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So ESPN balked at paying the price that Apple and Roku paid for their packages, and then used that price (that they didn't want to pay) to try and reduce the rate they are paying for the main part of the pie?

Man, fuck that shit. I don't blame MLB for telling them to fuck off. And also noteworthy about how ESPN is hemorrhaging subscribers right now. Losing the MLB deal is going to HURT them in the summers, and they're already at 50% of what they were just a couple years back. And to see that ESPN wanted/needed them for the DTC offering they have coming, they're basically going to be left with NBA, WNBA, NHL, SEC, and Monday Night Football. Not great for the future of the network

...when they get a partner that promotes them like they should be promoted instead of treated as filler during talk about LeBron or the NFL.

That was one of the things mentioned in the memo that the commissioner sent to MLB owners. Per Evan Drellich and Andrew Marchand from The Athletic (paywalled link)

Manfred wrote the league has"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."

Exactly what you were talking about, VTAlum. I used to enjoy watching Baseball Tonight back when Gammons was on the show. They've really scaled back on that, probably back when MLB ratings were at a low, but they didn't seem to be bringing back much quality non-game content, and MLB didn't take too kindly to that. If you want a partner, you want them to really want YOU, and not just be a side-chick.

Some other interesting nuggets from the article:

"Over the past several months, ESPN has approached us with a desire to reduce the amount they pay for MLB content over the remainder of the term," Manfred wrote. "Publicly and privately ESPN has pointed to lower rights fees paid by Apple and Roku in their deals with MLB. We believe arguments based on the Apple and Roku deals are inapt and we have rejected ESPN's aggressive effort to reduce rights fees for several reasons.

"First, the inventory involved in the Apple and Roku deals is very different from the ESPN inventory. The ESPN deal contains the only truly exclusive regular season windows on Sunday nights, the exclusive right to an entire round of playoffs, and the Home Run Derby, one of the most exciting events of the summer. In contrast, Apple and Roku have games that compete against a complete slate of other games broadcast in local markets."

Looks like ESPN has been trying to compare apples (ESPN's content) to oranges (Apple's and Roku's content) to lower the rights values, and MLB balked (pun intended) at that.

Here's the whole letter that Manfred sent to the owners:

As all of you are likely aware, and as set forth in our memo in April 2021 when the current ESPN national media rights agreement was submitted to you for approval, the agreement provides both ESPN and MLB with the right to terminate the deal on or before March 1, 2025, effective upon the end of the 2025 MLB season.


"Over the past several months, ESPN has approached us with a desire to reduce the amount they pay for MLB content over the remainder of the term. Publicly and privately ESPN has pointed to lower rights fees paid by Apple and Roku in their deals with MLB. We believe arguments based on the Apple and Roku deals are inapt and we have rejected ESPN's aggressive effort to reduce rights fees for several reasons.


"First, the inventory involved in the Apple and Roku deals is very different from the ESPN inventory. The ESPN deal contains the only truly exclusive regular season windows on Sunday nights, the exclusive right to an entire round of playoffs, and the Home Run Derby, one of the most exciting events of the summer. In contrast, Apple and Roku have games that compete against a complete slate of other games broadcast in local markets. In fact, in the last round of bargaining with ESPN, they declined to purchase the inventory we subsequently sold to Apple and Roku. Second, given the strength of our product we do not believe a reduction in fees is warranted. Sunday Night Baseball ratings were up 6% in 2024 over 2023, which is notable given that 2024 was a summer Olympics year. The 2024 MLB Wild Card Series was the most watched ever, averaging over 2.8M viewers per game, up 25 percent from 2023. Our Home Run Derby is the highest rated skills competition in any professional league. In addition, our demographics are extremely attractive. The overall male/female ratio on ESPN is 73/27 while MLB on ESPN is 68/32, with growth among women outpacing men this year. In addition, our Hispanic audience on ESPN is ~10%, significantly above most other sports on their platform.

"Third, we do not believe that Pay TV, ESPN's primary distribution platform, is the future of video distribution or the best platform for our content. As of December 2024, ESPN was available in 53.6M homes, down from its peak of over 100M homes in 2011 and 69M homes when we struck the current deal in 2021.

"Furthermore, 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.

"Based on the foregoing, we and ESPN have mutually agreed to terminate our agreement. While ESPN has stated they would like to continue to have MLB on their platform, particularly in light of the upcoming launch of their DTC product, we do not think its beneficial for us to accept a smaller deal to remain on a shrinking platform. In order to best position MLB to optimize our rights going in to 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.

"To that end, we have been in conversations with several interested parties around these rights over the past several months and expect to have at least two potential options for consideration over the next few weeks. To be clear, our games will continue to be on ESPN for the entirety of the 2025 MLB season, including the postseason. Any new deal will commence in 2026. I will be in touch with more information as events warrant."

I just wish I could get the MLB Network live on the TV app. I can get it on the mobile app, but not on my TV. I'd have that on a good bit pregame if I could put it on the TV.

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How many games was ESPN broadcasting anyway? Most of the teams have local/separate broadcast partners that put out most of the games. I think ESPN was paying around $100M per team. Top teams have $400M+ in TV revenue so majority is coming from outside Le Mouse.

Please let us know how that goes! I have had somewhat of an aversion to PXG for some reason but people rave about their clubs

Provence is beautiful that time of year, but I'd hestitate to include it based on how much extra driving it would create. Travel time eats into tourism time. However, if your heart is set on it, it can be done.

If you and your bride like wine and fine dining, a nice possibility is Beaune, and also Dijon. Then you could fill in with a couple of days in Switzerland and add some time in Paris. Lake Como is also good idea, as you're very close. Let us know as your plans firm up, and we might be able to suggest some specifics.

We just fumbled it away

The minute ESPN comes back and tries to change the terms of the contract, the contract isn't a contract anymore.

The problem is - where do you go instead? Broadcast networks mean more eyeballs for one game per slot with the rest scattered to even more fractured streamers. At least with ESPN it's more or less a sunk cost and they have multiple linear platforms that are generally available as a result. If we go to CBS or NBC we will get a lot of inventory moved over to Peacock or Paramount streaming. Everything will be the Ocho outside of the linear game.

Sports and Cable TV are so closely coupled that the changes, whatever they are, will likely be worse. Streaming hits way less households and so the money involved is much worse from a program standpoint. There's not really a 1 for 1 comp to ESPN/ABC in terms of access and reach. It sucks. So does ESPN.

nah, they will still oversaturate you with the NBA- a league where teams openly try to lose games, stars won't play 2 nights in a row, nobody gives effort until the playoffs, and ratings tanked several years ago. ESPN will cover that like their lives depend on it, and you will get non stop fantasy trade talks, every "summer of lebron", drake dis tracks, etc. Nauseating when its not NFL season. ESPN half assed their baseball coverage anyway. IT's not the precious NBA.

It is important to note that MLB didn't unilaterally terminate the contract. MLB and ESPN both had options to opt out of the agreement, and have said it was mutual. This would be more akin to if ESPN had opted out of the ACC deal. Not the ACC terminating the contract.

F*&^ ESPN and the mouse they rode in on