Mountain, the Houston Astros onAT&T SportsNet Southwest, and the Pittsburgh Pirates onAT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh.
The Astros and theNBA'sHouston Rockets took over AT&T SportsNet Southwest and rebranded it to theSpace City Home Network after the end of the Astros' regular season on October 3, 2023.[84]Fenway Sports Group, owners of theNHL'sPittsburgh Penguins and Boston Red Sox, took overAT&T SportsNet Pittsburgh, rebranding it to justSportsNet Pittsburgh on October 2, 2023.[85] On December 13, 2023, the Pirates announced they would jointly ownSportsNet Pittsburgh beginning on January 1, 2024.NESN, through Fenway Sports Group, will operate the network.[86][87] In February, MLB Local Media took over the production of Rockies games.[88]
WBD had owned a 29% share ofRoot Sports Northwest, the Mariners' RSN, through the end of the 2023 season, and had produced Mariners telecasts. The Mariners took complete control of the network on January 1, 2024.[89]
On October 31, 2023, the Minnesota Twins announced that television play-by-play announcerDick Bremer would leave the booth to join the team's front office as its special assistant.[90] On December 1, the Twins replaced Bremer withCory Provus, andKris Atteberry took Provus' place as the radio play-by-play announcer.[91]
On November 9, 2023,Jason Benetti left the Chicago White Sox to join the Detroit Tigers as its lead television play-by-play announcer. Benetti replacedMatt Shepard whose contract was not renewed byBally Sports Detroit.Dan Dickerson, the team's lead radio play-by-play announcer, will call games when Benetti has assignments with Fox Sports.[92]
On December 18,C. J. Nitkowski left the Texas Rangers to join the Atlanta Braves as its primary television analyst.Jeff Francoeur, who served as the Braves' primary analyst the previous season, will continue to make occasional appearances.[93]
On January 25, 2024, the Chicago White Sox announcedJohn Schriffen as their lead television play-by-play announcer, replacingJason Benetti who departed to join the Detroit Tigers as their lead play-by-play television announcer.[94]
This would be the second season affected by the February 2023 bankruptcy ofDiamond Sports Group, owners of theBally Sports regional sports networks. On February 2, 2024, Diamond Sports announced agreements with the Rangers, Guardians and Twins that will result in a decreased rights fee and will end their contracts with Diamond after the 2024 season.[95][96]
On February 13, 2024, the Oakland Athletics announcedJenny Cavnar as their lead television play-by-play announcer. She will be the first woman to be the primary play-by-play voice of an MLB team.[97] On February 20, the Athletics hiredChris Caray, son of St. Louis Cardinals announcerChip Caray, as Cavnar's backup.[98]
Also on February 13, the Texas Rangers' broadcast team for 2024 was announced withMike Bacsik,Dave Valle andDavid Murphy splitting analyst duties and Jared Sandler taking over as the backup TV play-by-play announcer behindDave Raymond. The trio of Bacsik, Valle and Murphy replaced C. J. Nitkowski who joined the Braves broadcast team.[99]
On September 30, 2024,NBC Sports Chicago, the television home of the White Sox, ended its operations after 20 years. The White Sox, the NHL'sChicago Blackhawks and the NBA'sChicago Bulls will move to the newChicago Sports Network (CHSN) in the autumn as a joint venture withStandard Media Group.[100][101]
This is the fourth year of the existing seven-year deals withFox,TBS, andApple TV+.[35] This is also the fourth year of a deal withESPN. However, ESPN and Major League Baseball announced prior to the season that both parties had exercised a mutual opt-out to end the agreement following the 2025 season.[102] This is the second year of a multi-year deal withTelevisaUnivision.[69]
Fox will continue to air theirFox Saturday Baseball andBaseball Night in America slate of games on most Saturdays during the season and select Thursday nights (these games will be in regional windows with at least two games per night). Fox will exclusively air theMLB Speedway Classic as part of their package. Fox and FS1 will split coverage of theMLB Tokyo Series, with Fox airing the first game and FS1 airing the second; although Fox aired the first game, MLB allowed the Cubs'Marquee Sports Network and the Dodgers'Spectrum SportsNet LA to produce their own broadcasts in theChicago andLos Angeles metropolitan areas.[103] Fox will air the2025 MLB All-Star Game.FS1 will also broadcast games, mainly on Saturday afternoons, which will be both non-exclusive, and co-exist with regional broadcasts.[19]Fox One will simulcast in market and national Fox games, along with all FS1 games when the service launches this fall.[104]
TBS will continue to broadcastMLB Tuesday. Most games are blacked out in the home markets of the teams playing, however, TBS is allowed to co-exist once with a teams' local broadcast.[42]Max will continue to simulcast TBS' games, however beginning this season it will only stream games on its ad free tier.[105]
ESPN will continue to broadcastSunday Night Baseball, with the option to show alternate broadcasts, along with at-least five other exclusive regular season games. For the first time since2021, ESPN will air a doubleheader onOpening Day.[106] ESPN will also air a doubleheader on Sunday, July 6, as part ofJuly 4 weekend.[107] The network also has the rights to theHome Run Derby.[41] Select games may air onABC orESPN2.Joe Buck, who was the lead MLB on Fox play-by-play commentator until he moved to ESPN forMonday Night Football in 2022, will call his first nationally televised baseball game for ESPN on Opening Day in 2025.[108] For the first time,ESPN+ andDisney+ will simulcast coverage of ESPN's Opening Day games and the network has the option to simulcast additional ESPN produced games.[109] However, unlike previous seasons, ESPN+ will not stream a daily MLB game produced by RSN’s.[110]
Apple TV+ continues to hold the rights toFriday Night Baseball which features two exclusive games each Friday during the season.[35]
This will be the second season thatMLB Sunday Leadoff will be streamed onThe Roku Channel under a multi-year deal which features one game each week from May to August. The network has the option in airing games in the early or late windows.[111]
MLB Network will continue to broadcast a regular slate of games. While most games will be simulcasts of the teams' local broadcast, select games will be produced by the network under itsMLB Network Showcase banner. All games are blacked out in the home markets of the teams playing.[112]
UniMás andTUDN will air the weekly whiparound showMLB En Vivo (lit. 'MLB Live') on Tuesday nights throughout the season, the weekly studio showMLB Esta Semana (lit. 'MLB This Week') on Saturday nights, and postseason coverage.[113]
MLB.tv will continue to stream out-of-market games (including out-of-market Fox games) and all Roku and MLB Network games.[111][114]
During the postseason, the ESPN networks (including ABC, with Spanish–language simulcasts on ESPN Deportes) will air all four Wild Card Series.[41] TNT Sports (TBS, truTV, and Max) will then broadcast the National League Division Series and the National League Championship Series,[42] and Fox Sports (Fox and FS1, with Spanish-language simulcasts on Fox Deportes) will broadcast the American League Division Series, the American League Championship Series and the World Series.[19]
The Chicago White Sox, theNBA'sChicago Bulls, theNHL'sChicago Blackhawks, andStandard Media launched theChicago Sports Network in October 2024, replacingNBC Sports Chicago as their regional broadcaster. The new network is carried via both broadcast and subscription television.[115][116]
MLB Advanced Media reached agreements with the Athletics, Dodgers, Giants, Mets and Phillies to launch in-marketdirect-to-consumer (DTC) streaming packages viaMLB.tv. For all teams except the Dodgers, subscribers will have the ability to bundle the service with MLB.tv's out-of-market package.[117][118][119]
Sportico reported thatNBC Sports California had renegotiated its agreement with the Athletics to account for its transitional relocation to Sacramento. The network's broadcast territory has historically included the Sacramento market, where it serves as the regional broadcaster of theNBA'sSacramento Kings.[120]
Amid the now-resolved bankruptcy ofMain Street Sports Group (formerly Diamond Sports Group)—owners of theFanDuel Sports Network (FDSN, formerly Bally Sports) regional sports networks,[121] its contracts with the Cleveland Guardians, Milwaukee Brewers, Minnesota Twins, and Texas Rangers expired at the end of the 2024 season,[122][123][124] while the Reds announced an agreement to opt out of its existing contract with Diamond.[125]MLB Local Media will assume the rights to the Guardians and Twins beginning in the 2025 season.[126][127] The Brewers and Reds were originally announced as also moving to MLB Local Media, but Diamond later re-entered into negotiations with both teams, and reached new agreements for them to remain onFanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin andOhio respectively. The new contracts also include additional options to carry the teams' games on DTC platforms.[128][125] The Rangers launched the in-houseRangers Sports Network (RSN); it operates similarly to MLB Local Media, distributing games via agreements with television providers within the team's market, and offering a DTC service hosted byVictory+ (which is available via a paid subscription, or at no additional charge toauthenticated subscribers of television providers who carry Rangers games).[129][130][131] The Rangers also announced agreements withGray Media andNexstar Media Group to syndicate a package of 15 games—primarily Friday home games—to a statewide network ofbroadcast television stations, withKDAF in Dallas as flagship station.[131][132] Diamond renegotiated its contracts with most of the remaining teams it televises.[133][134][128][125]
MLB Local Media will also oversee production of Mariners telecasts withRoot Sports Northwest's 2024 separation from Warner Bros. Discovery/TNT Sports, but the network will still handle distribution as before.[135] Root Sports Northwest announced an in-house DTC service on March 21, 2025.[136]
On November 22, 2024, the Miami Marlins parted ways with television play-by-play announcerPaul Severino after seven seasons.[137] On January 17, 2025, the Marlins announced that they have moved announcer Kyle Sielaff from radio to television play-by-play.[138]
Teams with local media agreements withFanDuel Sports Network andMLB Local Media began simulcasting a limited amount of games onover-the-air stations. These deals resemble arrangements made under some of FDSN'sNBA andNHL contracts, which similarly enable teams to simulcast a limited package of games on broadcast television.[139]
In addition to airing on FanDuel Sports Network, the Braves, Cardinals, Royals and Reds announced agreements to simulcast packages of games on networks of Gray Media broadcast stations. The Braves will air a package of 15 regular season games in simulcast withFanDuel Sports Network South, withWPCH-TV in Atlanta as the flagship station. In addition, Gray exclusively produced and aired 10 spring training games.[140] The Cardinals will air a package of at-least 10 regular season games in simulcast withFanDuel Sports Network Midwest, withMatrix Midwest as the flagship station.[141] The Royals will air a package of 10 regular season games in simulcast withFanDuel Sports Network Kansas City, withKSMO-TV as the flagship station.[142] The Reds will air a package of 10 regular season games in simulcast withFanDuel Sports Network Ohio, withWXIX-TV andRock Entertainment Sports Network as the flagship stations.[143] In March 2025, the Brewers and Tigers reached agreements withFox Television Stations (a former sister to FDSN) to serve as flagships for similar arrangements, with Detroit'sWJBK to simulcast 10 Tigers games withFanDuel Sports Network Detroit,[144] andWITI in Milwaukee to simulcast 10 regular season Brewers games and 3 spring training games withFanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin. The Brewers' radio rightsholderGood Karma Brands is handling syndication agreements for the Brewers' package, which includes affiliates in other Wisconsin markets.[145] In May, the Angels reached an agreement withKCOP-TV to simulcast 12 games.[146] Later in March, the Diamondbacks, Padres and Rockies, whose television rights are controlled by MLB Local Media, reached similar agreements withTegna Inc. to simulcast 10 games. The flagship stations will beKFMB-DT2 (The CW San Diego) for the Padres,KTVD for the Rockies, andKPNX for the Diamondbacks.[147] The Guardians reached a similar agreement with Tegna in April, withWKYC serving as the Guardians' flagship.[148] In April, the Twins also announced a 10-game simulcast agreement with Fox Television Stations.KMSP-TV will serve as the flagship station for these games; Gray Media will distribute games in other markets.[149] In April, the Marlins and Rays reached agreements withCBS News and Stations to simulcast 15 games. The Marlins' flagship will beWBFS-TV, while the Rays' flagship will beWTOG.[150][151]
On February 21, 2025, the Seattle Mariners promoted announcerAaron Goldsmith to lead television play-by-play following the departure ofDave Sims to the New York Yankees' radio booth. The Mariners also parted ways with long-time television analystMike Blowers after a 17-year tenure. As a result, analyst duties will be split betweenJay Buhner,Dave Valle,Angie Mentink, andRyan Rowland-Smith.[152][153]
On March 3, the Orioles and Nationals reached a settlement to end the teams dispute over television rights fee payments.Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN), which is owned and operated by the Orioles but airs both teams' games, pays rights fees to the Nationals. Through the settlement, the Nationals' agreement with the Orioles and MASN will end following the 2025 season.[154]
On March 12, the Braves announced that they would introduce Spanish-language commentary onSAP for regional games on FanDuel Sports Network, withFrancisco X. Rivera on play-by-play.[155]
On March 18, theNBC Sports Regional Networks—the broadcast home of the Athletics, Giants and Phillies—launched in-market DTC services as paid add-ons forNBCUniversal's streaming servicePeacock, which include all programming broadcast by the networks. Access to these services require an active Peacock subscription.[156] The next day, MLB announced separate agreements with the teams to also offer DTC packages via MLB.tv; these packages do not require a Peacock subscription, but does not include other programming from the teams' networks.[157]
On March 24, Nationals TV play-by-play announcerBob Carpenter announced that he will retire following the conclusion of the 2025 season. Carpenter has called Nationals games since the2006 season, and previously called games for the Texas Rangers and St. Louis Cardinals, as well as occasional national assignments with ESPN.[158]
On April 21,Mid-Atlantic Sports Network, the home of the Nationals and Orioles, announced the launch of a direct-to-consumer streaming service. The Astros are now the only MLB team without a DTC option.[159]
In May 2025, the Athletics announced an agreement withGray Media to simulcast 15 games in Las Vegas, in preparation for the teams' move to the city, onKVVU andSilver State Sports & Entertainment Network.[160]