Major League Baseball has signed a sweeping set of new media rights agreements with NBC, ESPN and Netflix, marking one of the league’s most significant broadcast shakeups in years. The deals, which run through 2028, tighten MLB’s long term media footprint across traditional television and streaming platforms as competition for live sports intensifies in the United States.

The new rights package arrives at a time when American sports leagues are recalibrating their media strategies, shifting premium content toward hybrid broadcast and streaming models. Baseball’s move unifies three major distribution channels, giving NBC a renewed broadcast presence, ESPN continued national reach and Netflix the ability to scale deeper into live sports, a category it has only recently begun to explore.

For NBC, the agreement represents a strategic return. The network once held Major League Baseball rights decades ago, but its reentry signals a renewed push into live national sports coverage as part of its broader Peacock streaming strategy. The deal includes weekly broadcasts and select marquee matchups intended to anchor weekend schedules.

ESPN retains a central position in the ecosystem, maintaining its long running slate of national games, studio programming and postseason packages. The network remains one of MLB’s most influential media partners, and its continued involvement strengthens the league’s cable and streaming visibility through ESPN+.

Netflix is the biggest variable in the new lineup. After testing the waters with live events, the streaming platform now gains recurring access to a major U.S. sports league for the first time. MLB games on Netflix will provide the service with premium, appointment viewing content at a moment when subscriber competition is at its peak. For MLB, the move offers access to Netflix’s enormous global audience, positioning baseball in front of new markets and younger viewers.

For the league, the timing matters. U.S. sports rights are undergoing a generational shift as leagues spread their content across broadcast networks, cable channels and streaming platforms. Securing visibility on all three fronts provides MLB with wider reach and diversification at a moment when linear television continues to decline but still holds massive value for live sports.

The agreements also respond to audience fragmentation. MLB’s leadership wants the sport to maintain relevance with traditional fans while capturing younger viewers who consume entertainment primarily through streaming. The Netflix partnership, in particular, offers global amplification that MLB historically lacked, with the potential to push the league into households far beyond the United States.

While financial terms of the agreements were not disclosed publicly, the three platform structure reflects a rising bidding environment for live U.S. sports content. Baseball remains a key anchor for American networks seeking reliable, high frequency programming that drives both ratings and subscription retention.

The arrangement continues MLB’s recent push to modernise content distribution. Over the past several seasons, the league has experimented with digital only broadcasts and partnered with major tech platforms to sustain relevance in a rapidly evolving media economy. The new package formalises that direction for the next several years.

Across the sports industry, the implications are clear. MLB’s strategy mirrors a broader trend in which top American leagues leverage multiple broadcast partners rather than relying on a single dominant network. This model spreads financial risk, multiplies exposure and gives leagues leverage as streaming platforms battle traditional broadcasters for premium rights.

By locking in three heavyweight partners through 2028, MLB positions itself strongly in a competitive U.S. media landscape. The league ensures stable distribution on television, expanded reach through digital platforms and a valuable foothold inside the world’s largest subscription streaming service. For fans, it means more viewing options and a more fragmented but widely accessible baseball calendar.

The deals reflect where sports media is heading. Baseball is not just securing airtime, it is securing future audiences.