Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Historic MLB-ESPN partnership to end after 2025 season, Ron Manfred cites ‘minimal coverage’

ESPN first aired MLB games in 1990

Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images

ESPN and Major League Baseball will end their long-standing partnership after the 2025 season, marking the end of a relationship that began in 1990. The league announced the decision on Thursday, just weeks before the start of the new season, citing concerns over the network’s reduced focus on baseball.

MLB is unhappy with ESPN’s diminished coverage

According to a memo from commissioner Rob Manfred to team owners, the league has been dissatisfied with ESPN’s commitment to baseball beyond live game broadcasts.

“We have not been pleased with the minimal coverage that MLB has received on ESPN’s platforms over the past several years outside of the actual live game coverage,” Manfred stated.

The commissioner added that MLB is unwilling to accept a smaller media deal just to remain on a platform that is losing viewership. “In order to best position MLB to optimize our rights going into our next deal cycle, we believe it is not prudent to devalue our rights with an existing partner but rather to have our marquee regular season games, Home Run Derby, and Wild Card playoff round on a new broadcast and/or streaming platform.”

Despite ESPN’s pullback, MLB has seen a resurgence in popularity. The league recorded its highest attendance figures in seven years during the 2024 season, drawing over 71.3 million fans to ballparks. Television viewership has also increased, including for ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball,” which remains one of the premier weekly sports broadcasts.

However, ESPN has continued to expand its coverage of other sports, such as the NHL Playoffs and the WNBA, which have seen growing interest. While the network has expressed a desire to continue its relationship with MLB in some capacity, its priorities appear to be shifting.

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Manfred’s memo did not completely close the door on a future ESPN-MLB deal, leaving room for potential negotiations. ESPN, meanwhile, has indicated that it remains open to continuing its partnership with MLB, albeit under different terms.

MLB

Rob Manfred

Mohsin Baldiwala

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Mohsin Baldiwala is a Master’s student in Journalism and freelance content producer who got hooked on baseball through Seinfeld’s hapless George Costanza. The same reason why he’s a Yankees fan. He writes about sports because he believes it can offer a brief escape from the world’s chaos. Even if that means enduring the heartbreak of the 2024 World Series.