NBC is reportedly trying to diversify its sports offerings by getting involved in Major League Baseball.
NBCUniversal has entered the bidding for the package of Sunday night and playoff games previously held by ESPN, according to Joe Flint and Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal. NBC also has interest in the rights to the Home Run Derby, which were previously held by ESPN.
NBC’s plan would be to air the games on their network, plus streaming service Peacock. It would give the network year-round sports programming to go with “Sunday Night Football” and its new NBA package, which will begin airing next season.
The report states that NBC is offering much less money than the $550 million ESPN previously paid annually for the package. That is partly because the network is not seeking the radio and international broadcast rights that ESPN also held.
ESPN has held the rights to “Sunday Night Baseball” since 1990, but 2025 will be the final year of their coverage. The two sides were at odds over the value of the rights package, and ESPN decided to walk away by exercising an opt-out clause.
It is not clear who else might bid for ESPN’s old package. MLB might prefer NBC no matter what, as it gives them a highly-visible partner that has invested in sports on a large scale. It would also be a nod to the sport’s past, as NBC was one of the league’s top broadcast partners from 1947 to 1989 and has been the home of 37 different World Series.
