M.L.B. Nears Deal With Another Streaming Service to Carry Some Games Exclusively

The number of streaming services has exploded, and many are turning to live sports to attract subscribers. Peacock already has exclusive deals with WWE and for some Premier League soccer games. Even a small number of exclusive baseball games — the regular season has a total of 2,430 — would give Peacock a foothold and could help boost subscriptions. At the end of 2021, Peacock, which also has a free tier, had nine million paid subscribers and 24.5 million monthly active accounts.

Currently, major-league baseball games air on cable channels including ESPN, which is owned by Disney, and Turner Sports, which is owned by WarnerMedia.

Major League Baseball is just now recovering from a drawn-out labor battle that delayed the start of the 2022 season. On Thursday, the league and the players’ union agreed to a new contract. Opening day is now scheduled for April 7.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/11/sports/mlb-peacock-streaming-games.html